L. B. Blue has worked in Corporate America for over 25 years focusing on information technology, insurance, and risk and project management. Over 11 years of teaching at the college level, L. B. Blue attempts to understand, empathize, and care for the total student. Knowing that she is helping students in the classroom with real-world applications and discussions encourages her to prepare adult learners to be competitive in the 21st century and beyond. She incorporates Christ-centered values into her teaching by creating and molding a foundation that accentuate the Golden Rule - "One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself." Once students grasp this concept, they can then live it by demonstrating their faith in Jesus Christ - asking for strength and encouragement to help others; thus L.B. Blue continues to share relevant information by teaching to encourage diversity, educational advancement, and community inclusion. Fruitful Inspirations By L. B. Blue Trafford Publishing Copyright © 2015 L. B. Blue All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4907-5592-2 Contents Acknowledgements, ix, Preface, xi, Chapter 1 Beginning The Work Journey, 1, Chapter 2 Valuing Different Cultures, 11, Chapter 3 Showing Empathy For Co-Workers & Others, 20, Chapter 4 Enhancing The Community And The Environment, 28, Chapter 5 Dealing With Mavericks, 37, Chapter 6 Criticizing Constructively, 45, Chapter 7 Retiring Willingly, 53, Appendix A, Table 1: Individual SWOT Analysis, 5, Table 2: Concepts to Aid Affinity Groups, 7, Table 3: Culture Differences, 15, Table 4: Examples of Life's Lemons and Lemonade, 23, Table 5: 10 Caring Phrases, 24, Table 6: Examples of Environmental Groups, 30, Table 7: Five Factor Model of Personality, 39, Table 8: Important Personal Documents, 55, Appendix B, Figure 1: The Employment Engagement Model, 2, Figure 2: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Theory X and Theory Y, 4, Figure 3 Pear, 9, Figure 4 Apple, 18, Figure 5 Lemon, 26, Figure 6: Banana, 35, Figure 7: Grapes, 43, Figure 8: Plum, 51, Figure 9: Kiwi, 60, Jason's Desk Plaque, 63, Bibliography, 65, Internet Resources, 67, About the Author, 71, CHAPTER 1 BEGINNING THE WORK JOURNEY Start each day with vigor and excitement and hope that others will be energized by your positive spirit. Everyone who attended Jason's college graduation ceremony witnessed the excitement on his face when his parents proudly announced that he had accepted a job with a Fortune 500 company in New York City. Jason smiled from ear to ear, but it made him wonder about the journey ahead. Would he be able to take his classroom theory and put it into practical application? Would he get clear direction from management in order to perform at a level exceeding departmental expectations? Should he be concerned about the company's vision, mission, goals, and values or should he just go to work, do his job, and figure out how to move to the next level internally or externally? * * * Jason's thoughts seem quite normal because beginning a job of any kind can be overwhelming. As one enters the workforce, statistics show that employees want to perform competitively, contribute collaboratively, and develop intellectually for heightened job satisfaction. Therefore, Jason is not alone in this thinking process. Many employers wonder what type of people will actually show up for work and become employees . Peter Drucker, the Father of Modern Management, once said that employees are hired but people report to work. It is expected that these people will enter organizations and actually become committed to the goals and objectives outlined in the companies' strategic plans. Since the Industrial Revolution, companies have hired skillful workers, and getting these companies to focus on human resource management has been challenging. If companies want to survive, they must empower these people to transition from being workers to becoming employees who are engaged in all aspects of the work environment. Figure 1 above shows how employees can be an integral part of the company once they understand the strategic plan and know how the goals and objectives of the company affect their department and/or workgroup. Management has an obligation to get buy-in from the employees by helping them identify with the goals and objectives. To accomplish this, employees need to be influenced. This can be molded by involving the employees in the decision-making process. For this effort to be successful, employers must grant employees authority to make decisions. Depending on the preference, some support a five-step decision-making process; some prefer a six-step decision-making process; and others choose an eight-step decision-making process. Regardless of which one is used, the end result is the same - action . It is obvious that action can be defined as a process in which information is interpreted and acted upon based on facts, emotions, and p