Will Ferrell

According to some people, Will Ferrell is the funniest man alive. The well-known actor and comedy film star got his big break in the acting business on the popular Saturday night sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live, from 1995-2002. On the show, Ferrell took on many characters that helped show off his unique talents in the physical comedy realm.

As many other stars of SNL have done, Ferrell took his newfound success and recognition and moved into film making. His first major film role was in A Night at the Roxbury (1997). He has since appeared in such films as: Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Kicking & Screaming, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and Step Brothers.

Ferrell grew up in a nice part of Irvine, California and says his background is the opposite of many other modern-day comedians who talk about tough upbringings. He says he used humor to break the boredom of a routine and convenient lifestyle. Ferrell majored in Sports Information at USC and often combines his passion for sports with his acting. He is a regular in skit appearances on the ESPY’s, the ESPN sports awards show. He also makes occasional visits to the USC football team, and appears in spoof sports-themed commercials.

Ferrell helps teach people in any career path that having fun at what you do is a major part of success. He truly enjoys his “job” and has found continues to do things that he enjoys. His routines and bits are often off-color and shocking. In fact, he regularly manages to be shirtless in skits, movies, or other appearances, despite his less than impressive physique. Ferrell is serious about his work and is committed to being great at his job. Fortunately for him, being great at his job means being himself, and doing what he loves.

Preparing for a performance appraisal

Often misused by employers and employees, performance evaluations or appraisals are intended to be growth opportunities. They are supposed to motivate the employee by providing direction, vision, and encouragement. Unfortunately, evaluations have often come to be recognized as opportunities to earn wage increases or for supervisors to communicate important items with the employee.

The first step in preparing for an effective evaluation is for an employee to approach the meeting with the employee in a positive frame of mind. He or she should view it as a chance to discuss ways to grow or fine tune skills. It is also important to take the time to write down important questions or concerns that you want to address. One thing to keep in mind is that in effective organizations, the employee evaluation meeting is not the time to discuss issues or grievances that had up until then been ignored or avoided. Some managers and employees mistakenly use it as a time to address key topics of communication. Communication should be an ongoing process in organizations.

Obviously, as the employee, you have less control over the nature of the employee appraisal process. Ideally, as an employee, you should not be surprised by things mentioned during the appraisal. It should be a reinforcement of strengths and concerns that have been previously addressed. The supervisor hopefully will offer praise of your strengths as well as discussion of areas of weakness. The best case scenario for the appraisal includes a comparison of your performance to established goals that you and your employer have for you in your position. This should be the assessment component of the evaluation. The motivating part should be raising or reshaping future goals to provide a measure of effectiveness for future evaluation.

From an employee’s standpoint, evaluations should not be viewed as an opportunity to air grievances. Questions or concerns should be addressed in a similar ongoing and less formal process. The best work environments include open communication and a clear and consistent understanding of work requirements. The performance appraisal should only reinforce what has been going on and help provide direction and vision for what is to come.

How to work smarter

In today’s fast-paced, high stress work environment, it is more important than ever that people work smarter. This does not necessarily mean working longer hours or taking on too much responsibility. What it does mean is managing time effectively, being organized and efficient in work processes, prioritizing tasks so important items are completed early, and making decisions proactively instead of always putting out fires.

One of the biggest mistakes many people make in their work is to believe that organizing and planning take too much time. Instead, a modest investment in time upfront in these areas, can be huge timesavers, and stress savers, as work progresses. The ability to know where things are, know always what needs to be done, and know where resources are to do work, are all keys to success.

Fortunately, there are many excellent tools available for today’s worker to help with time management, organization, and efficient work. Some of the best strategies and tactics to use when working smarter include:

• Creating templates for most common tasks – An excellent way to efficiently complete a frequently occurring task such as a document or other paperwork is to create a template that allows for a consistent setup and use. Learn more

• Configuring outlook folders and contact lists – Outlook is one of the best organizing tools available. Folders are an easy way to organize emails and contact lists make tracking down contacts hassle-free. Learn more

• Keeping your bookmarks up to date – If there are sites that you visit regularly or the are important to find quickly, bookmarking them, or adding them to Favorites, makes it much easier and quicker to access them.

• Keeping a clean desk area and computer desktop – Though some people argue that they prefer to operate in “organized chaos”, the reality is that a clean work space, and an uncluttered computer desktop makes tracking and finding important items much simpler. Learn more

Madonna

Arguably the most accomplished female music entertainer of all-time, Madonna has also been one of the most controversial entertainer’s throughout her long career. Madonna’s musical career broke out in 1983 with her successful self-titled debut album. She went on to produce three consecutive number one studio albums in the 1980s and has had four more since 2000. Surprisingly, it was a different art form that prompted the young Madonna to move from her birthplace and home in Michigan to New York City. Her early interest was in modern dance.

There is no questioning that Madonna made the right choice from a professional and financial standpoint. The “Queen of Pop” is the second best selling female rock artist of the 20^th century and the top selling female artist in the US. With over 200 million record sales worldwide, Madonna’s net worth is estimated at around $490 million.

Madonna has proven to be a woman willing to take risks from her early beginnings in entertainment. According to her, she had never been on a plane before she left home for New York, with just $35 in her pocket. She has taken plenty of risks in her career as well. Her pokes at religion and sexual themes have been part of her staple as an artist, which has sometimes drawn the ire of leading political authorities, including the Vatican. She has also acted in 22 films, though most have been critical and commercial failures. Her most successful film work was most certainly the 1996 musical Evita, which earned her a Golden Globe.

Risk taking is a character trait of virtually everyone who has reached the pinnacle in any career or profession. Entrepreneurs, business people, and entertainers must be willing to take chances to earn the greatest rewards. As Madonna has shown, there are failures that come with risk, but her biggest accomplishments would never have happened if she had not been willing to step out and go after what she wanted.