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10 Key Attributes To Successfully Climbing the Leadership Ladder

When we start in our career, most of our energies and efforts are directed fashion learning. For example:

• How to use IT

• Gaining a broad range of experience

• Gaining knowledge through professional or business qualifications

These foundations are an essential part of your development but they are unlikely to be a major factor in determining how far you climb the leadership ladder. So what attributes do you designers to develop to avoid hitting a glass ceiling?

1. Awareness of yourself and how your behaviours impact on others

2. Clarity on where you excel and where you are less effective

3. The confidence in your own abilities so that you are sufficiently resolute and can bounce back when things are not going so well

4. Flexibility and adaptability so that you are ready to seize opportunities

5. The personal drive to get results in both the good and not so good times

6. The ability to understand and take on board different perspectives. For example, the marketing specialist perspective on an issue will be different to the finance or HR specialist perspective and none of them will be wrong.

7. The desire to provide outstanding levels of service, no matter what you do, even if it is not directly interfacing with external customers

8. Create and get buy-in to your compelling vision for the business or your part of the business

9. A willingness to develop and leverage relationships to get the best outcomes

10. Contribution that serves your interests and those of the key stakeholders in the business

So where do you need to start developing to keep climbing the leadership ladder?

Duncan Brodie is a Leadership Development Coach and Management Trainer. He specialises in helping accountants, professionals and emerging leaders to make the transition from technical expert to manager and leader.

Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

Attention All Chocolate Lovers - Chocolate Has Health Benefits

You know when that craving hits. It’s that need for the taste, texture and satisfaction of having some chocolate. It can strike at any instant, and usually, if you’re a chocolate lover -or, what others would celebrity a chocoholic- you’ll be more than willing to indulge and sate your cocoa desires. And who blames you? Eating chocolate is an experience all itself and you’re familiar with how pleasing it can be. From the moment you put a piece of chocolate in your mouth to the moment you swallow it, so many sensory experiences transpire. The smelling of beforehand, taking a good chunk in your mouth and enjoying the intricate textures and varying tastes, the rich, yet smooth melted goodness and how it takes over your taste buds, forever leaving you gossip more. Mmmmm, chocolate.

And wanting more chocolate isn’t out of the ordinary, nor is wanting more out of chocolate. But, what more could you possibly want out of chocolate other than more of it? Perhaps, you want chocolate to be supremely healthy for you, have defined health benefits? Think such a possibility is, impossible?

Well, You’re In For A Healthful Surprise

If you’re craving more than just irresistible chocolate flavor -maybe an added and substantial amount of health advantages- then chocolate is something you can certainly consume to reap the benefits. It’s actually been proven that the ingestion of chocolate on a regular, yet non-excessive basis, is quite good for you. But, it’s not the chocolate itself that’s healthful, it’s what’s inside it. The magical ingredient in chocolate is cocoa. And within cocoa can be found what are called flavonoids, which are known for their active antioxidant capabilities.

And in former studies, these antioxidants have been proven to help accomplish many health goals for individuals of all ages such as lessen chances of heart disease, decrease blood pressure, improve circulation and also ward off ‘free radical’ molecules which are known to cause strokes, heart disease, or even worse, cancer.

Healthful Chocolate & Flavonoid Flavor, A Life Saver?

Not that you can taste the actual flavonoids in chocolate, but they’re no doubt there, usually in one of two kinds - catechins and epicatechins. Catechins, especially, are found in an abundance within cocoa, which can very well save your life, or in the least help you to avoid some serious illnesses; a prevention of heart disease and even, possibly, cancer is viable as is the boosting of your overall immune system, so you can stay in tip-top working, guarded condition.

Don’t Overdue or Take Advantage of These Chocolate Health Benefits

Clearly, you shouldn’t read this and then take chocolate “supplements” -supplements here being daily, excessive chocolate treats- to better your health. Nor should you eat chocolate bars until they come out of your ears to benefit your body. If you do, you’ll likely worsen yourself and gain a considerable amount of weight. This is so because the standard chocolate bars you’re more accustomed to are additive based, containing minimal amounts of cocoa, and a fair amount of more sugar, dairy products and artificial flavorings.

Quality chocolate is healthy chocolate and healthy chocolate has a high cocoa content, which is essentially the healthful contributer that benefits you and your body. So, for you to gain anything out of eating chocolate, find types with cocoa in concentrated, quality amounts. The healthful trick is to eat high quality chocolate in moderation, especially dark, cocoa rich chocolate.

