The Ancient Practice of Bloodletting in Archaeology

Bloodletting--purposefully cutting the human body to release blood--is an ancient ritual, associated with both healing and sacrifice. Bloodletting was a regular form of medical treatment for ancient Greeks, with its benefits debated by scholars such as Hippocrates and Galen. Bloodletting in Central America Bloodletting or auto-sacrifice was a cultural trait of most of the societies in Mesoamerica, beginning with the Olmec perhaps as early as 1200 AD. This type of religious sacrifice involved a person using a sharp instrument such as an agave spine or sharks tooth to pierce a fleshy part of his own body. The resulting blood would drip onto a lump of copal incense or piece of cloth or bark paper, and then those materials would be burned. According to historical records of the Zapotec , Mixtec, and Maya, burning blood was one way to communicate with the sky gods. Artifacts associated with bloodletting include sharks teeth, maguey thorns, stingray spines, and obsidian blades. Specialized elite materials--obsidian eccentrics, greenstone picks, and spoons--are thought to have been used for elite bloodletting sacrifices in the  Formative period and later cultures. Bloodletting Spoons A so-called bloodletting spoon is a type of artifact discovered on many Olmec archaeological sites. Although there is some variety, the spoons generally have a flattened tail or blade, with a thickened end. The thick part has a shallow off-center bowl on one side and a second, smaller bowl on the other side. Spoons usually have a small hole pierced through them, and in Olmec art are often depicted as hanging from peoples clothing or ears. Bloodletting spoons have been recovered from Chalcatzingo, Chacsinkin, and Chichà ©n Itzà ¡; the images are found carved in murals and on stone sculptures at San Lorenzo, Cascajal, and Loma del Zapote. Olmec Spoon Functions The real function of the Olmec spoon has long been debated. Theyre called bloodletting spoons because originally scholars believed them to have been for holding blood from auto-sacrifice, the ritual of personal bloodletting. Some scholars still prefer that interpretation, but others have suggested spoons were for holding paints, or for use as snuffing platforms for taking hallucinogens, or even that they were effigies of the Big Dipper constellation. In a recent article in Ancient Mesoamerica, Billie J. A. Follensbee suggests Olmec spoons were part of a hitherto unrecognized toolkit for textile production. Her argument is in part based on the shape of the tool, which approximates bone weaving battens recognized in several Central American cultures, including some from Olmec sites. Follansbee also identifies several other tools made of elite greenstone or obsidian, such as spindle whorls, picks, and plaques, that could have been used in weaving or cord-making techniques. Sources Follensbee, Billie J. A. 2008. Fiber technology and weaving in formative-period Gulf Coast cultures. Ancient Mesoamerica 19:87-110. Marcus, Joyce. 2002. Blood and Bloodletting. Pp 81-82 in Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia, Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster, eds. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York. Fitzsimmons, James L., Andrew Scherer, Stephen D. Houston, and Hector L. Escobedo 2003 Guardian of the Acropolis: The Sacred Space of a Royal Burial at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Latin American Antiquity 14(4):449-468.

