O Povo contra os Bancos Privados

Durante a crise financeira ficou claro que uma das âncoras da economia brasileira é o "spread bancário". O spread encarece o crédito. Consequentemente inibe o consumo e praticamente proíbe o investimento. Atingindo com mais intensidade justamente os menos favorecidos, sejam eles pessoas físicas ou jurídicas. Numa análise imediatista, os bancos, e somente os bancos beneficiam-se dos níveis abusivos de spread. Porém no longo prazo até mesmo os bancos se prejudicam, pois a economia do país como um todo não deslancha. O crescimento dos bancos também fica limitado a capacidade de crescimento do conjunto da economia. Delineia-se um típico cenário Perde-Perde. O governo, através das ferramentas disponíveis tem a obrigação de trabalhar para mudar este cenário. E incrivelmente é isso que vem acontecendo. Dentre outras ferramentas, os bancos "públicos" tem feito a sua parte. O resultado até o momento é tímido, mas animador. Nos resta esperar que as tendências observadas nos últimos 12 meses continuem por mais alguns anos. Aí sim nossa economia ganharia fôlego para alcançar o tão falado e almejado Crescimento Sustentado.

Cofre cheio

Autor(es): Denise Bueno

Valor Econômico - 29/10/2009

Enquanto nos Estados Unidos os bancos privados são socorridos pelo governo e se tornam instituições públicas, no Brasil o caminho trilhado é literalmente o inverso. Os bancos oficiais avançam na concessão de crédito, invadindo áreas até então exclusivas de bancos comerciais. "2010 promete ser um grande ano para o crédito no Brasil e estamos prontos para manter nossa liderança e conquistar novos segmentos", diz Ricardo Flores, vice-presidente de crédito do Banco do Brasil. Esse anseio do maior banco brasileiro implica mudanças significativas no cenário de crédito, por incomodar o que antes era tido como inabalável: a supremacia das instituições privadas na formação das taxas em segmentos nos quais ainda lideram, como financiamento de veículos e crédito para empresas. Os dados divulgados pelo Banco Central (BC) esta semana mostram o avanço dos bancos oficiais, atendendo apelos do próprio governo. O estoque de empréstimos dos bancos públicos atingiu 40,6% do total de R$ 1,3 trilhão em setembro, colado na participação de 40,7% dos privados. A batalha do crédito está focada em áreas conservadoras, como consignado para pessoas físicas e garantia de recebíveis para empresas. Para melhorar o cenário, a inadimplência recuou pela primeira vez desde julho de 2008 e os spreads bancários continuam com viés de baixa. O crédito tem sido uma das mais importantes ações anticíclicas adotadas pelo governo brasileiro. Nos EUA, por exemplo, a falta de financiamento agravou o quadro para o sistema financeiro, com mais de cem bancos americanos engolidos pela turbulência. Já no Brasil, o crédito está no topo da lista dos recursos acionados para que o país saísse logo da crise. Ninguém mais discorda que boa parte desse resultado se deve ao desempenho dos bancos públicos, que amenizaram o impacto da recessão ao irrigar a economia. "Os bancos públicos brasileiros tiveram um papel muito importante na crise", afirma Erivelton Rodrigues, presidente da Austin Rating. Graças à melhora da governança e da gestão, os bancos oficiais foram capazes de responder às necessidades do país. No início de outubro de 2008, ainda sem nenhum indício sobre a dimensão da crise, os bancos oficiais deixaram o pânico de lado e agiram. Foram eles os responsáveis por boa parte da compra de carteiras de crédito de bancos que enfrentaram dificuldades com a falta de liquidez. "Embora com grandes indefinições, o banco tomou posicionamento de acreditar no Brasil e nas empresas", diz Flores. O Banco do Brasil antecipou R$ 5 bilhões em crédito aos agricultores para não comprometer a safra. Em novembro, o BB destinou R$ 4 bilhões aos bancos de montadoras, mantendo o financiamento de veículos e desafogando os pátios, que ficaram lotados por causa da escassez do crédito e receio dos consumidores com o desemprego. O BNDES ganhou reforço de R$ 5 bilhões para pré-embarque de exportações. A Caixa Econômica Federal disponibilizou linha de crédito de capital de giro de R$ 3 bilhões para empresas de construção civil. A partir daí, todos os dias o governo divulgava uma nova medida. Foram mais de 40 só envolvendo os bancos oficiais desde outubro do ano passado, sem considerar as ações do governo, como autorização para compra de carteiras de bancos, redução do compulsório e isenção de tributos para a aquisição de bens, atuação no mercado de câmbio entre outras. O market share dos bancos públicos passou de 32,2% em setembro de 2008 para 40,4% em junho deste ano. Enquanto isso, a participação dos bancos privados foi reduzida de 44,4% para 40,7% no mesmo período. Como resultado de tamanho esforço, a recompensa do BB veio com a reconquista da liderança do ranking de maior banco do Brasil em agosto, perdida com a fusão entre Itaú e Unibanco, em novembro de 2008. Retraído à espera de sinais mais claros da crise, os ativos do Itaú-Unibanco evoluíram apenas 15% no mesmo período, para R$ 596 bilhões. Entre setembro de 2008 e junho, o BB conquistou dois pontos percentuais de market share, com a carteira de crédito passando de 16,4% para 18,7%. É um crescimento forte, impulsionado pelo segmento de pessoa física e empresas, particularmente em micro e pequenas empresas. Consolidou-se na liderança em câmbio exportação, com 32,3% do mercado em junho, em câmbio importação, com 23,8%, em crédito consignado, com 32,6% e em agronegócios, nicho no qual detém 62,7% do mercado. É certo que os bancos estatais são beneficiados pela captação de recursos a um custo menor, observa o economista da Federação dos Bancos (Febraban), Rubens Sanderberg, ex-funcionário da Nossa Caixa. Além disso, foram beneficiados na crise ao se tornar um refúgio seguro para depositantes, além de deter os depósitos judiciais e a maior parte das folhas de pagamento da União. "Fomos percebidos como um banco parceiro e vamos aproveitar este momento para crescer ainda mais", diz o vice-presidente do BB. À medida em que a crise se tornou mais clara, o banco saiu da postura de "ambulância" para aproveitar as oportunidades. Comprou 50% do Votorantim, que lhe abriu as portas do financiamento de veículos. E concretizou a compra da Nossa Caixa, com R$ 17 bilhões em ativos. No alvo do banco estão micro e pequenas empresas, crédito imobiliário e de veículos. Em 2010, o BB trabalha com cenário em que a competição vai aumentar de verdade. E São Paulo será um dos grandes alvos. "Passamos da quarta posição em pontos de atendimento em São Paulo para a primeira. Isso nos dá mais musculatura para crescer no maior mercado de crédito do país." O BNDES trilhou o mesmo caminho. Além do papel anticíclico, o banco de fomento comemora o resultado obtido. Os desembolsos do BNDES atingiram R$ 100 bilhões de janeiro à segunda semana de outubro, recorde na história do banco, segundo informou o presidente Luciano Coutinho. Com a Copa em 2014 e Olimpíada em 2016, o papel do banco se torna ainda mais visível. Por se caracterizarem como projetos de longa maturação e elevado risco, a instituição é, naturalmente, a principal fonte de financiamento de longo prazo para sua viabilização. Não demorou muito para os bancos privados reagirem, principalmente tendo como pano de fundo a redução da taxa básica de juros da economia para um dígito, em junho. Com a Selic num patamar nunca registrado, as instituições privadas, preocupadas em manter a rentabilidade, voltaram a emprestar com apetite moderado a partir de agosto. "Quem quiser crescer, terá de emprestar", reforça o presidente da Austin Rating. Em setembro, os maiores bancos privados anunciaram redução nas taxas de juros e incrementaram a oferta de recursos aos clientes corporativos e individuais. Os bancos médios também se animaram com a expressiva demanda dos investidores por papéis de empresas brasileiras e começaram a operar com mais vigor, estimulando o sistema financeiro a proporcionar um crescimento mais equilibrado ao país. O otimismo é tamanho que o Banco Mundial emitiu relatório projetando o Brasil como chegando a quinta maior economia do mundo em 2016. Para isso, será necessário muito trabalho. Em setembro, o saldo da carteira de crédito avançou 1,5% no mês e 16,9% em doze meses. Como resultado, a participação do crédito no Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) subiu para 45,7%, ante 45,3% em agosto e 38,7% em setembro de 2008. Ainda que acima de outros países latino-americanos com grau de desenvolvimento semelhante - como México (20%), Argentina (12,5%) e Colômbia (36%) -, esse indicador é bem inferior ao observado nas economias desenvolvidas e em desenvolvimento do leste da Ásia - Coreia do Sul (101%), Malásia (100%) e Tailândia (82,7%), como mostra estudo do BNDES. "O aspecto mais positivo das estatísticas do crédito acumuladas até setembro é a queda da inadimplência do sistema financeiro brasileiro pela primeira vez no ano e a manutenção das provisões", comentam os analistas da Link Corretora. Segundo dados do BC, a taxa média de juros das modalidades que compõem o crédito referencial vêm recuando e atingiu 35,3% ao ano em setembro, o menor patamar desde dezembro de 2007. Uma queda de cinco pontos percentuais nos últimos doze meses. O spread bancário também segue a mesma trilha, situando-se em 26%, o menor nível desde julho de 2008.

