Study says pregnancy is the equivalent of running a 40-week marathon

Study says pregnancy is the equivalent of running a 40-week marathonStudy says pregnancy is the equivalent of running a 40-week marathonIf Ironman races or marathons havent tested your physical core enough, try pregnancy.Carrying a baby to term was essentially like running a 40-week marathon, according to shocking new research that likened the amount of energy used as the same as top athletes.Researchers, which published the findings in Science Advances, looked at human endurance in some of the worlds toughest and longest endurance events. Data was collected from Race Across The USA, a 120-day, a 3,000-mile race that covers nearly a marathon a day for six days per week. Other events like triathlons and the Tour de France were included.When analyzing the data from the events, researchers looked into metabolic rates for participants in the events. For reference, the highest metabolic rate any human can handle is 2.5 times their resting rate.Pregnant women operate at 2.2 times their res ting metabolic rate daily, however, that sustains for far longer than any marathon runner as a muster term usually lasts for a duration of 270 days.Every mother who has gone through a pregnancy has experienced that effort themselves, Duke University professor Herman Pontzer toldTodays Parent. Pregnancy is the longest-duration, highest-energy-expenditure thing that humans can do. Mothers probably arent surprised by this.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

6 ways to influence without authority

6 ways to influence without authority6 ways to influence without authorityI am in the difficult situation of being unofficial project lead, responsible for team performance to schedule and budget. How can I influence and motivate the team to get the job done, when I do elend have a job title that commands their respect?Leadership textbooks make a point of advising up-and-coming leaders leid to accept responsibility for a business outcome without first negotiating a job title and hierarchical authority. In other words, you should always strive to lead with authority.This is great advice in principle, but in the real world youll find organizational structures that are in a constant state of flux and management structures that are highly matrixed, not to mention limited opportunities for promotions. There are times when an emerging leader needs to roll up their sleeves, engage the team, influence, and get the job done.At a company womens leadership event, Dr. Cecilia Kimberlin, former V ice President, Quality and Regulatory Affairs with Abbott, made a point of saying, There is a myth that the higher you go in the organization and the more positional authority you gain that you just have to say do it and people get it done. I hate to bust your bubbleIn this type of environment, influencing without authority is one of the most valuable skills you can learn today. As another senior-level woman in a manufacturing organization once explained, In my company, influencing skills are the single most important success factor after knowing your job.So while positional influence is something to aspire to, until you have it, remember that there are many other useful forms of influence that you could be taking greater advantage of.Your 6 Sources of Influence1. Positional influence The authority that comes inherent in a job title and role.Positional influence is perhaps the most overrated of all forms of influence, as people spend a lot of their careers waiting for it when they c ould be influencing in other, more immediate ways. For example2. Expertise influence The influence that comes with your background, experience, qualifications and career accomplishments.Nora Denzel is a member of the board of directors for Ericsson, Saba and Outerwall. When she spoke to senior technical leaders at a womens conference, she reminded them that, Its not what you know and its not who you know. Its who knows what you know.Who knows what you know? Are your colleagues and management aware of your expertise? If not- dont be the best kept secret in your organization Find appropriate and effective ways to promote your accomplishments, in order to maximize your expertise influence.3. Resources influence Having the ability to attract and deploy the resources you require to get your job done.When budgets and headcount are tight, it is important to demonstrate that any company resources allocated to you are invested well. And dont make the mistake of turning down additional resour ces that could help you perform your job. If you can take an additional resource and use it to deliver a greater return on that investment, youre not doing your company any favors by being frugal.Negotiate for the resources you need, use them well, and you will be entrusted to manage even greater resources in future.4. Informational influence Having a finger on the pulse of what is going on in the organization.Seek out information about changes before they become officially known, such as new projects, opportunities, re-orgs, resource allocations, budgets, and long-range plans. Having a heads up on this information helps you make better business decisions, more rapidly.Over time, others will come to rely on you for your decision-making ability. When that happens, youll be utilizing your informational influence.5. Direct influence Being firm, fair, and professional when someones behavior is out of line.Heres where leadership and parenting have a lot in common. A caring parent will st ep in when a child puts them self or others in danger. There will be times as a leader when you need to do the same, using your direct influence to take that person aside and have a tough love conversation.The best leaders do this in a way that is firm, fair, direct, and confidential. They also take the time to share their vision for that individual and their future potential, and in doing so, act more like a mentor than a boss.Leaders who do this well gain a great deal of respect from their people. By using your direct influence well, you can make a big difference in another persons career.6. Relationships influence The influence that grows as you build great working relationships with those you rely on to get your job done, and everyone else that your role touches.Dr. Sophie Vandebroek, Chief Technology Officer with Xerox, said, Its not enough to have a bright idea. I have seen too many projects lumineszenzdiode by great, passionate people fail because they tried to be a lone infl uencer. You have to get the right people in the boat with you. You have to engage the entire human fabric.When you take time to build great relationships across the human fabric of your organization, you are less likely to need to resort to cajoling or persuading others to get things done. Instead of being the sole driver of an idea you can achieve a lot more by collaborating with people who know you and trust you.So dont try to be a lone influencer. By fully using the power of relationships and of all of your Sources of Influence, you can gain credibility, get buy-in for ideas, and make a larger impact in your company, with or without the positional authority of a job title.This article was originally posted on BeLeaderly.com.

