Free Essays on Life Shaping

The first step to making or throwing a pot is wedging. Wedging the lump of clay properly will ensure ease when throwing. To wedge clay, the potter must rhythmically knead the clay at least one hundred times. The purpose of wedging is to remove air bubbles and thoroughly mix the clay into a workable mass. Just as an infant would die without proper care, a pot without properly wedged clay will never endure. Centering the clay is the most important part of wheel throwing. Even the best-wedged lump will be nothing without proper centering. Centering is done by lubricating the lump with water, and applying a firm but guiding hand to it. The potter then practices coning, which is moving the clay up and down to make the clay more malleable. A firm and guiding hand is needed to assist small children as they learn to make decisions. Social standards and morals have not been fully comprehended yet, so it is easy for a small child to start off on the wrong foot here. The potter now opens the centered mass rotating beneath his hands. This is done by forming a depression in the top and inserting his thumbs down to one half inch of the bottom. Then, the sides are pulled outward to the desired diameter. The potter firms or re-centers the rim each step after opening, once again using a firm and guiding hand to ensure quality. As the pot grows, less pressure is needed to keep the rim true if this was done correctly throughout the beginning stages. A good parent will allow children to grow and learn on their own, but keep them on the proper path as they continue their life journey. Once the child understands how they should behave, less stringent guidance is needed. Pulling the sides of the vessel will be one of the main factors in what the pot becomes. Most pottery is pulled up into a straight cylinder and then formed afterwards. Bowls are pulled at an angle outward so as to give them their bowl-like characteristics. Pulling not only makes the wal... Free Essays on Life Shaping Free Essays on Life Shaping The first step to making or throwing a pot is wedging. Wedging the lump of clay properly will ensure ease when throwing. To wedge clay, the potter must rhythmically knead the clay at least one hundred times. The purpose of wedging is to remove air bubbles and thoroughly mix the clay into a workable mass. Just as an infant would die without proper care, a pot without properly wedged clay will never endure. Centering the clay is the most important part of wheel throwing. Even the best-wedged lump will be nothing without proper centering. Centering is done by lubricating the lump with water, and applying a firm but guiding hand to it. The potter then practices coning, which is moving the clay up and down to make the clay more malleable. A firm and guiding hand is needed to assist small children as they learn to make decisions. Social standards and morals have not been fully comprehended yet, so it is easy for a small child to start off on the wrong foot here. The potter now opens the centered mass rotating beneath his hands. This is done by forming a depression in the top and inserting his thumbs down to one half inch of the bottom. Then, the sides are pulled outward to the desired diameter. The potter firms or re-centers the rim each step after opening, once again using a firm and guiding hand to ensure quality. As the pot grows, less pressure is needed to keep the rim true if this was done correctly throughout the beginning stages. A good parent will allow children to grow and learn on their own, but keep them on the proper path as they continue their life journey. Once the child understands how they should behave, less stringent guidance is needed. Pulling the sides of the vessel will be one of the main factors in what the pot becomes. Most pottery is pulled up into a straight cylinder and then formed afterwards. Bowls are pulled at an angle outward so as to give them their bowl-like characteristics. Pulling not only makes the wal...

5 steps to make sure your company is diverse and inclusive

5 steps to make sure your company is diverse and inclusive Diversity and inclusivity are major buzz words these days, but for good reason. Culturally, it means embracing differences and understanding that life experience is shared, but varied. Professionally, a diverse employee base can help your organization stay agile and productive, rather than stagnate with the same old ideas and viewpoints.Let’s look at five steps you can take to enrich your diversity hiring initiatives.1. Reconsider what â€Å"diversity† and â€Å"inclusivity† mean to your organization.We all know the textbook definition of diversity pretty well by now- people from a broad range of cultural, gender, or religious backgrounds. But if you’re looking to truly up your diversity factor, it’s time to broaden that definition and think about what it means for your company. Consider other types of diversity: different educational backgrounds, different experience levels, different physical abilities, etc. Hiring for diversity and inclusivity ma y not mean much in the long run if you end up hiring people who technically tick the diversity box because they are in particular racial or ethnic groups, but are in the same educational or experience mold as everyone else in the company. Think about how you can really diversify the perspectives and skill sets in your employee pool.2. Use a committee approach.How do you get more diverse voices in your organization? Start by allowing more diverse voices to help make the decisions. Opening up the process to a committee, instead of putting it all on one person or department, can really help enhance your diversity strategy. If you include team members from various departments or parts of the company, you’re also adding a level of perspective diversity as well. Your committee may also bring fresh ideas about where to look for different kinds of talent, helping you move outside the standard job ad.3. Commit to the process.It’s one thing to say, â€Å"yeah, it’s our s trategy to hire for diversity,† but it’s another to carve out the time and resources to do that, given that both are at such a premium. If you’re prioritizing diverse and inclusive hiring, you need to commit extra time to seek out alternative hiring and marketing methods to recruit that diverse talent. This may mean stepping outside your comfort zone to place ads or do outreach to non-mainstream job boards or resources.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});4. Eliminate as much hiring bias as possible.Just about all of us think that bias is something other people do, and that we never would discriminate against someone for non-professional reasons. But the unfortunate reality is that as, you know, humans, we’re susceptible to all kinds of unconscious biases. Acknowledging that and taking steps to overcome any temptation of bias is the key to any strategic hiring initiative. Studies have found that blind hiring (or eliminating p articular personal details from the hiring process) results in significantly more diverse hires.AI programs can do this at the initial application stage by screening incoming candidates without regard for things like name (which can trigger cultural or gender bias), geographic location, age, or school name. This is also a place where having a committee, or multiple people weighing in during the hiring process, can help, as it creates an open system of checks and balances to limit certain biases- whether they’re conscious or unconscious.5. Broaden your job descriptions.Is everything in your job description an absolute must for the position? If a candidate has two fewer years of experience than the ad calls for, but has other skills, would you consider hiring that person? If someone didn’t have a full B.A., but instead had years of experience doing pretty much the same work, would you consider hiring that person? Your job ads could be turning away qualified applicants fr om the start and you’d never know. Yes, you’ll want to make sure that the ads are reflective of what the position actually demands. But if there are elements that aren’t hard-and-fast requirements, consider leaving them out or making it clear that they’re flexible.A more diverse and inclusive organization tends to be a more productive one, but it also leads to higher employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. Putting time and resources against this priority and making sure that it’s a solid part of your organizational strategy moving forward will better prepare your company for the needs (and workforce) of the future.