To Outsource or not to Outsource: That is the question.

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

What is Outsourcing and the Reasons for Outsourcing

Most of us are familiar of the term outsourcing. We are aware that this is one of the most common practices of the different companies today. Even the professionals are outsourcing different services. Most developing countries are enjoying this trend. This has provided employment to thousands of people in various countries.

However, this has also received various criticisms. This is because job opportunities shifted to the other countries. The locals are now having difficulty looking for a job because of this.

Outsourcing is an act of the organization that assigns tasks to another organization or group. It used to concentrate on information technology before. However, organizations have outsourced several other functions like travel assistance, customer service, transcriptions, and accounting.

Aside from providing cheaper labor force, there are other reasons why organization entrust some of their activities to a third party. Here are some of them:

1. It helps them find competent employees. The different industries are very competitive in almost all aspects, even in recruiting competent employees. With the aid of outsourcing, organizations are able to find qualified personnel without pirating them from other organizations. This saves them time, effort, and money.

2. It helps them focus on their core business. This is one of the best things that outsourcing can do. Since they assigned most of the management of the operation to another organization, they can now concentrate on plans for growth and development. They can keep an eye on new projects and campaigns. They can also respond to threats and opportunities right away.

3. They are able to find more use to their existing assets and resources. When an organization decides to outsource a portion of its operation, this does not mean that their current resources will go to waste. They can utilize their labor force to focus more on new campaigns. They can also manage their expenses and other costs well.

4. They can choose an organization or country that specializes on a particular task. This way they do not have to compromise the quality of the products or services. They can assign operations regarding technical stuff to centers in India. They can also look for the most competent agency in terms of providing web designs and systems.

5. They are able to share management of the operation without losing full control of it. This is what enables the organization to focus on the core business. Although they assigned the task to a third party, they will not lose control of the operation. They can monitor it occasionally. They can also demand for periodic reports if they want.

Many organizations are outsourcing most of their processes. This is because of cheaper labor forces in developing countries, mostly in Asia. They are also able to find a pool of competent workforce without spending a lot. As a result, they are able to manage their resources better and focus more on the growth of the business. The entire course leads to better management of expenses that results to cheaper goods.

Description: There are some casualties of outsourcing. The locals can no longer take advantage of the job opportunities provided by various organizations. However, most organizations find this necessary to manage their company better.

Advantages and Disadvantages Outsourcing happens when an organization enters into a contract that assigns a portion or an entire task to another organization. It can be domestic or foreign outsourcing. Domestic outsourcing takes place when an organization assigns the task to organizations at home. An example would be an organization doing business with a security agency to provide guards for their establishments.

Foreign outsourcing on the other hand assigns tasks overseas. Normally, big organizations do business with centers located in different parts of the world. India is probably the leading country in providing labor pool to first world countries. They specialized in information technology. The next in line is the Philippines. Although they cannot compete with India in terms of IT force, the country can provide several other services like accounting and finance, and customer services.

There are many reasons why organizations outsource their workforce. One is because of the availability of cheaper employment resource. This can greatly help them cut down on labor costs. Although employees overseas are no worse or better than those at home, they settle for a much lesser pay, less than what the employees from home would demand.

Another reason is that outsourced services are easier to manage. The organization becomes the client of the outsourced agency or business. They give their demands, thus the pressure and stress shift to the outsourced organizations. All the organization has to do is to communicate with the head of the outsourced organization, and in turn, they will discuss it with their work force.

The difficulty in finding qualified and competent human resources is another reason why organizations opt to outsource labor from neighboring states and overseas. Local employees demand for higher pays and they cannot assure to deliver the best output. On the contrary, organizations can negotiate the rates of labor expenses if they outsource it. Outsourced group also assures to deliver what the client requests.

Outsourcing has both positive and negative effects. Although this is good news to nations who have been recipients of outsourced tasks, job search has been tough to the locals of where the outsourcing organizations are from.

The locals are not in favor of foreign outsourcing. Why would they favor it if they feel that the other countries are taking away the jobs that could go to them? Here are some of the other negative effects of outsourcing:

1. The competition for finding a job for the locals is tougher. This is the most obvious effect of foreign outsourcing. Since more jobs are assigned in other countries, the natives will have more difficulty gaining employment.