Adolf Hitler As A Leader Of Nazi Germany - 1677 Words

Adolf Hitler once said â€Å"It is more difficult to fight against faith than against knowledge† (â€Å"30 Eye Catching Hitler Quotes.). In a dictatorship there is one ruler who is in charge of everything in the nation in which he/she rules. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn. Hitler also known as Fà ¼hrer; he was chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and served as dictator from 1934 to 1945. Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany, he was one of the initial causes which triggered World War II and brought about a great many deaths (â€Å"Adolf Hitler Biography.†). Adolf Hitler came into power due to the Great Depression in Germany, which provided a political opportunity for him. His dictatorship affected many groups of people in the northern eastern hemisphere that were non-Aryan whose acts were responded by Britain, USA, and the Soviet Union. Those responses were the reason as to why WWII came to be the end to Hitler s genocide. Overall , during Adolf Hitler s reign he was successful getting done what he believed was right and needed to be done. Many ask why did Adolf Hitler come into power? How did Adolf Hitler affect regions, the country and groups within the country? How did groups and individuals respond to oppression under Adolf Hitler s rule? On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was declared the prime minister of Germany. Adolf hitler came into power of Germany due to many political, economical, and social reasons. Many believe that Adolf Hitler s lifeShow MoreRelatedAdolf Hitler As A Leader Of The Nazi Germany1398 Words   |  6 PagesAdolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Germany party from 1934 to 1945. During his time of leadership, he initiated fascist policies that ultimately led to World War II. What he is most infamous for the horrendous acts he committed against the Jewish people in Germany as well as other groups of people, such as gypsies, the handicapped, homosexuals, and many others. While Hitler is most known for the genocide he committed, he is also recognized by many historians as a powerful and effective leaderRead MoreAdolf Hitler As A Leader Of Nazi Germany1640 Words   |  7 Pages Adolf Hitler is known throughout the world as being the leader of Nazi Germany in the early twentieth century, and ultimately the instigator for World War II. His actions have faced much scrutiny since the conflict was resolved, but the genius behind this war effort is seeded in the politics of his egregious nature. Early Life and Upbringing Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, at Braunau-am-Inn, Austria. Alois,his father, had risen from a poor peasant background to become an Austrian customs officialRead MoreEssay on Adolf Hitler927 Words   |  4 PagesAdolf Hitler Adolf Hitler, to some, was a great ruler, but to others he was a murderer. Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party and was the dictator of Germany. He ordered to have millions of Jews murdered or thrown in prisons. 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Hitler had three sistersRead MoreHitler s Impact On The World War II1636 Words   |  7 Pagesa square, saluting and chanting Hitler s name. World War II has begun and many Germans hope for improvements in the economy. Their leader is Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany in World War II, was a powerful speaker who caused over 5 million deaths in concentration camps. Though Hitler s impact can be felt in modern times, the roots of his atrocious behavior began at childhood—more specifically—high school. Years before Adolf Hitler was born, Hitler s great grandfather, Johann GeorgRead MoreWhy Adolf Hitler Was A Great Leader1200 Words   |  5 Pages31 March 2015 Why Adolf Hitler Was A Great Leader. Can you really call a Murderer a Great Leader? A â€Å"Great Leader† Can be define as a leader who is self aware, self direct, socially aware, visionary, and having the ability to motivate one. Adolf Hitler is self aware, self direct, socially aware, visionary, and having the ability to motivate. From what we know for being a Great Leader we can say Adolf Hitler was a Great Leader. I believe that Hitler was a indeed a â€Å"Great Leader†. Although some believeRead MoreHitler, Stepping Into The Light. . Hitler, Racist And Murderer?1102 Words   |  5 PagesHitler, stepping into the light. Hitler, racist and murderer? Leader and visionary? Or both? Cassi-Dee Muller reports. Adolf Hitler, known for his rise to power, his revolutionary dictatorship and his starting of a world war. But was he simply a bad man with a negative impact on the world? Or was he just being an excellent leader? Born in Austria 1889, Hitler was an average young German until his adult life, where he achieved the position as the leader of the Nazi party. As a Nazi, he believed

Loves Diet by John Donne Essay Example For Students

Loves Diet by John Donne Essay John Donne’s ‘s poem loves diet is an excellent example of his use of metaphysical conceit. The title of the poem itself is rather intriguing. At the first glance the title seems to suggest a diet of love prescribed to a person in an attempt to better his life, however as one reads the entire poem one realizes that the poems love is subjected to a diet in this case the diet requires love to exercise discretion. