One major setback I have found, throughout most Universities and Colleges, is their ability to create and plan an efficient content management system solution for their students, and teachers. If you had any experience with some of them, you should know.

CE 6, Web Advisor, and Web CT- what are all these things, and why are there so many different ones when they all potentially do the same thing? If you don’t already grasp the concept of what they are, and why so many colleges and universities across America use them I’ll explain.

These are all web based content management systems. They allow quick and easy communication back and forth from student to teacher, teacher to student, and student to student. They also provide the management of projects, assignments, and discussions, while storing other types of data. They provide email, complete account & billing management, as well as complex scheduling solutions. The only problem is that they are using individual web based technologies. Not to mention they are extremely bulky and inconsistent Their infrastructure of databases, content, and information’s are developed in their particular environments and have no association with each other whatsoever. So why do these schools have these hacked-together solutions, and pay hundreds of thousands of dollar for them? Don't look at me.

While trying to obtain features that one solution may have and the other may not, colleges and universities force students and teachers to use several content management systems but for an overall similar purpose. Then the user must setup and manage multiple accounts on separate platforms, which just causes extra hassle. Remembering what information can be found where now becomes a task, and your left tangled up in one big mess.

What I would like to see created is ONE efficient management system that maintains all features necessary in order to create a successful web-based project management system for both students and teachers alike, with a light weight, user-friendly interface.

Anyone Agree?

The author of Leadership 101, John C. Maxwell, portrays many different explanations as to why he wrote this book. After this quick read, one may surely notice and recognize many of them. Maxwell starts out with many examples of real-life success stories, and continues to explain how to achieve these goals through various positive-only techniques and rules.

I believe he wrote this book because it was his life; he too grew up wanting to be a leader. Maxwell looked on to take many examples from others, and even paid sums of cash just for inspiration. Simply, he wants to share these golden details of truth, and leadership with the world as others have shared with him. All of Maxwell’s outlooks, and perspectives are completely oriented with how to really influence others, and that is precisely why he wrote this book.

He goes on to explain that the process of becoming a leader is not an easy task. Surely one cannot become a leader in the span of a single 24 hour day as he mentioned, a true leader can only achieve his status through daily exercises and techniques that must be practiced perpetually. It takes a lifetime to achieve this, and can only be done through the hardest work of empowering and influencing others.

Throughout the course of the book, Maxwell uses many words to describe the traits of a leader. Competence, connection, character, trust, loyalty, empowerment, influential, dedicated, disciplined, goal-oriented, vision-oriented, and love are just some of the many descriptions the author uses to describe an accurate leader. The excellent part is that everything he describes and explains is used so positively that it would almost be hard for this book not to motivate to others.

The Management Myth – This is completely true, if it weren’t, companies wouldn’t have an owner position, and a manager position. There is a clear need for both of these positions, and they play distinct roles in each and every business. There must be a leader (owner) setting goals pushing the business perspective and goals farther, and the manager is there to ensure that the employees are doing their jobs, as well as maintaining the general aspects of the business.

The Entrepreneur Myth – An agreed with, and valid example of how every successful businessman is not a leader. However, many will be there to follow him JUST because he is successful.

The knowledge Myth – Another correct point made by Maxwell. I had a brilliant science teacher in middle school. He seemed like the smartest man in the world, knowing answers to every question we asked him. However, he didn’t know the first thing about being a leader to the requirements met in the book, nor did he know anything about business.

The Pioneer Myth – This is an example I have experienced in my life. I remember within my first years of school, several kids would push their way up to the front of the line, almost like it was out of habit. I always stood and watched with the thought in my head, “why are they doing that?”. Does it really make a difference whether one is first, or last in line? Did they think the teacher would think differently of them if they were first? Or maybe they were just being kids. But, I can clearly envision how I never understood what the big deal was. Leadership is proven by action, not by how far ahead you may think you are.

The Position Myth – This point was not as clear as the previous four, although did give some interesting points, and quotes. And yes, while I do agree with Maxwell’s opinion, it is not always the case. Take a look at the recent article about Viacom’s booting Tom Freston. Although he is no longer with the company even after 20 years of leading the division, the company and investor relations will and are surely recovering, as anything is possible.

The current situation regarding executive compensation is that executives of large companies in the US are believed to be earning more in they’re annual salary than they deserve. Some executives making larger percentages, when in fact the company stock prices have been going down in their terms as CEO.

Company shareholders are getting increasingly involved and more aware about the fact that executives of the company that they invest in are earning up to almost 370 times that of the average worker.

Executives get paid in several ways:

Salary - A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which is specified in an employment contract. From the point of view of running a business, salary can also be viewed as the cost of acquiring human resources for running operations.

Shares – A small piece of a company and/or organization. Shares of stock retain a small value of the company, and will change in value according to the positive or negative affects of the company statistics, market, and economy.

Options – Right to buy a specific number of shares of your company's stock during a time and at a price that your employer specifies.

The concern for rapidly growing CEO salaries are relevant to business today simply because the market continues to expand along with it. More and more shareholders in public companies will be acting and voting based upon how well the CEO is stabilizing and developing the company while in his term. It’s important that CEO’s are paid according to their overall performance with in company.

Not all executives are paid fairly for their efforts. As a matter of fact it really depends on the companies structure in payments. Some executives are indeed overpaid for really not doing anything, and some receiving increasing salaries even causing company value to go down.

Recent efforts to implement a system where an executive gets paid based on his performance is a solution I think most can agree at. It’s only fair, and will provide a payment solution that neither executives themselves nor stockholders can complain about. This way an executive will not lose out for good efforts within the company, and stockholders will be less disgruntled when the company executives’ salary goes up, only after their share values have gone up.