Balkan Tours and Travels

Archive for June, 2008

Having a common goal and feeling like part of a team is not ‘pie in the sky’ highfalutin empty company talk. It is a natural part of most people’s human needs, and a most common need is to feel a part of something greater than one’s self and working in unison with others.

There will always be individuals that will never be team players due to their self-centered needs. That is a very complicated issue to address, it can be time-consuming and frequently futile. Simply put unless that individual is vital to your operation cut them loose and do it quickly. If one builds a team of self-serving individuals, like a dysfunctional family, it is a recipe for long-term failure. There is little room for people like this in a successful company. Additionally spending all of your time on ‘bad students’, while neglecting your good ones is poor policy, and not making the most productive use of management’s time. Good team members make their teammates look good, not themselves. To paraphrase an old saying, if you’re in last place with a ‘star’ on your team you can be in last place without them too. Besides a fresh start by separating yourself from a bad employee fit, you will be setting an example that being a good co-worker is a valuable asset in itself.

Now that the ‘negative’ is out of the way, let’s concentrate on the positive. There are different ways to motivate people, and after over 30 years in business I’ve probably tried them all. Setting up financial reward systems is time-consuming, leads to fragmented and erratic behavior, and frequently leads to ill feelings amongst co-workers. Instilling fear works as a means to regulate behavior, and is a great motivator. However most humane managers, myself included, do not choose to operate a business and have a long-term plan based upon fear. A daily regimen of berating, yelling, and punishing employees does not present itself as a pleasant workday for anyone involved in a process like that.

In my opinion the long-term and sensible answer is team building, and preaching the concept on a daily basis to all employees. There are some very simple concepts, such as taking to heart treating your co-workers and clients as you would like to be treated yourself. This is a learned behavior, and entails one putting their ego aside. A valuable team-building tool is acknowledging positive behavior. It is much healthier than negative reinforcement every time an error or mistake occurs. Negative reinforcement teaches employees to hide their mistakes, not learn from them. Another vital lesson is teaching that helping your teammates to succeed helps you to succeed; yet it is a foreign concept to most people. Once enacted, it can be a self-sustaining system and an eye-opener for everyone involved. Morale will rise on its own. No ‘bribery’ needed, no perks needed, nor fear required. Treating employees fairly and respectfully should be a daily duty, not a once in a while ‘favor’ or grand gesture. ‘My way or the highway’ is not exactly an awe-inspiring business model for human relations or anything else.

My McDonalds Experience

When I was quite a young guy I worked at McDonalds for 15 months, before a drive-through was ever built, and other fast food options existed. It was hectic, crazy busy at times with lines right out of the door. But we always handled every rush of customers, and produced a quality product. The ‘we’ was a bunch of 15 and 16-year-old kids, who were managed by a 17-year-old kid. The owners barely ever set foot in the place. There was teamwork, camaraderie, and my next point, systems. Expecting your people to know what to do is like expecting a team to know the plays without teaching them the plays. It doesn’t work. For people to ‘buy into’ something there has to be something to buy in to. There has to be systems for every conceivable action and duty; there has to be defined and documented parameters of what are considered acceptable behavior. People want to know what the boundaries are and that there is a system to abide by. Once presented in a sensible manner most people meet or rise to the challenge, and not to do so would mean possible exclusion from the group and personal failure. I use my McDonalds experience on a daily basis to this day to help me run my sewer and water main business.

‘How Stupid Can You Get’

How many times have you thought that, or actually (yikes!) said that to an employee? The real question is what is the skill level and potential of the employee to begin with. Are your expectations of performance beyond the employee’s capabilities? There is a simple and low cost solution to that difficult question. Pre-employment aptitude tests are available, easy to administer, and enlightening. An aptitude test will help you place a prospective employee at a position befitting their skill set and aptitude. Do not eliminate a person from consideration for a position, or guarantee their failure by placing them at a position above or below their capabilities. Interestingly a person working at a position below their level of ability can be as troublesome as an employee that is not qualified. Boredom or indifference can easily cause more problems than incompetence.

Building a like minded team of co-workers requires structure, levelheaded leadership, careful pre-employment screening and constant coaching and guidance. Positive actions will rule the day, not rash behavior brought on by poor in-house systems and policies.

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All About Green Travel

What exactly is meant by a phrase like Green Travel? Green Travel can mean anything from environmentally responsible motor cars to eco-friendly transportation fuels, to responsible eco-tourism options, sustainable travel or stays in hotels and facilities that are environmentally conscious.

Read on to find some great options on the Internet where you, the environmentally-responsible traveler, can enhance your knowledge and continue to seek the smartest, most planet-conscious choices available when you travel.

Why Green Travel Matters

Tourism, in contemporary times, is a tremendously growth-oriented industry, and is among the world’s largest, with spending figures estimated at over five hundred billion per year in recent years. Because of the overwhelming size of the industry globally, millions of people are employed within its ranks, and are therefore of great concern when it comes to responsible, eco-conscious decisions.

Such lofty statistics all begin with local, individual choices – where people spend their money when they travel, during their travel and the message that their actions send out to global populations. The impact of global travel, when geared toward the positive, can be terrific – including when tourism’s dollars go to the enhancement of local populations, or when travelers return home with a fresh take on other cultures, communities and environments, for instance.