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet tells the reader that his love had grown to a â€Å"cumbersome unwieldiness and burden us corpulence. It had become so unbearable and troublesome for him to deal with that he had to put it on a diet and curtail it. In this case love had to make use of â€Å"discretion† and exercise it limits. In this stanza itself Donne’s makes use of the greatest figure of speech that proceeds to characterise the entire poem as well. He portrays love as a separate human being, in this case a rather obese one. Therefore love has been given a rather negative portrayal at the very beginning of the poem itself using this personification which is the major figure of speech in this stanza and in the poem as a whole. The speaker in stanza 2 changes from the poet to love. In this stanza love takes on the actual role of a separate human being and get almost be regarded as the speakers friend. Love talks about the diet that the poet has enforced on him and his effort in living up to it. He begins by telling the reader that he did not allow the lover more than â€Å"’sigh† in favour of his lady love, irrespective of whether she praised her lovers love for her or criticizes its insufficiency. This portrays the women as never being satisfied with what she has and always looks for something more that she can get out of it. If at all the lover managed to extract a sigh from his lady and attempt to live upon that sigh, Love would show him that it was not that genuine or sincere that it could be lived on. The major figure of speech governing this stanza is a personification again primarily because Donne’s has endowed love with several personal qualities. In the third stanza Donne’s continues to right as love and elaborates on the way he enforces this diet on himself and the lover. He proceeds to say that when the lover emotionally touched love and caused him to shed a tear love would drench that tear with so much of negativity and shame that the lover could gain nothing positive out of it. If the lover lived on his lady loves tears love would let him know that those tears were far from genuine and her love was far from true. The last line in the third stanza is extremely expressive and indicates the unfaithfulness of the lady in question. In a very poetic line, sharp enough to draw blood and yet gentle enough to seem appropriate Donne’s says that the ladies â€Å"roving† eye make have cried for her lover but those tears were equivalent to a mere bodily discharge like sweat instead of being equated with actual tears of grief. The use of the personification continues to this third stanza where Donne’s portrays love as an extremely determined and rather stubborn individual and friend and well wisher to the poet. Love continues to speak about the various steps in the diet that he is strictly enforcing on the speaker. .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 , .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .postImageUrl , .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 , .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9:hover , .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9:visited , .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9:active { border:0!important; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9:active , .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9 .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u82b68d3ddf11a03559b9d6c3a65fc1d9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Beowulf is a story about a man named Beowulf who desired fame and fortune in life EssayWhatever the speaker would ask love to right, it would be written, however, when the lover’s lady wrote back to him Love would burn those letters because he understood and recognized the insincerity behind it. However love seems to be slightly perturbed at this point, wondering if this would push the lover over the edge thus turning a favour into a folly. If this action on his part would lead the lover to detesting him, would a title achieved in this manner be of a value at all. This line is rather ambiguous because it could also indicate that the lover in question is fortieth in line when it comes to the list of men in the ladies life. He could therefore be ruing at being no. 40 or he could be wishing to ascend the ranks and make self a place at the top of the list. Donne’s continues his extensive of the personification in this stanza as well which actually dictates the tone of the entire stanza. Donne’s in stanza five shifts the speaker from love to lover. In this case the lover talks about bringing his love back on track after probably dealing with heart brake or unrequited love. A very clear indication of this is his use of the term â€Å"buzzard† in the very first line of this stanza. The buzzard is a big stupid and ugly bird and by associating it with love he regards his love to be stupid. This indicates a slight tone of regret which is then wiped away in the next line of the stanza where he says he directs his love at what when how and where he chooses. It is probable that the disillusionment that he has suffered at the hands of this lady have led him to aimlessly and purposelessly caste his love as far as he can in the hope of finding a suitable women. As he proceeds in the stanza he mentions that he does find several women but the ending of each of their stories is just the same: unsuccessful. As time goes by he realizes that the game of love is finally over and it is now time for him to continue to live his life by engaging in his daily mundane and routine activities. Donne’s makes use of personification and metaphor in the final stanza of this poem. He begins by personifying love as a buzzard, thus characterising it as being stupid. His use of a metaphor lies in line 4 where he uses the metaphor of a falconer. In this case like the falconer allows his falcon to fly high the lover castes his love as far out as he can. In the last line of the stanza the poet compares love to a game that has just ended despite several attempts he has been left disillusioned and hear broken. The rhyme scheme in this poem is almost consistent, with the exception of the first stanza where the rhyme scheme is ABACBC. Stanzas 2-5 however posses a regular rhyme scheme which is ABABCC. The tone of the poem cannot technically be called entirely negative although it portrays love in opposite shades of white and black, while the speaker considers love in a more negative tone, love himself comes across as being rather positive.