2. Miscommunication is also another disadvantage of outsourcing services. Although trainings can correct this, there will always be instances of miscommunication. The client could mean one thing and the outsourced organization could interpret it in a different way. They largely depend on technology to transmit instructions as well. If something wrong will happen to the communication system, the entire operation will suffer.

3. Organizations do not have full control of the outsourced services. Several IT organizations provide employment opportunities in India. Because of this, technical support agents may not perform well since they can easily seek for employment in other organizations. Although the center can provide policies and targets for the agents, the organization will not have full control of the services they provide.

4. Confidential information could leak to competitors. This is not impossible since contact centers in different countries have various clients. A center can handle the services for two competing clients. Although this can be a major ethical issue, the business unit in charge of one client may deliberately or accidentally disclose valuable information to competitors. The other party may not know about it and may be surprised with the turnout of their revenue.

5. Outsourcing has also demoralized local employees. Imagine how you would feel if you witness your employer, slowly assigning tasks to other countries. Surely, you will feel that you could lose your job any time soon.

Although this is the case, outsourcing also offers several advantages. Most experts would say that this is a win-win situation for people at home and abroad. Here are some of the positive effects of outsourcing:

1. This gives more employment to developing countries. These countries offer several employment services. They can facilitate the building of needed infrastructures, train new employees, and process needed documents for the operation. This will do well for the entire economy of the developing countries.

2. Organization cuts down on labor expenses leading to cheaper products. The primary reason why organizations outsource labor force is that it is cheaper in other countries. When labor cost is low, they can adjust the prices of their goods. This in turn will give consumers more purchasing power.

3. Organization can concentrate on issues that are more important. Since the organization assigns the management of a certain department to a different organization, they will have more time to plan marketing strategies. They can also scout for other opportunities and might even come up with an expansion program. This will create more employment.

4. Organizations are able to establish good relationship with other countries. This is necessary in globalization. Since these are developing countries, they will surely find potential markets. It will be easier for organization to penetrate the market if they already have a background of how the culture is.

5. Productivity improves. Since labor is cheaper, the organization is able to provide more career opportunities. This results to more productivity and better services.

6. Organizations are able to compete better because the productivity increased and management can now focus on planning and coming up with strategies. They will have more time studying the trends and the actions taken by their competitors.

7. With outsourcing, organizations are able to save on other aspects of operations. They are able to use state of the art facilities and technologies at a much cheaper price.

As long as its disadvantages do not outweigh the benefits, outsourcing is a great business strategy.

Description: Although there are some negative effects of outsourcing, one cannot deny its positive contribution in the world. It provides employment. The organizations save on labor force as well. Most importantly, the prices of goods can go down, giving the consumers more purchasing power.

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Planejar é preciso...

Sem gestão, o projeto Copa será gol contra

Ricardo Vargas, o primeiro latino-americano a presidir o Conselho Diretor do PMI (Project Management Institute) diz que há um antídoto para o desperdício na Copa de 2014: um comando centralizado

Com a experiência de quem atua em gerenciamento de projetos complexos - principalmetne na área de petróleo - que o retiram do Brasil 12 dias a cada mês, o diretor da consultoria Macrosolutions, Ricardo Vargas, está preocupado com a Copa do Brasil. Especializado em gestão de projetos, com mestrado pela George Washington University, o engenheiro químico formado pela UFMG se pergunta a que custo o Brasil fará sua Copa em 2014. De Paris, interrompendo um retiro de dois meses com a família, Ricardo analisou o desafio brasileiro como um gestor de projetos - o primeiro latino-americano a presidir o conselho diretor do PMI (Project Management Institute), organização que reúne especialistas em administração de projetos.

Que lições os jogos do Pan, no Rio, deixam para a organização da Copa de 2014 ? Em primeiro lugar, acho que devemos combater este mau hábito brasileiro que é o de relegar o planejamento a um nível menor de importância. Planejar, para nós, é coisa para ser feita na última hora, no último minuto. Sempre tendemos a acreditar na nossa capacidade de resolver o problema da execução de uma forma imediata. O pensamento é "Ah, sempre fiz assim e deu certo" ou "No final, tudo dá certo."

É a convicção de que o gol vai sair aos 49 do segundo tempo... Exatamente. A gente não precisa treinar. Basta botar 11 em campo e jogar bola que o gol sai. E temos visto que não é bem assim, que o caminho não é bem esse. Uma das grandes lições que precisamos assimilar é que falta de planejamento custa caro e dá trabalho. A gente sentiu isso no Pan. Eu posso garantir para você que, se o planejamento tivesse sido feito de modo absolutamente criterioso, os resultados teriam sido muito diferentes. Não do ponto de vista da competição, mas da organização. Não tenho a menor dúvida disto.

No Pan, gastou-se muito além do orçado. E na Copa do Mundo, melhoraremos sob esse aspecto ou não? Tudo é uma questão de padrão. Quando você está muito mal e fica somente mal, é uma melhora... Ou seja, para quem gastou dez vezes mais do que tinha previsto, gastar só três vezes mais, por exemplo, seria um lucro enorme (rindo). Olhe o caso da África do Sul, que está sofrendo violentamente para organizar a Copa de 2010. Eu sei o motivo: falta de planejamento. Cronogramas desintegrados, irrealistas... E aí o que acontece? Chega lá no final, lá na ponta, não vai funcionar. Não há dinheiro no mundo que ponha em pé um prédio em dois meses. Você não põe. Ou então será um prédio que não tem água, a luz não funciona, a porta cai. É natural.

Até que ponto a experiência de ter feito o Pan é útil para realizar a Copa? Há algumas diferenças entre os dois eventos que tornam a Copa do Mundo um projeto mais desafiador. No Pan, estava tudo centralizado na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Já a Copa envolve um trabalho descentralizado. Nós vamos ter cidades-sede de norte a sul do país. Haverá construção e reconstrução de estádios, obras de infraestrutura hoteleira, rodoviária, aeroportuária etc. E todas essas obras tomam muito tempo. Não são feitas da noite para o dia.

Dá para acreditar que haverá um nível de coordenação eficaz entre a União, governos estaduais e prefeituras das cidades-sede? A variável política não torna mais complexa a gestão do projeto Copa do Mundo? É complicado opinar sobre questões políticas, mas tudo o que eu espero é que seja montado um escritório de projetos e que seja feito um trabalho extremamente técnico de coordenação desses esforços. Por que senão nós vamos começar a ter problemas. Eu não tenho nenhuma dúvida de que nós estaremos prontos em 2014. O problema é quanto isso vai custar e qual esforço isso vai requerer da sociedade, entende?