Military Enlisted Promotions Facts

Military Enlisted Promotions FactsMilitary Enlisted Promotions FactsEach branch of the U.S. armed forces has its own promotion system for its enlisted members. There are nine enlisted pay grades in the military, from E-1 to E-9. The rank or rating varies by branch of service, but the pay grade level is the saatkorn. So a private first class in the Army is the seestreitkraft Corps equivalent of a lance corporal, both E-3. For the Army, Marines, and Air Force, promotions up to the grade of E-4 are pretty much automatic (assuming one doesnt get into trouble), based upon time-in-service and/or time-in-grade.The same is true for the Navy and Coast Guard up to the grade of E-3. The Army revamped its promotion requirements in 2015, to allow points toward promotion for combat zone deployments, and implements some mandatory education requirements. And soldiers who are not up to the Armys physical fitness standards now may not be considered promotable. Promotions Within LowerPay Grades The basic requirements for the automatic promotions vary slightly across the different branches. In the Army and Air Force, promotion to E-2 status requiressix months of active duty and approval by a commander are needed in the Navy its, nine months of active duty and commander approval. In the Marine Corps, new enlisted members are promoted to E-2 after six months of active duty, and in the Coast Guard, anyone otherwise eligiblewho has completed boot camp is E-2 eligible. For promotion to E-3, the Army requires 12 months of active duty service, four months as an E-2 and a commanders recommendation. The Air Force requires 10 months as an E-2 and a commanders approval, the Navy requires nine months as an E-2,demonstrated military and professional qualifications, and commanders approval. To achieve E-3 in the Marine Corps nine months of active duty are required, as well as eight months as an E-2. And the Coast Guard requires six months as an E-2,demonstration of military andprofessional qualifications, and a commanders approval in order to be promoted to E-3. The next step up is E-4, and this is the last level of pay grade promotion thats considered virtually automatic based on time served. In the Army, 24 months active duty, sixmonths as an E-3, and a commanders recommendation are required in the Air Force,36 months active duty, with 20 months as an E-3, or 28 months as an E-3, whichever comes first, are acceptable. The Marine Corps requires24 months active duty, and12 months as an E-3 for an E-4 promotion. The Navy and Coast Guard vary from the other branches when it comes to E-4 promotions. Both are based on vacancies within the members given career field, with an average of about 36 months of active duty. Promotions to E-5 Pay Grades As the Navy and Coast Guard do at pay grade E-4, the other branches become more selective at the E-5 level. Promotions to the grades of E-5and above are competitive in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, since there are alway smore people eligible for promotion then there are available positions (Congress sets the number of enlisted personnel who can serve in each grade). Promotion rates change each year, based upon several factors (including reenlistment rates) which determine how many slots in each rank will be available. The services each have their own methods to for selecting candidates for promotion,based on points for specific achievements, to promotion boards, to combinations of both. Air Force Promotion Exceptions With the exception of the Air Force, which gives the same promotion percentages within each rank to each Air Force job, promotions (in the other branches) can depend greatly upon the current manning-level of your specific job. For example, if youre an E-5 in a Navy rating (job) that is overmanned in E-6, you may be unable to get promoted, no matter how well you do on the tests or other promotion factors. On the other hand, if youre in a rating that is undermanned in your next rank , the opposite may be true. In the Air Force, its a different story. The Air Force gives the same promotion percentages to all their jobs (exception, some extremely critical jobs get an extra five percent promotion advantage). In other words, if the Air Force decides that their overall promotion rate to E-5 is going to be 25 percent, then 25 percent of the eligible E-4s in each Air Force Specialty will be promoted. This system has a major disadvantage, however- it can easily result in one job being overmanned in personnel of a certain rank, and other jobs (or the same job) being undermanned in certain ranks. The Air Force handles this by identifying those in overmanned ranks/jobs and asking them to re-train. If they dont get enough volunteers, the Air Force will mandatorily re-train enough folks to balance out the rank structure within their jobs. Other Parts in This Series What the Military Recruiter Never Told YouChoosing a Military ServiceMeeting the RecruiterThe Enlistment P rocess and Job SelectionEnlistment Contractsand Enlistment IncentivesMilitary PayHousing,Housing Allowance, and BarracksChow Hallsand Food AllowanceEducation ProgramsLeave (Vacation) and Job TrainingAssignmentsMilitary Medical CareCommissaries and ExchangesMorale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Activities