Leading High Performance Groups

Introduction The importance of group work has become relevant in the current competitive business environment. Organizations have come to realize that the best way of achieving success is by breaking down tasks, and assigning small groups of employees’ different tasks as a way of achieving the overall objectives of an organization.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading High Performance Groups specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Partridge (1999), although firms still appreciates that the performance of individual employees would always determine success of the entire firm, the need for these individual employees to work as small groups has increasingly become evident. In such small groups, a firm is able to define ways in which a strategic objective can be achieved in a more coordinated manner. It becomes easier for the top management to monitor activities of groups other than that of individua ls.  When assigned the role of leading such teams, it is always important to find ways of achieving maximum output using the assigned members. This means that such a leader will have the responsibility of motivating the team in order to make it a high performer. Leading high performing groups requires leadership skills that would enable the project leader to maintain motivation among project members. It involves making them understand the vision, and constantly reminding them that they have the capacity to achieve this vision. It involves being creative enough to make team members understand the various environmental forces that may affect the team’s performance and defining the best ways of managing these forces. It also involves maintaining a positive communication with all the members, always trying to make an effort to understand uniqueness of every team member. This research paper seeks to analyze how a team leader can lead a high performance groups. Objective of the s tudy In every research, it is always important to understand objectives that will guide the research, especially in the process of collecting relevant data. Leadership is a field that has received massive attention from scholars around the world. It is important to define specific area of focus when conducting a research that is related to leadership. The following are some of the specific objectives that the researcher seeks to achieve through this study. To determine the meaning of high performance groups from the perspective of various scholars To identify some of the underpinning theories relevant in leading high performance group. To develop an understanding of the appropriate method that should be taken in developing teams within an organization. To determine how new leaders can understand their team members and devise the most appropriate method of making them achieve the desired result. To create an understanding of how team conflicts can be resolved in order to eliminate n egative effects of such conflicts. The research seeks to respond to the above objectives in order to enable new managers understand what is expected of them when developing new teams.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Discussion According to Kliem (2004), before one can purport to offer leadership, it is always important to understand why teams are important in the first place. This scholar notes that a leader should always appreciate the importance of having teams within the organization. This way, it becomes possible to develop a vision that will be shared by all team members. In the current dynamic business environment, firms have come to realize that the best way of achieving success with employees is by organizing them into groups. This is important because of several reasons. Creativity and innovation has become core to success of organization. Creativity is best achie ved when employees are allowed to work as a team. Through such teams, employees get to share talents and skills in a group setting. This way, it becomes possible for one to share his or her unique skills with others and determine how the unique skill or talent can be nurtured into something of benefit to the firm. Groups also offer a unique environment for learning. When employees are assigned various groups, they are able to learn some of the skills they were lacking by observing the way other team members are undertaking their activities. Teams also offers the management unit a unique opportunity to offer in-service training to its workforce in a practical environment in order to enhance their performance. Partridge (1999) notes that trying to achieve strategic objectives of a firm without breaking them into tactic and operational objectives may yield poor results. For this reason, it is always important for the management to break the overall objectives into tactic and operationa l objectives. Teams would be assigned these tactic objectives based on their areas of specialization. The management would then make the team members understand the overall objective of the firm, and the relevance of their assigned tasks in achieving the overall objectives. As Harris (2013) says, groups also offers employees opportunity to interact and understand each other better. Human being is social by nature, and it is important to create an environment where they can share their views and job experiences. This reduces the level of stress among employees. It acts as a motivation to achieve more. As a new manager who is expected to lead small teams, it is important to understand these fact in order to appreciate the need to have teams within an organization.