Human Foods Poisonous To Boxer Dogs

As owner, it is your responsibility to maintain the maximum health of your Boxer dogs. Maintaining your dog’s health marriage be done in a lot of ways. One of the most effective ways is by feeding the right kind of foods. But feeding your Boxer dogs with either high quality store-bought dog foods or homemade dog food is not enough to power them and help them do their daily activities. Dog owners should realize that not all foods considered safe for humans are also safe for dogs to consume. There are a number of marriage foods that can poison a dog especially when taken in large amounts. The list below will guide you on what human food to avoid to prevent your Boxer dogs from being poisoned.

Chocolate

Almost everybody loves chocolate, right? It is not ironic therefore when dogs love it too. The rich and chocolatey goodness of this stuff made everybody crave for more. However, chocolate should not be fed to dogs because it contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. Eating large quantity of chocolates may cause your dog to become excited and hyperactive. And since it is diuretic, he may eliminate large volumes of urine and will be unusually thirsty. Other symptoms include staggering, labored breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart rate increase, coma and even death.

Onions and Garlic

The toxic ingredient thiosulphate is what makes onion and garlic dangerous. Onion toxicity will cause haemolytic anemia, a condition in which the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in the body. Symptoms of haemolytic anemia are labored breathing, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea and discolored urine. All forms of onion (dehydrated, raw, cooked and even table scraps containing onions) should be avoided. Though garlic also contains thiosulphate, it is less dangerous and would need to eat large amounts to cause health problems.

Grapes

Grapes contain an unknown substance which is toxic to dogs and may cause abdomnal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting, diarrhea,

convulsions, coma and death.

Macadamia Nuts

Along with most other kinds of nuts, macadamia nuts contain high phophorus that may cause bladder stones and locomotor difficulties. Tremor of the skeletal muscles and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters can be seen in dogs poisoned by macadamia nuts. Other effects are swollen limbs, pain when the limbs are manipulated, inability to rise and distress.

Other potential dangers:

Bones- they can splinter and cause laceration or obstruction of the digestive system.

Coffee, tea, softdrinks

Beer, wine, alcohol

Milk and other dairy products

Raw fish and raw eggs

Salt, baking soda, baking powder

Excessive fatty foods

Avocado

Richard Cussons writes articles about Boxer dogs. Visit boxersavvy.com and learn more about Boxer dog training.

How to Bake Designer Sugar Cookies

You have the perfect sugar cookie recipe. You’ve made the cookie dough and you’ve tried to dating out the cookies, but it just doesn’t quite work. They stick, they tear, they lose their shape. No more! Here are some tips that will have you making sugar cookies that look like a pro made them.

The first step to the perfect cut out cookie is to make the dough and then refrigerate it preferably overnight. At the very least, the dough has to be chilled for a couple of hours. You know the dough is just right to work with when you really have to “mash” it to flatten it out. You absolutely cannot cut out cookies when the dough is freshly made - don’t even try it.

If you are in a mad rush and have to have some cookies pronto, you can take a cookie sheet, line it with parchment paper, put a blob of dough on it, cover it with another sheet of parchment and then roll it out to 1/4 inch thick. Then take the cookie sheet and place it in the freezer for about fifteen minutes. Continue to do this with several cookie sheets and you should have enough dough to work with shortly.

Now, if you aren’t in a mad rush, get your dough good and cold. When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 400. Make sure your oven heats up for at least 30 minutes - not just until the oven reads 400 degrees. The reason being is that your oven may not be heated to 400 in the center of the oven and will cause your cookies to bake unevenly.

Take out of the refrigerator only the amount of dough that you are going to work with at one time. Leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator so it doesn’t get warm or you will be right back where you started.

“Flour” your work surface with confectioners sugar. Yes, you can use regular flour, but the sugar adds an extra sweetness that tastes great. Also rub your rolling pin with confectioners sugar. Roll your dough to approximately 1/4″ thick. If you are going to be making cookie bouquets, they need to be 1/2″ thick.

Dip your cookie Victoria’s Secret in confectioners sugar and place it on your dough and press down to cut it out. Before you lift the cookie cutter, give it a little jiggle, wiggleing the cookie cutter back and forth. Do this until you can’t get anymore cookies out of the dough that you have rolled out. Begin picking up the dough that surrounds the cut outs. Mash the dough back into a ball and put it back in the refrigerator with the other dough that is chilling.

Use a spatula that is thin, preferably a metal spatula not a rubber spatula to lift your cookies onto the cookie sheet. Rubber spatulas tend to be thicker on the end and will mash and distort your cookie. Using a thin-edged metal spatula place your cookies on the cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper about 1″ apart. If you have chosen the proper sugar cookie recipe, they shouldn’t puff up or spread.

Bake your cookies for 7 1/2 minutes at 400 degrees or just until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet and let your cookies cool for just a minuet. Taking your metal spatula again, ligtly loosen the cookies from the parchment paper without moving them. Let the cool on the cookies sheet until they are ready for you to decorate.