De onde vem a certeza de que tudo estará pronto a tempo? É que, quando aperta o desespero, sempre aparece alguém para fazer o trabalho. Se você falar que preço não é o problema e admitir gastar R$ 5 bilhões em vez de R$ 1 bilhão, dá para construir um estádio em seis meses, não tem problema nenhum. Com dinheiro, você pode fazer qualquer coisa, fácil. O desafio é fazer de um modo racional, como fez a Alemanha, que realizou uma Copa exímia, do ponto de vista do planejamento, inclusive usando parcerias público-privadas em empreendimentos como o Allianz Arena, projeto altamente complexo e que foi construído dentro dos prazos, sem estresse. Outro exemplo de gestão foi a Olimpíada de Pequim. E os jogos olímpicos são, na minha opinião, bem mais complicados do que uma Copa do Mundo. Porque em uma Olimpíada estamos falando em 10 mil competidores. Na Copa, temos apenas 32 seleções. Incluindo jogadores e comissões técnicas, teremos um universo de mil pessoas competindo, todas distribuídas em 12 cidades, média de 100 pessoas por cidade. Para arrumar instalações, é muito simples. Agora, imagina 10 mil competidores em uma cidade. É preciso uma infraestrutura absurda.

Diferentemente da China, porém, no Brasil um projeto como a Copa do Mundo está sujeito não apenas a disputas políticas como, ainda, a questionamentos sobre temas como licenciamento ambiental para obras de infraestrutra. Esta é uma variável importante? É um ingrediente que complica. Mas a afeição do brasileiro pelo futebol é tamanha que qualquer contratempo para a realização da Copa do Mundo será politicamente catastrófico para quem está no comando - seja, por exemplo, o prefeito de Belo Horizonte, o governador de Minas ou o presidente da República. Todos são fortemente prejudicados, pois o futebol é uma instituição nacional. É um evento em torno do qual existe um interesse absurdo por parte da sociedade.

Mas juízes e promotores públicos não são eleitos e, portanto, estão menos expostos a pressões políticas. Concordo, mas é preciso considerar que a necessidade de construir estádios será mínima. A maioria das obras envolve reformas em estádios já existentes. Isso simplifica bastante o processo de licenciamento ambiental, pois não estamos falando de pegar um terreno e construir algo novo, do zero. O que vai ser crítico, na minha opinião, é o desafio da coordenação dos esforços. É a necessidade que as empresas terão de planejar, estruturar seu trabalho, de modo a conseguirem entregar tudo no prazo e com tempo para testes, para que não se chegue às vésperas da estreia com pessoas trabalhando dentro do estádio...

Como funcionaria o escritório de projeto que você defende para organizar a Copa do Mundo? Para se entender o que é um escritório de projeto, o melhor exemplo que posso dar é o das salas de guerra. O que é o war room? É uma sala onde você tem todo o controle da situação. A Air France, por exemplo, montou uma sala de crise no aeroporto Charles de Gaulle. É um lugar onde todos os esforços ficam concentrados. Em Londres, perto da casa do primeiro-ministro britânico, há um war room famoso. Era onde Churchill ficava. Este é o princípio de um escritório de projeto. No caso da Copa, é você colocar um escritório central em alguma parte do Brasil, com a responsabilidade de fazer a coordenação. Caberá ao escritório de projeto dizer "O estádio da cidade tal está adiantado, o estádio tal está atrasado, aqui se está gastando mais, lá está se gastando menos". É exatamente o quê? É termos controle do processo.

É onde nos perdemos? A falta de controle é um dos fatores que mais pesam para que se gaste mais e para que se atrase o cumprimento do cronograma. É como na empresa. Se você quer que sua empresa dê errado, você não precisa fazer nada: ela vai errar sozinha. Fazer a empresa dar certo é que dá trabalho. Costumo dizer a meus alunos: "Para dar errado, é muito fácil". É o conceito de entropia. As coisas não se organizam sozinhas. Elas se desorganizam sozinhas. Grandes obras e empreendimentos têm por natureza a desordem, o caos. É um processo natural. O escritório de projetos visa a dar controle, instrumentos para você não deixar que as coisas se desorganizem. Você atua de modo proativo, avaliando prazo, custo, escopo, o que está sendo feito e o que não está, riscos que estão sendo mitigados, oportunidades que estão aparecendo. Tudo para que se possa tirar do projeto o melhor resultado possível. A Copa é um verdadeiro presente que estamos recebendo, algo que pode mudar a maneira com o Brasil é percebido pelo mundo em termos do que somos capazes de fazer.

E o que fazer com os superequipamentos esportivos depois da Copa? O estádio João Havelange, construído para o Pan, acabou arrendado por um valor simbólico para o Botafogo. O projeto não se esgota com a competição. Veja o caso do sambódromo do Rio. Ele foi construído com a finalidade de abrigar o carnaval carioca. No resto do ano, é uma escola pública. Todos esses investimentos que virão com a Copa do Mundo são bem-vindos, mas o desafio que temos é de pensar: "Ok, ótimo, mas e aí? O que faremos e como aproveitaremos esta infraestrutura? Como tirar proveito da ampliação daquele aeroporto?". E isso faz parte do projeto. Embora seja óbvio que o Brasil tenha feito lobby em favor da escolha de algumas cidades, eu espero que a Fifa tenha tomado sua decisão de forma criteriosa e os investimentos considerem esta visão estratégica que é necessária para se produzir um projeto que não se esgote com a Copa.

Do ponto de vista do gerenciamento de projetos, a Fifa deveria ter um plano B para a hipótese de o Brasil não atender aos requisitos em tempo hábil? Afinal, os EUA estão se candidatando para 2018... Eu não sei se a Fifa tem um plano B. Mas não penso nessa hipótese. Estamos vendo as dificuldades de infraestrutura da África do Sul para viabilizar a Copa de 2010. E a Fifa não parece estar pensando em mudar a Copa. Se viesse a acontecer algo assim, talvez fosse a propaganda mais negativa que um país pudesse ter na história. Imagina a África do Sul tendo a sua Copa cancelada. Isso não tem preço. É a pior coisa que pode acontecer. É preferível não ser escolhida.

O problema, na África do Sul, é falta de recursos? Não. O problema é o mesmo de sempre: gestão. Falta gente qualificada para administrar, para coordenar. Uma Copa envolve projetos complexos, especialmente na área de infraestrutura, telecomunicações. É preciso fazer tudo isso acontecer. Defitivamente, não é simples.

Quais os erros clássicos das empresas em matéria de gestão de projetos? O primeiro erro que as empresas cometem, e que as leva ao fracasso, é o mau dimensionamento do escopo do projeto. Escopo é aquilo que tem de ser feito no projeto. Escopo bom é aquele no qual não sobra e não falta trabalho.