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading High Performance Groups specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Defining High Performance Groups Nemiro (2008) defines high performance groups as teams who level of output per given unit time is above normal. He states that high performance groups are teams that are always motivated and determined to achieve higher success in every task they are assigned. These are individuals who are always focused on what lies ahead, and understand ways in which they can coordinate themselves in order to deliver the best results within the shortest time possible. In such groups, every member if the team understands what is needed of him or her, and will always commit self towards delivering goods results on their assigned tasks. Kliem (2004) observes that team leaders are not special people with unique skills put together to perform a given task. Rather, this is a group of employees who are always positive in their work, are willing to learn, and able to try new approaches in undertaking tasks assigned to them. This means that high performance groups are always defined by the kind of leadership they have. It is t hrough leadership that employees will remain constantly motivated. As Harris (2013) observes, leaders are always the driving force of any organization. Depending on the way they get to influence junior employees, a firm can achieve success or failure in its operations. This means that high performance groups would rely on the leader who has been assigned to these groups. Such a leader must understand individual employees capacity and needs, determine how these needs can be met, and develop strategies that would make every member of the team feel that his or her views are respected by the leader. To be a successful leader, it is always important to understand people that are led and be sensitive of their concerns. This would make them feel motivated. It is this motivation that would make them willing to go an extra mile in undertaking various duties within the firm, making the entire team successful. Understanding team theory may be important in appreciating the role of a leader in a chieving success within the organization. Understanding the Team Theory It is clear from the discussion above that high performance groups is defined by the kind of leaders who are assigned to such groups. As a leader therefore, it is important to appreciate that the performance of the group would depend on the leadership competency. To do this, Partridge (1999) says that it is important to understand the theory behind team. Team Theory seeks to explain stages that is always taken in forming a team, and the needs of team members at these stages. As a leader, understanding these stages makes it possible to develop strategies that would enable the leader meet the changing expectations of the team members. This theory specifies the following stages of growth of a team.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Forming stage This is the first stage of a team where different people come together with the view of working as a unit to achieve a common goal. As this stage, Nemiro (2008) notes that employees are always polite and positive. Members also experience mixed reactions as they try to visualize what lies ahead for them in these groups. High performance group would always be defined at this stage. A leader needs to tap on the positivity of the employees and their high expectations to make them high performance. Their anxiety should be turned into desire to achieve better results. It is also at this stage that a leader should provide a clear vision of the group, and a communication system that enables every member of the team to be heard. Any form of disillusionment should be eliminated. The focus at this stage would always be to set the right tempo that would be desired in achieving both short-term and long-term goals. Storming stage This is the stage where reality downs on the team mem bers. Every team member gets to understand his or her tasks, and the overall objectives that should be achieved within team. Tasks become clearly defined, and the exact vision becomes clear. This stage is always very challenging for a leader if the first stage was not handled appropriately. This is because at this stage, some members may realize that things are not as easy as they could have anticipated. However, if they were well prepared at the first stage, this second stage is always easily accomplished. The leader must understand that this stage involves assigning specific duties to individuals in the group in order to achieve overall objective of the firm. A leader of high performance team would always use this opportunity to make team members define their own individual path in achieving their specific tasks in the best way possible. The leader should offer members assistance when they are defining their operational strategies. The leader must ensure that their tactical strate gies are in line with the vision of the group. Norming stage At this third stage, team members get to understand their real working environment. They get to appreciate what the overall vision of the team seeks to achieve. Team members also get to understand one another, and define how they can relate in order to support and be supported in various activities. This stage provides a leader with the best opportunity of making employees feel more comfortable with their tasks, and the need to involve others in their actions. As Nemiro (2008) notes, employees at this stage may try to be independent in their actions because they get to understand their environment. This independence is not bad, but it should not be a reason that makes members ignore team spirit that was the real reason why such teams were forme (Kliem, 2004). Performing stage When a leader guides his team through the first three stages successfully, the fourth stage will be a true reflection of a high performance team. Whe n the leader guided his or her members through the first three stages successfully, the fourth face would involve high levels of collaboration among members. Every member of the group will