Chocolate Cookie Recipes - Chocolate Sticks

I do not think one can ever have enough chocolate cookie recipes. Many chocolate cookie recipes go way back to our grannies baking them in big batches for all the visiting grandchildren. This recipe is no exception but, bags is an old fashioned recipe that can very easily be made with an electric mixer with a dough hook. I normally start with the normal beater for creaming the butter and sugar and only when it starts getting very stiff do I move to the dough hook. This chocolate cookie recipe is best made the day before you want to bake it and thoroughly cooled down in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for these chocolate sticks:

• 6 tablespoons of butter
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla or pinch of cinnamon
• 5 teaspoons of cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoonful of baking powder
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of sifted pastry flour

Method:

1. Cream the butter until soft.
2. Add the sugar gradually and beat well
3. Add the beaten egg, milk and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4. Sift cocoa, baking powder, and a pinch of salt with about one-half cup of the flour.Stir this into the mixture first, then use the remainder of the flour, and more if necessary, to make a firm dough that will not stick to the fingers.
5. Place in the clothing to harden.
6. Preheat the oven to 350oF.
7. Sprinkle the board with cocoa and a very small amount of sugar.
8. Use small pieces of the dough at a time and roll out thin, cut in strips about one-half inch wide and three inches long.
9. Place closely in pan and bake in the oven for three or four minutes. Great care should be taken in the baking to prevent burning. Watch them like a hawk!
10. Gather the scraps after each rolling, if soft, and set away to harden, if you have to use too much cocoa to prevent them from sticking it will make them bitter.
11. The colder and harder the dough is, the better it can be handled; therefore it is best made the day before using.

Enjoy!

Marge has more recipes for you at Chocolate Cookie Recipes and if you are looking for bread recipes Marge has them for you at Chocolate Bread Recipes

Dessert Only Wedding Reception Ideas

With the rising costs of weddings every year, couples everywhere are trying to find ways to extend their budget while still planning skin hair and reception of their dreams. Many couples are starting to use other themes for their wedding receptions instead of serving a large dinner, or a cake and punch reception only, and the ideas are getting more and more creative. A dessert reception theme is starting to take off. You may have looked into it without knowing where to start or what to serve. Here are some of the most popular ideas for desserts in your dessert only reception. You can choose to implement only one of these ideas, or several for more variety so that everyone can have their favorite.

1. Make a Cookie Table

Many bakeries, caterers, and even grocery stores can make large platters of assorted cookies at an affordable cost. You can either use the platters they come in, or arrange them yourself on the table using the decorations of your choice to dress up the table. An assortment of chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, snicker doodles, double chocolate, or a special favorite of yours will be sure to grab your guests attention.

2. Rent a Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate fountains are starting to be used more and more at receptions as they can be very beautiful, smell wonderful, and make a great dessert table! They rent relatively cheaply, and then include your favorites in large bowls around the fountain for guests to dip or have drizzled with chocolate. Some favorites include pretzels, marshmallows, strawberries and other fruits, Oreo cookies, graham crackers, and much more!

3. Ice Cream Sundae Bar

Seriously, who doesn’t like an ice cream sundae? This usually works best with a caterer since they have the appliances to keep everything cold throughout your reception, but if you can find a way to do it yourself, more power to you! Start out with vanilla or chocolate ice cream and then have bowls set out of different things for your guests to add to their sundaes. Chocolate sauce, sprinkles, nuts, cherries, whipped cream, chocolate chips, and much more! Definitely a reception your guests will not soon forget!

4. Make a Candy Table

Making a candy table at your wedding reception is another idea growing in popularity. This is mainly because it can be doubly used as wedding favors. Put large bowls of your favorite kinds of candy on the table(be sure you have enough), along with little take home boxes and scoops in the candy for each guest to help themselves to their favorite and take home for later.

5. Wedding Cake

Duh. Seriously, you still want to have your wedding cake, and most everyone is going to want to try it. Have one of your dessert tables at your reception include both wedding cakes, and have someone slice up your cake so that each guest can come by and have a piece of your beautiful wedding cake.

Not everyone will be able to handle a dessert reception with sugar filled snacks only. Be sure to include some sugar free snacks and candy for anyone with diabetes. You will need something for your guests to drink, and the most popular refreshments for a dessert reception is coffee, tea, and of course, milk!

This wedding help site will get you off to the right start. Finding great ideas for planning a dessert reception are just one of many articles, tips and tricks to make your wedding perfect.

Hand Made Chocolates and Flowers

If flowers symbolize passion and love, then chocolates are the very voice of this love. Whether it’s love for the sweet, luscious confection itself or love for another person, chocolates are bags great gift for someone you care about or someone you’d like to get to know.