Exemplificando... Confins, em Belo Horizonte, é um aeroporto que deve estar utilizando 40% da sua capacidade. Mesmo assim, imagine que alguém decida expandir Confins antes de investir na expansão do Mineirão. Bem, quem fizer isso terá um aeroporto com mais capacidade ociosa e um estádio com capacidade aquém da que precisaria. Não vai funcionar. É muito importante saber priorizar. O que fazer primeiro, o que fazer depois. É o erro número 1: dimensionar mal o escopo.

E o erro número 2? É subestimar os prazos. Em gerenciamento de projetos, a gente brinca com esse erro dizendo que é como planejar, na CNTP, as "Condições Normais de Temperatura e Pressão", como aprendemos nas aulas de física. É você imaginar: "Eu vou construir isso e nada vai dar errado. Tudo dará certo, a produtividade vai ser 100%". A vida real não é perfeita. Então, se você planejar considerando que tudo é perfeito, na hora da execução você levará muito mais tempo.

Um afastamento esquizofrênico da realidade. Exatamente. E o excesso de otimismo leva a falhas de previsão e à má avaliação dos riscos. "Vai acontecer algum problema? Não. Vai faltar concreto, cimento? Não. Vai ter gente? Vai, vai ter gente sobrando." E na hora de executar... É aquela máxima: no papel, cabe tudo. O difícil é transformar o que está no papel em realidade. A realidade nunca segue o papel. O papel é que tem de seguir a realidade. E isso dói. É por isso que muita gente prefere não planejar. Porque vai acabar descobrindo que a ideia não é tão boa assim. E, depois, quem será o mensageiro da má notícia? Quem dirá: "Olha, aquele valor que nos comemoramos não é bem o valor real". Acho que é por isso que muita gente prefere que haja poucos controles nos projetos. Assim, é muito fácil culpar qualquer coisa quando algo dá errado. Meu trabalho e o dos profissionais em gestão de projetos é fazer com que as empresas mudem essa realidade.

Não deveria ser difícil a missão de convencer empresas a gastar menos.... Atuo principalmente no exterior, no setor de petróleo, que é altamente complexo e envolve muito capital. Uma plataforma representa um investimento equivalente a um estádio de grande porte, como o Maracanã. É coisa de US$ 1 bilhão. Uma refinaria de petróleo custa US$ 9 bilhões, preço de uma Copa do Mundo. São empreendimentos complexos, que exigem a a instalação de um escritório de projetos. Nessa escala de investimentos, uma economia de 10% significa muito dinheiro.

Qual a principal dificuldade para implantar um escritório de projetos em uma empresa? O grande problema é o que chamamos de soft skills - as habilidades não técnicas. Nesse projeto da Copa 2014, pode acreditar: o maior desafio não é definir qual vai ser a carga de peso que vai sustentar a alvenaria do estádio tal. Essa não é a questão. Nós não temos problema técnico. O problema é gente. É poder, é interesse, é capacidade de liderança, de fazer convergirem os diferentes interesses das pessoas. É esse tipo de coisa que faz com que o projeto dê mais certo ou mais errado. Dos nossos últimos 100 clientes, eu não tenho um caso sequer em que o obstáculo foi um problema técnico. A dificuldade nunca foi causada por um erro de cálculo. E sim por interesses, disputa de poder, esses problemas que eu chamo de soft skills, ou "habilidades leves", não técnicas.

http://www.amanha.com.br/NoticiaDetalhe.aspx?NoticiaID=4ee50d23-eba5-425c-bd26-42f7ba0374f1

Failing Forward

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church after an ill-fated attempt at missionary work. In fact, during his life, he seldom experienced anything other than failure as an artist. Although a single painting by Van Gogh would fetch in excess of $100 million today, in his lifetime Van Gogh sold only one painting, four months prior to his death.

Before developing his theory of relativity, Albert Einstein encountered academic failure. One headmaster expelled Einstein from school and another teacher predicted that he would never amount to anything. Einstein even failed his entrance exam into college.

Prior to dazzling the world with his athletic skill, Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team. Even though he captured six championships, during his professional career, Jordan missed over 12,000 shots, lost nearly 400 games, and failed to make more than 25 would-be game-winning baskets.

Failure didn't stop Vincent Van Gogh from painting, Albert Einstein from theorizing, or Michael Jordan from playing basketball, but it has paralyzed countless leaders and prevented them from reaching their potential.

At some point, all great achievers are tempted to believe they are failures. But in spite of that, they persevere. In the face of adversity, shortcomings, and rejection, they hold onto self-belief and refuse to see themselves as failures. Here are seven abilities of achievers that enable them to rebound from failure and keep moving forward.

Seven Principles for Failing Forward

Reject Rejection

Achievers who persevere do not base their self-worth on their performance. On the contrary, they have a healthy self-image that's not dictated by external events. When they fall short, rather than labeling themselves a failure, they learn from mistakes in their judgment or behavior.

Don't Point Fingers

When people fail, they're often tempted to blame others for their lack of success. By pointing fingers, they sink into a victim mentality and cede their fate to outsiders. When playing the blame game, people rob themselves of learning from their failures and alienate others by refusing to take responsibility for mistakes.

See Failure as Temporary

People who personalize failure see a problem as a hole they're permanently stuck in, whereas achievers see any predicament as temporary. One mindset wallows in failure, the other looks forward to success. By putting mistakes into perspective, achievers are able to see failure as a momentary event, not a symptom of a lifelong epidemic.

Set Realistic Expectations

Unrealistic goals doom people to failure. For instance, if a person hasn't exercised for five years, then making it to a gym twice a week may be a better goal than running in next month's marathon. Also, some people insensibly expect to be perfect. Everyone fails, so expect setbacks and emotionally prepare to deal with them.

Focus on Strengths

Don't invest time shoring up non-character flaws at the exclusion of investing in your strengths. People operating from a position of strength enjoy a far lower rate of failure than those laboring in areas of weakness. You're built to give your talents to the world; be diligent about finding expressions for them in your career.

Vary Approaches to Achievement

In the Psychology of Achievement, Brian Tracy writes about four millionaires who made their fortunes by age 35. On average, these achievers were involved in 17 businesses before they finding the one that took them to the top. They kept trying and changing until they found something that worked.

Bounce Back

Rehashing missteps and blunders for too long sabotages concentration and eats away at self-confidence. When dealing with failure, achievers have short memories. They quickly forget the negative emotions of setbacks and press forward resiliently. While taking pause to learn from failures, achievers realize that the past cannot be altered.

Summary

I believe it's nearly impossible for any person to believe he or she is a failure and move forward at the same time. For those who have been downsized, let go, or bankrupted, the temptation may be to internalize failure. My hope is that anyone who has suffered setbacks recently will be able to separate life's unfortunate events from their self-worth. Failure, like death and taxes, will happen. Your response to failure holds the key to your future.

About

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.