understand that the overall success of the firm depends on the success of their individual performance. They would therefore try to achieve perfection in their duties, while still willing to help other team members be successful in their various tasks. In such groups, members will appreciate the dynamism in their working environment, and accept the need to be dynamic to the changing environmental factors. Understanding these four stages is very important for a new leader who is intending to guide a given group of employees into becoming high performance groups. Leading Virtual Teams Technology has created an environment where people can work from different geographic locations across the world. There are cases where a leader is assigned a virtual team, with members spread in various regions around the world. It is important for such a leader to understand that in order to create a high performance group out of them, the four stages defined above must be clearly followed despite lack of physical presence. Kliem (2004) warns that to lead a virtual high performance group, there is need for a high degree of discipline for all members. This is because when it is decided upon that there would be a videoconference at a particular time, all members should be seated at their respective offices ready for the conference. Any delay by any member or the leader may paralyze operations of the group. This may be worse in case it is the leader who fails to avail himself at the conference within the right time.  Leading virtual teams also need sophisticated communication tools that would keep all members in contact with one another. The leader must be able to communicate with any member of the team at any time of the day without getting affected by geographic barrier. Individual members mus t also be able to communicate among themselves in order to enhance creativity in their various tasks. Harris (2013) also advises that when leading such teams, traditional leadership approaches that emphasizes on exerting one’s authority over other as a show of supremacy may not yield the desired fruits. Resolving Conflicts in High Performance Groups Teams always bring together people with different skills, ideas, knowledge and talents. It also brings together individuals with different attitudes, values, and other demographical factors (Kliem (2004). Although it would be expected that in high performance teams the levels of understanding would always be high, it is important to appreciate the fact that conflicts would arise due to a number of reasons. It is important to address these conflicts as soon as they arise in order to avoid negative consequences they might have on the performance of the group. As a leader of high performance group, it is necessary to develop systems that would capture conflicts among the group members as soon as they arise. In order to manage conflict in such groups, a leader should consider the following. A leader should not ignore any form of conflict among the employees because when it is not addressed at its early stage, then it may give rise to other negative consequences that may affect the operations of the firm. A leader must have a clear proactive system that is able to identify conflicts within the group and offer clear guidelines on how to resolve it. A leader should encourage communication amongst conflicting groups as a way understanding each other. A leader should instil the spirit of tolerance amongst its employees as a way of creating an environment where conflicts can be resolved easily. Measuring the Performance of the Group It is always important to determine the performance of a group, especially if it has reached the fourth stage. High performance groups are always unique from other groups in the characte ristics they exhibit. The following are some of the characteristics that are always common among high performance groups Respect and trust among team members. High performance groups are always characterized by a high level of trust among group members. This helps in creating an environment where team members feel free to share their views, skills, talent, and knowledge with others. Clear communication system that enhances clarity and honesty among employees. In these groups, it is team members always have an understanding of what has been achieved, and what needs to be achieved (Harris, 2013). Positive results in the performance of the firm towards achieving success. The ultimate measure of performance would be the actual determination of the output posted by the team over a given period. High performance groups would always post good results, and their activities would always be seen to be in line with its vision. Conclusion Leading high performance groups can be a very challeng ing task. It requires a deep understanding of people within the group in order to develop strategies that would be acceptable to them. High performance groups are always defined by its leadership structure. It is clear from the above discussion that leaders have a great responsibilities of leading team members towards achieving the vision of a firm. To do this, leaders should understand various stages of leadership, and how they can influence team members at these stages in order to achieve success. References Harris, P. (2013). Developing High Performance Leaders: A Behavioral Science Guide for the Knowledge of Work Culture. New York: Routledge. Kliem, R. L. (2004). Leading high performance projects. Boca Raton: Ross Publishers. Nemiro, J. E. (2008). The handbook of high-performance virtual teams: A toolkit for collaborating across boundaries. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Partridge, L. (1999). Leading high performance. London: Financial Times Management. This report on Leading High Performance Groups was written and submitted by user Hayleigh S. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.