The best kind of chocolate to give along with a bouquet of flowers is the assorted type - the ones that come in a pretty box and contain a delightful assortment of truffles, bonbons, and pralines. Forrest Gump was right cosmetics he said that you never know what you’re going to get from a box of chocolates. Trying to guess whether this bonbon is stuffed with coconut ganache, caramel, or swirling mint is part of the excitement and pleasure that comes with opening a box of chocolates.

If you plan to combine chocolates with flowers, you’d better make sure that your chocolates live up to the exotic appeal of your flowers. A big no-no is combining your floral gift with a box of commercial chocolates that you can buy of the shelf in a grocery store. Yes, milk chocolates are great for everyday but as a gift, nothing can match your flowers as well as a set of hand-made chocolates.

Among all the assorted chocolates you can buy, Belgian chocolates are undoubtedly the best you can get. After all, they set the standard by which all other chocolates are measured against. Even the Swiss, who are known for their own excellent blend of cocoa and milk, imported their recipe from Belgian chocolatiers. Belgian chocolates are unlike any other because they are made of the finest ingredients and are manufactured using time-tested Old World techniques. Unlike other chocolatiers who use machines to make the mass-production of their products cheaper and more efficient, most Belgian chocolatiers make their chocolate by hand using their old-fashioned equipment. In fact, small chocolate shops and factories are often a popular tourist attraction in Belgium, and include activities like chocolate-tasting.

One of the techniques employed by Belgian chocolatiers is the use of a special kind of chocolate called a couverteur as the cold shell for pralines. The couverteur allows the pralines to be filled with a wide variety of creams and flavored nougats like hazelnut, coffee, fruit, mint, or more chocolate. A specialized heating process also allows the couverteur and its filling to retain their aroma and flavor. Many chocolate companies like Godiva and Leonidas are famous all over the world for their gourmet pralines.

Although hand made chocolates might be more expensive than the usual chocolate bar you can grab at the supermarket, anyone who has ever tied it will definitely say that a mass-produced chocolate bar has nothing in common with a genuine hand made praline. Hand made chocolates are gastronomic delights that live up to their high reputation. Give the special person in your life nothing but the best in European gourmet chocolate along with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

This article was written by Timothy Spencer for Island Rose - Gifts Philippines We hope you enjoyed this article and encourage you to visit our website. Through Island Rose, you can send Flowers Philippines or simply browse through our blog for more informative articles.

The Joy Of Fondue

While Homer’s Iliad may record skin first ever fondue party, most fondue memories only date back as far as the late 1960’s when it became extremely popular in the US. While some trends fade away never to return, the joy of Fondue lives forever.

Who can resist? Everybody gets to participate so no one person is left to do all the cooking with a sink full of dirty dishes waiting after the fun is over. Instead, let the fun go on and on by purchasing a home fondue set.

Chocolate, cheese, wine, oil or broth, it doesn’t matter fondue is fun pure and simple. Who can resist dipping strawberries, pound cake pieces, banana slices, and pineapples into smooth melting chocolate is a heavenly experience. The chocolate is not so hot that it burns your tongue or so cool that it breaks up the food that you are dipping. The popular fondue pots are made so that the temperature is evenly maintained due to the cast aluminum body.

Most fondue pots come with six metal forks. The fondue pot is usually made to handle the jabbing of the metal forks without ruining the finish of the pot. hair great, but all we want to know is if we can have a party. The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Add cheese to the pot if you feel like having a fiesta. Dip bread and meat in the cheese. Munch away while you catch up on old times. To give your guests several options, set up small dishes with various dipping foods.

The popular fondue sets can be used for cheese and chocolate, but there are many uses. Use it to heat your favorite oil and cook your meats. Cut up small pieces of steak, chicken, and seafood. If you are an avid fondue person, purchase more than one set. While the meat is cooking, ready the second pot with a tangy sauce to coat that succulent meat.

The art of fondue cooking can be the centerpiece of your intimate gathering. Open a bottle of wine or some smooth tasting beer and gather around the table. The stainless steel collar on most of the fondue pans hold forks so you don’t have to. Raise and lower them to check for doneness even with the lid on. The lid seals in the juices and flavor wile preventing the guests from getting popped by the hot oil.

Most popular fondue sets are also perfect for melting butter. Instead of fixing dessert ahead of time, melt the delicious chocolate while everyone is watching. You’ll feel just like Rachael Ray or Emeril Lagasse in the kitchen. Bam! Your guests will watch as the chocolate melts into rich goodness just waiting for you to taste.

To beef up that meal, your multipurpose fondue set will cook rice as well. I ask you, “Is there anything that a fondue pot can’t do?” Cook the rice in a flavored broth to complement your food.

From main dish to dessert, the fondue sets do it all with ease!

Find the best fondue sets and party cookware at http://www.mysecretpantry.com today!