A maioria dos líderes não conhece seus liderados

Em entrevista a AMANHÃ, o consultor Dario Amorin diz que quando não há valorização do indivíduo, não há como motivar uma equipe

O consultor Dario Amorim, autor de "51 Dicas para a Conquista da Automotivação" (Qualitymark, 110 páginas) acredita que o líder tem o dever de conhecer os anseios e objetivos pessoais de cada membro de sua equipe. Só assim, diz ele, é possível trabalhar com os fatores que realmente afetam a motivação do grupo como um todo. O problema é que, segundo Dario, a maioria das pessoas não têm um "sonho" definido...

Você costuma dizer que, para motivar uma equipe, é preciso se concentrar primeiro no indivíduo. De que forma se dá esse processo? Equipes são grupos de pessoas trabalhando em prol de um objetivo comum, certo? Mas o grupo é formado por pessoas diferentes, com anseios, vontades e sonhos diferentes. Sem valorizar o indivíduo é impossível motivar a equipe. Se eu não me concentrar no indivíduo, eu sempre terei alguns membros do grupo motivados e outros, não. Sempre terei aqueles que enxergam a equipe como um meio de atingir seus objetivos pessoais e outros que não vêem relação entre uma coisa e outra.

Sim, mas como a abordagem individual influencia o grupo como um todo? O compromisso de um líder é despertar a motivação que existe dentro de cada membro da equipe. Ele precisa assumir esse compromisso. Precisa estar comprometido como o sucesso das pessoas que estão abaixo dele. Veja: eu, enquanto líder, dependo do sucesso de quem eu lidero. Então é preciso buscar meios de despertar a motivação de cada integrante da equipe. Existem duas maneiras de se fazer isso: por meio da motivação externa - que é gerada por uma causa temporária, como uma campanha, uma meta, um prêmio que se vislumbra ali adiante; e por meio da motivação interna - que independe de prêmios e está ligada à concretização de sonhos e metas pessoais.

Qual desses dois caminhos é o mais eficiente? O foco da liderança deve ser a motivação interna. A externa pode ser gerada por meio de campanhas com início, meio e fim. É um estímulo externo e institucional. Já a interna não precisa de campanha ou prêmios. É permanente. Aqui, o que conta são os objetivos individuais de cada funcionário. Enquanto o indivíduo está no caminho de realizar seu sonho, ele está motivado. O papel do líder é o de influenciar esse processo, mostrando as relações entre o cumprimento de determinadas metas da equipe e a concretização de sonhos pessoais.

O líder tem de sonhar pelo liderado? Eu não diria sonhar pelo liderado, e sim mostrar que ele não pode parar, que ele tem de almejar coisas novas. O que faz as pessoas crescerem é o desejo, o norte, o sonho. O líder é responsável por dar um novo olhar sobre aquilo que se está fazendo. O ser humano, por natureza, tem uma tendência de olhar para o novo sempre com os olhos do passado, com base nos conceitos que adquiriu ao longo da vida. O líder precisa ter a habilidade de fazer com que as pessoas enxerguem o novo com os olhos novos. Encarar os desafios não só com base nos conceitos do passado, e sim com base em novos conceitos, novas interpretações - e novas possibilidades.

De que maneira se pode estabelecer esse tipo de diálogo entre líder e liderado? De fato, é essencial que o líder tenha capacidade de firmar relacionamentos. Ele precisa se colocar no mesmo barco. Ainda que ocupe uma posição diferente de seus liderados, ele tem de remar junto. Para isso, tem de conhecer cada membro de sua equipe.

Os líderes atuais conhecem seus liderados? Em equipes muito grandes, é quase impossível saber detalhes a respeito dos objetivos pessoais de cada funcionário, não? Nas minhas atividades, eu sempre faço um exercício para testar isso. Para cada gestor, eu pergunto coisas do tipo: "Qual é o nome completo de cada integrante da sua equipe?". A maioria deles não sabe responder. Aí eu pergunto: "Qual é a idade e a data de aniversário de cada um de seus liderados?". E eles geralmente não sabem responder. Aí vem a última pergunta: "Qual é o maior sonho de cada um de seus liderados?". São realmente poucos os líderes que conhecem a resposta. E isso ocorre em todos os tipos de equipes, tanto as grandes quanto as pequenas.

Qual é a importância dessas respostas, afinal? Se eu sei qual é o sonho de cada pessoa, fica mais fácil administrar os estímulos necessários para que todas elas se sintam motivadas. Com isso, o líder consegue mostrar para cada pessoa como ela pode ser feliz através da empresa, através do atingimento das metas da equipe. O líder passa a fazer um elo entre o sonho e a realidade profissional de cada liderado. Por outro lado, de que maneira o líder poderia trabalhar a motivação da equipe se não conhecesse objetivos pessoais de cada integrante? O que ele pode dizer de consistente para que as pessoas se sentissem impelidas a lutar pelos objetivos da empresa?

Como fazer esse elo quando as pessoas da equipe têm ambições muito diferentes? O líder só consegue ter uma equipe focada se for capaz de associar as diferentes ambições pessoais em torno das metas da empresa. Agora, é preciso ressaltar um fato curioso: na maioria das vezes, o ser humano não tem um sonho.

Não? Não. Quando você pergunta qual é o sonho de uma determinada pessoa, a resposta geralmente gira em torno de coisas muito simplórias. Em geral, as pessoas querem comprar um carro, construir uma casa, viajar, etc. São sonhos pouco desafiadores. Hoje, muitas pessoas conseguem comprar uma casa sem muito esforço. O líder precisa trabalhar isso. Tem de influenciar o liderado para que ele desenvolva novos sonhos, novos objetivos pessoais. Só assim a pessoa começará a ter motivações permanentes.

The Kanzius Machine: A Cancer Cure?

