Get Rice: Ronnie O'Brien Rice, Ph.D., Lawyer

In my experience, some of those around you may have a hard time understanding your steps to success. We spend a lot of time explaining the reason for engaging in specific steps rather than actually engaging in those tasks. This post is simply about knowing who to explain your projected path of growth with and who not to do so. The fundamental equation includes observation. We must observe others’ response to our thoughts of success attainment. For example, when you tell some one your plans in life, there are to general possible responses: (1) jump for joy and figure out ways to make it happen; or (2) respond casually with an accompany list of reasons why you shouldn’t do it. Many confused giving advice with tearing down others dreams (or keeping it real). The way to determine if you are helping someone achieve their dreams is ask your self a question:   How would you feel if some one responded to your aspirations in the manner you responded to someone else's'? One of t...

Surround yourself around with ‘GREAT’ people Success in any arena hinges on who you surround yourself with; meaning the people who you talk with on a daily basis determines you success. YOUR NETWORK DETERMINES YOUR NET WORTH . Many times, you hear the phrase ‘self-made millionaires.’ I can’t stress too much how much of a false statement that is. Self-made success stories are only possible by the people you surround yourself with in your daily lives. Some people have an issue with doing such because they either (a) don’t know where to start or (b) they may feel that they are using the people around them to get something they want. Let’s address the first of these two statements, the way you improve your circle is to find people who are doing what you want to be doing or something similar and engage those people. Whether it is as simple text, phone call, email, or Facebook post, find some common ground to develop a relationship. Also, don’t set limits on the people you want to ...

  In a poll conducted by TIME, The Value of Higher Education, varies, depending on who answers the question: “What is the most important reason people should go to college (Ripley, 2012, p. 40)?” The general population responses are as follows:   40% , to gain skills and knowledge for a career; 17% , to gain a well-rounded general education; 14% , to increase one’s earning power; 6% , to become an informed citizen in a global society; 12% , to learn to think critically; and 11% , to formulate goals and values for life. On the other hand, college leaders suggest the following:   21% , to gain skills and knowledge for a career; 14% , to gain a well-rounded general education; 2% , to increase one’s earning power; 19% , to become an informed citizen in a global society; 38% , to learn to think critically; and 8% , to formulate goals and values for life. Regardless of the differences between these two groups, it pays to get some form of education after graduating high...

Have you ever been employed in an organizations where there were little to no socializing between the employees allowed? How productive would you say you and yor organization were? Don’t get me wrong, it is important to get as much quality work done as possible during a work day. Emphasis on QUALITY. But, shouldn’t there be a line drawn between basic human interaction and expecting individuals to be robots? More research has been done to study the possible effects of human socializing in the workplace. And the results are in. Most research suggests that basic human interaction is needed for knowledge creation, thus organization development. It is impossible for any supervisor to know the exact skills and knowledge that is needed to do every task required for a job on a daily basis. In short, having a casual conversation, not to inappropriate, with your colleagues may stimulate new ways to complete a project or solve a problem in a more efficient manner. In ...

The reason for setting goals is not to accomplish things to put on your resume. But, it is about the development of those around you. More so, setting goals allows one to have some thing to strive for in their everyday lives. Think about individuals you may work with in your organization who may not be goal oriented. Too many times these individuals waste their time interfering with others who are trying to be more productive. At the risk of adding to present day societies common pressures on the average worker, one’s goals should include that of their own along with the organizations. There should be a balance between the growth of the individual and the organization. In life, there are examples of both where individuals pour their life into an organization and at the moment of downsizing, they are let go. And on the other hand, some employees do not put any energy and time into their organization. But, due to their union agreements or other contractual situations, they ...

With many theories and corporate programs, many executives view an organization as a simple group of systems. However, organizations are nothing without the people within them. In order to be a greater leader, one needs to understand the environment, culture and people within in them. Understanding the environment takes listening and observing. The environment is more than the physical attributes. It is the stimuli that people use to interact with each other. Listening allows one to gain an understanding of the positives and problems of the workplace. Observing allows one to see the organization more objectively. The culture of the organization may assist a leader in successfully navigating the company and completing task needed to move the company forward. Many times, individuals try to follow the strict rules of the company to complete tasks, but run up against multiple walls. This happens not because the rules and guidelines are flawed, but the cultu...

In present day society, many are forced to choose tatemae rather than honne or vice versa. Before you become confused any further, tateame (Japanese) is the desire of oneself and Honne is the societal obligation (García, 2010). How does this fit into the framework of leadership? These two different mindsets intertwine into leadership in various aspects: cross-cultural competencies, leading individuals who operate within these two realms, etc. As the world around becomes more accepting of different cultures, it is important that many take personal and professional steps to lead others from various cultures to successfully contribute to society in a fashion that one would see fit. Also, as a leader, it would be advantageous for one to understand how others may view the world. Some may deal with an issue of operating within themselves and the rest of the world. Two primary extremes may arise out of the thoughts of honne and tatemae: (1) a person operates solely by their desires, and...

My heart goes out to the victims of the Aurora, Colorado shooting. The deaths that happened last week were unexpected and needless. However, there can be a silver lining in all life’s situations. In an article written in the Huffington Post , Bale made appearances at various hospitals independently of Warner Brothers, along with politicians and professional athletics. Regardless of this being a publicity stunt or a genuine concern for others, Christian Bale’s visitation of the victims of the shooting is important display of leadership: Love. Bale’s actions shows within the mist of people fighting for fame, money and other non-necessities of life, people are always first. People in his world (celebrities, multi-millionaires, etc.) could be shopping or vacationing halfway across the world without a care in the world. However, Bale took time to show love and respect to those who went to view his movie. This should teach society several lessons about leadership: Peopl...

The biggest opponent to being an effective leader is oneself. We mostly hear about the id, ego and super ego based on the Sigmund Freud’s (psychoanalyst) structural model of the mind (Carducci, 2009).   The Id is considered a person’s ability to function in the reality. The Ego is defined as a person’s need to meet the needs and desires of their Id by operating within principles they considered reality (p. 84).   The Superego is the chamber in which a person’s moral standards lay. For example, a person who operates solely in the Id can be considered impulsive, a person who operates solely in the Superego can be considered a very moral person such as a television evangelist; and a person who operates solely within the Ego can be considered rigid and unable to be spontaneous. In regards to leadership the ego is something that most people operate in. Many people want to be a great leader, but have fears that prohibit them from being an effective leader. Even in th...