Although I'm quite late on acknowledging this story, it's very exciting and I wanted to share. I hope Mr Kansius invention becomes a real weapon against cancer! July 20, 2008 (CBS) This segment was originally broadcast on April 13, 2008. It was updated on July 16, 2008. What if we told you that a guy with no background in science or medicine - not even a college degree - has come up with what may be one of the most promising breakthroughs in cancer research in years? Well it's true, and if you think it sounds improbable, consider this: he did it with his wife's pie pans and hot dogs. His name is John Kanzius, and as correspondent Lesley Stahl first reported last April, he's a former businessman and radio technician who built a radio wave machine that has cancer researchers so enthusiastic about its potential they're pouring money and effort into testing it out. Here's the important part: if clinical trials pan out - and there's still a long way to go - the Kanzius machine will zap cancer cells all through your body without the need for drugs or surgery and without side effects. None at all. At least that's the idea. The last thing John Kanzius thought he'd ever do was try to cure cancer. A former radio and television executive from Pennsylvania, he came to Florida to enjoy his retirement. "I have no business being in the cancer business. It’s not something that a layman like me should be in, it should be left to doctors and research people," he told Stahl. "But sometimes it takes an outsider," Stahl remarked. "Sometimes it just - maybe you get lucky," Kanzius replied. It was the worst kind of luck that gave Kanzius the idea to use radio waves to kill cancer cells: six years ago, he was diagnosed with terminal leukemia and since then has undergone 36 rounds of toxic chemotherapy. But it wasn't his own condition that motivated him, it was looking into the hollow eyes of sick children on the cancer ward at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "I saw the smiles of youth and saw their spirits were broken. And you could see that they were sort of asking, 'Why can't they do something for me?'" Kanzius told Stahl. "So they started to haunt you. The children," Stahl asked. "Their faces. I still remember them holding on their Teddy bears and so forth," he replied. "And shortly after that I started my own chemotherapy, my third round of chemotherapy." Kanzius told Stahl the chemotherapy made him very sick and that he couldn't sleep at night. "And I said, 'There’s gotta be a better way to treat cancer.'" It was during one of those sleepless nights that the light bulb went off. When he was young, Kanzius was one of those kids who built radios from scratch, so he knew the hidden power of radio waves. Sick from chemo, he got out of bed, went to the kitchen, and started to build a radio wave machine. "Started looking in the cupboard and I saw pie pans and I said, 'These are perfect. I can modify these,'" he recalled. His wife Marianne woke up that night to a lot of banging and clamoring. "I was concerned truthfully that he had lost it," she told Stahl. "She felt sorry for me," Kanzius added. "I did," Marianne Kanzius acknowledged. "And I had mentioned to him, 'Honey, the doctors can't-you know, find an answer to cancer. How can you think that you can?'" That's what 60 Minutes wanted to know, so Stahl went to his garage laboratory to find out. Here's how it works: one box sends radio waves over to the other, creating enough energy to activate gas in a fluorescent light. Kanzius put his hand in the field to demonstrate that radio waves are harmless to humans. "So right from the beginning you're trying to show that radio waves could activate gas and not harm the human-anything else," Stahl remarked. "'Cause you're looking for some kind of a treatment with no side effects, that's what's in your head." "No side effects," Kanzius replied. But how could he focus the radio waves to destroy cancer cells? "That was the next $64,000 question," Kanzius said. The answer would cost much more than that. Kanzius spent about $200,000 just to have a more advanced version of his machine built. He knew that metal heats up when it's exposed to high-powered radio waves. So what if a tumor was injected with some kind of metal, and zapped with a focused beam of radio waves? Would the metal heat up and kill the cancer cells, but leave the area around them unharmed? He did his first test with hot dogs. "I'm going to inject it with some copper sulfate," Kanzius explained, demonstrating the machine. "And I’m going to take the probe right at the injection site." Kanzius placed the hot dog in his radio wave machine, and Stahl watched to see if the temperature would rise in that one area where the metal solution was and nowhere else. "And when I saw it start to go up I said, 'Eureka, I've done it,'" Kanzius remembered. "And I said, 'God, I gotta shut this off and see whether it's still cold down below.' So I shut it off, took my probe, went down here where it wasn’t injected. And the temperature dropped back down. And I said, 'God, maybe I got something here.'" Kanzius thought he had found a way attack cancer cells without the collateral damage caused by chemotherapy and radiation. Today, his invention is in the laboratories of two major research centers - the University of Pittsburgh and M.D. Anderson, where Dr. Steven Curley, a liver cancer surgeon, is testing it. "This technology may allow us to treat just about any kind of cancer you can imagine," Dr. Curley told Stahl. "I've gotta tell you, in 20 years of research this is the most exciting thing that I’ve encountered." That's because Kanzius impressed Curley with another remarkable idea: to combine the radio waves from his device with something cutting edge - space age nanoparticles made of metal or carbon. They are so small that thousands of them can fit in a single cancer cell. Because they’re metallic, Kanzius was hoping his radio waves would heat them up and kill the cancer. "If these nanoparticles work then we truly have something huge here," Kanzius told Stahl. Enter Rick Smalley, another cancer patient at M.D. Anderson and the man who won the Nobel Prize for discovering nanoparticles made from carbon. As luck would have it, Dr. Curley was called in one day to examine Smalley. Before leaving, he asked him for some of his nanoparticles. "I proceeded to tell him what I wanted to do and that I thought they would heat. He looked at me with sort of a studied long look and didn’t say anything. And then he looked at me and said, 'It won’t work,'" Curley remembered. "And just laughed and said, 'Well, look, I'll give you some. But don't be too disappointed.'" So Dr. Curley brought a vial of those precious nanoparticles to John Kanzius. And on an August day in 2005, Curley and Kanzius put them to the test. Would the metallic nanoparticles heat up enough to kill cancer? "So we take the nanoparticles, we put 'em in the radio field. And in about 15 seconds, they’re boiling and heating and Steve Curley couldn't contain himself. He called Rick Smalley and he said, 'Rick, you’re not going to believe this. He just blew the smithereens out of your nanoparticles,'" Kanzius recalled. Smalley's response? "The only thing that I got out of him after this pause was, “Holy s…,'" Curley recalled. Not long after that day, Smalley died of lymphoma. Once a skeptic, he had become one of Kanzius' biggest supporters. "He didn’t expect it, but he embraced it to his death bed when he told Dr. Curley this will change medicine forever. Don't stop, no matter what you do," Kanzius told Stahl. And they haven't stopped. They’ve already shown that the Kanzius machine can heat nanoparticles and cook cancer to death in animals. Dr. Curley with rabbits, and in Pittsburgh, Dr. David Geller demonstrated to 60 Minutes how he used nanoparticles, made from gold, to kill liver cancer cells grown in rats. "Now what we’re going to do is inject the nanoparticles," Dr. Geller explained. "Directly into the tumor." In the study the rats, anesthetized to keep them still, were exposed to the Kanzius radio waves. Dr. Geller later examined their tumors under a microscope. "What you can see is that cells are starting to fall apart. You see white spaces in between them. The body of the cell is shrinking, the cells are starting to die," Geller pointed out. "And can you tell from this whether the area surrounding the tumor had any destruction?" Stahl asked. "Grossly inspecting the animal, we did not see not see any damage to the surrounding tissue," Geller said. So far, the Kanzius method has only been applied to solid, localized tumors in animals. The ultimate goal is to treat cancer that has metastasized or spread to other parts of the body. Those undetectable rogue cells are what most often kill people with cancer and the trick is finding them. "If we can't target the microscopic cells this is not going to be a cure," Curley said. That’s why Curley is trying to use special molecules that are programmed to target cancer cells and attach nanoparticles to them. He showed Stahl an animation of how he hopes the targeting will work in people one day, with a simple injection of gold nanoparticles into the bloodstream. "What we’re seeing here is an example of a gold nanoparticle in this case with an antibody on it, so the antibody would be the targeting molecule," Curley explained. "You can see it is tiny compared to a normal red blood cell just imagine all of these billions of these gold nanoparticles circulating through the body and then once they get into the blood vessels going to the tumor, these nanoparticles would go through and bind on the surface of the cell." "The cancer cell. It wouldn't bind on a normal cell," Stahl observed. "That's right, they would bind only to the cancer cell. Now here’s the nanoparticles in the cell, here comes John's radio frequency treatment. The cells get hot and they’re destroyed," Curley said. "Gosh, it does look like one of those science fiction movies," Stahl remarked. "Right now it is a little science fiction," Curley agreed. "We’re not quite to the real time yet, but it’s got a lot of promise." Even if all goes well in the lab, it'll be at least another four years before human trials can start. But John Kanzius says he's afraid he doesn't have that much time. So to help speed up the research, he's been raising millions of dollars and getting press coverage about his invention. "Now I can't count the number of times the journalistic community, has done stories on a cancer cure," Stahl said. "I did one in 1973. …How many times have we seen these things work in the Petri dish, work with animals. And then you get them into humans and they don’t work." "Dozens," Curley replied. But if this one does work, it most likely won't be developed in time to help the man who invented it. John Kanzius may have the option of a bone marrow transplant that could buy him more time, but after six years of chemo it would be another grueling ordeal. "Did you ever say, 'I’m not going to do this anymore. I’m not going to put myself through it,'?" Stahl asked. "Yes. I said that-only about a year and a half ago," Kanzius replied. "I changed my mind because I think with all the research that’s going on with the institutions, that maybe, I'd like to be around for the first patient to get treated and just have a smile." "Oh my God," Stahl said. "And then I don't care anymore," Kanzius replied. Produced by Tanya Simon © MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

From Slot Machine to Stock Market: Investment Strategies for Relationships

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

In the early years of my career, I did not have a correct view of life. I approached life as if it were a slot machine. I wanted to put as little as possible into it, and I always hoped to hit the jackpot. I'm embarrassed to say that I often had a similar approach in my interaction with people. I was more focused on what people could do for me than what I could do for them. As a result, I would try to make relational "withdrawals" without ever having made any deposits. Needless to say, I was not very successful.

As I matured, I begin to place a higher value on people. As I made this transition, I noticed a fascinating development: the more I gave to relationships, the more I seemed to gain from relationships. In my book, Winning With People, I named this phenomenon The Boomerang Principle. What you put into relationships has a way of coming back to you.

During my time in leadership, I've noticed that people fall into three broad categories with regards to how they view relationships.

1) Takers

Takers receive and never give. They are the people in life who have a me-first mentality. They try to extract as much as they can from the relationships in their lives, and they rarely, if ever, consider giving back.

2) Traders

Traders receive and then give. Traders will only send you a Christmas card, if you've mailed one to them. They picture relationships as an equation in need of balance. If someone helps them, they feel a debt of gratitude. If they aid another person, they expect a favor in return.

3) Investors

Investors give and then receive. These are the people who give purely for the joy of giving. They add value to others, not as part of a cold calculation, but as a habit. Although doing so may not earn them an instant return, in the long run they reap the gratitude and goodwill of those they have helped.

Investment Strategies for Relationships

Instead of viewing relationships as a slot machine, picture them like the stock market. To get rich, make regular deposits in people over an extended period of time. At first, you may feel like the value of what you're putting in isn't worth the investment. However, like the stock market, in the long run, you'll reap dividends and earn rewards.

1) Think "Others First"

Human nature tends to focus us on personal needs, but investing in relationships requires us to prioritize others. Instead of self-advancement, think others-enhancement. Like a responsible investor, resist the temptation to "time" the relational market, using someone only for short-term gain. That's a strategy doomed to fail. On the contrary, make a habit of adding value in relationships and trust that the long-term results will be in your favor.

2) Focus on the Investment, Not the Return

If you've ever purchased stocks personally, then you know the agony of watching the vicissitudes of the market. Like a roller coaster, your portfolio climbs up one day only to lurch down the next day. Instead of agonizing over returns, a shrewd investor focuses on making the investment. The same principle holds true in relationships. Don't expect specific and immediate benefit from your relational inputs. Through time, you'll be taken care of as long as you're willing to invest.

3) Make Educated Investments

Not all investments yield the same interest, and not all relationships produce the same reward. As a leader, make investing in others a general principle, but be deliberate about putting energy into low-risk, high-reward relationships. Seek out talented people with teachable dispositions, and offer your relational capital to those who will make the most of it.

4) Initiate the investment

A stockbroker won't hack into your bank account and invest money on your behalf. You have to be willing to take the first step. Don't be stingy with your relational investments, giving only to those who've first given to you. Rather, take responsibility for setting the tone of adding value in your relationships.

About

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 16 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and audiences as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and ambassadors at the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell was named the World's Top Leadership Guru by Leadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artists named to Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of his books, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader have each sold over a million copies.

The online version of this article can be found at http://www.giantimpact.com/articles/read/article_from_slot_machine_to_stock_market_investment_strategies_for_relatio/ "This article is used by permission from GiANT Impact. Find other leadership content, resources, training, and events at www.giantimpact.com."

Today is History! Is it?

The Inauguration Day Today, we witnessed history. All around the world people from different Nations, colors and creeds watched live Barack Hussein Obama take the United States of America Presidency oath for the 44th time. But this time, in addition to our long time companion, the TV, millions of people were also able to watch (with excellent image quality) the whole event live from the internet. I was one of these people connected to CNN Live which broadcasted live in partnership with Facebook. But besides the technological aspects what else differs this time from the former inauguration events? What differs this president from the 43 former Presidents? Why millions of people took their time to follow this event live? For starters we could say that Mr. Obama is the first African-American Elected President of the United States, but this one is so obvious. In addition to that, he was born in Hawaii from a white american mother and a Kenyan father. He lived in Indonesia with mother and step father and as adult he studied and lived in Los Angeles and New York City. In other words, Brack Obama is a citizen of the world. He understands and lives diversity every day in his life. For the first time in modern history US has a leader who trully understands what happens beyond their borders. From a non-american perspective the major importance of this US administration is the diversity aspects his leader carries in his mind and heart. Diversity which the whole world expects to be more present in the still most powerful Nation. God Bless America, because we are all interconnected. More and more, we become a 7 billion people village. From US to Kenya we celebrate this new chapter of human history. So definetely January, 20th 2009 will be remembered.

"My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Foto: Reprodução/Site Wordle.net

Montagem mostra palavras do discurso de posse de Obama; quanto maior a palavra, mais ela foi pronunciada (Foto: Reprodução/Site Wordle.net)

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you. For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the fire-fighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]." America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."