How Tourism and Travel Become “Sustainable Tourism and Travel”

WTTC Associations such as the World Travel and Tourism Council in London, England, offer world travelers a wealth of information on sustainable and green tourism. The mission statement of the organization speaks to their goals: “Raising awareness of the importance of Travel & Tourism, promoting synergies between the public and private sector, generating profit as well as protecting natural, social and cultural environment [these] are the fundamental components of [their] mission, as outlined in the Blueprint for New Tourism.”

Whenever you travel, do what you can to extend the extra effort to ask questions about the businesses that service your trip: from hotels to tours to restaurants and more. Find out what you can about the impact of their businesses on the environment, in terms of both the physical and cultural aspects. No set of universal standards or guidelines currently exists to ensure that those in the travel and tourism industry world-wide operate according to environmentally conscious principles.

So What Is Ecotourism and Can It Help?

With a greater emphasis placed on the environment in general, travel and tourism has also felt the weight of the green revolution. The travel and tourism industry has sprung up in places where the natural environment remains in tact and available for one to experience first-hand. At its best, ecotourism is essentially nature travel – tourism of and cultivation of appreciation for the unadulterated vistas and landscapes of the planet.

Resources Available for Green Travel

ResponsibleTravel

At Responsible Travel, find “A hand picked directory of 1000s of stunning eco holidays run by 265 specialist tour operators and 100′s of accommodations. Use the site to contact the specialists directly to request more information. Book direct with the specialists to get the best price.”

The International Ecotourism Society (ecotourism.org)

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) offers that through “Uniting communities, conservation and sustainable travel,” they directly “promote responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.”

PlanetA

Debuting in 1994, PlanetA is a pioneering website that provides tips for travelers and locals who share a vision of eco-friendly, people-friendly and place-friendly travel. They take a dynamic wiki view of the Web and appreciate their viewers’ helpful editorial suggestions and offer a yearly World Travel Directory.

Sustainable Travel International (sustainabletravelinternational.org)

The organization Sustainable Travel International has the following for its mission statement: “Promoting responsible travel and ecotourism, supporting sustainable development, and helping travelers and travel providers protect the cultures and environments they visit.”

Google Green Travel Search (services.google.com/earth/green/)

At Summer of Green, Google’s now legendary map service is powered to help Green travelers find what they need to in the way of environmentally conscious global travel, through the work of Earth Day Network. Find tips on traveling green this summer with keyword searches like “environmentally friendly hotel” rather than just “hotel.”

Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance says, “With more than 800 million people traveling each year, tourism is a growing source of revenue for people living in areas that are especially rich in plants and animals – and threatened with destruction. While tourism can lead to problems such as waste, habitat destruction and the displacement of local people and wildlife, it also has the potential to provide incentives for conservation.” Find out more through the tourism arm of their website.

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Rajasthan, the largest state of India, is one of the most popular tourism destinations in India. The state has great tourism potential and enthralls tourists and vacationers with its awe-inspiring tourism options in the forms of culture, tradition, temples, art & architecture, history, forts & palaces, monument, havelis, wildlife sanctuaries & parks, rippling sand dunes, Thar Desert, etc. There are many fascinating travel destinations in the state which can be visited, explored and enjoyed on your travel and tours in this royal state of India. Let’s have a look at top ten travel destination of Rajasthan tourism.

1. Jaipur – Also known as the Pink City of India, Jaipur is the state capital city and very popular tourist destination in India. Worth visit attractions in Jaipur city are City Palace, Albert Hall Museum, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh Fort and Heritage Hotels.

2. Udaipur – Also known as the City of Lakes, Udaipur is a city in the state known for its elegant palaces and lovely lakes. It is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in India. Key attractions of tourist interest in the city are City Palace, Jagdish Temple, Lake Palace, Pichola Lake, Fateh Prakash Palace, Monsoon Palace, Fateh Sagar Lake, Udai Sagar Lake, Eklingji Temple, Nagda Temple, etc.

3. Jodhpur – Also known as the Blue City of India, Jodhpur is the second largest city in the state. It is a wonderful tourist place to be visited on Rajasthan travels and tours with attractions like mammoth Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswant Thada Memorial, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Mandore Gardens and many heritage hotels.

4. Jaisalmer – Also known as the Golden City of India, Jaisalmer is known for Golden Fort, Jain Temples, Havelis and an exciting trip to rippling sand dunes of vast Thar Desert.

5. Bikaner – Also known as the Camel City, Bikaner is a wonderful tourist place to visit in Rajasthan. It holds a prime position in boosting tourism in Rajasthan with major attractions like Junagarh Fort, Lalgarh Palace, Havelis, and sand dunes.

6. Pushkar – Pushkar is a holy city in Rajasthan. It is one of the most sacred cities in India with lots of attractions like Lord Brahma Temple, Gayatri Temple, Savitri Temple, Pushkar Lake, Pushkar Palace, Rose Gardens, Pushkar Ghats, etc.

7. Ajmer – Ajmer is a world famous Muslim pilgrimage centre and tourist place. It is predominantly famous for Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The Dargah is equally revered by people of both faith Hindu and Muslim. There are many other attractions in Ajmer which enhance tourism in Rajasthan, India.

8. Mandawa – Located in Shekhawati Region, Mandawa is one of the most popular destinations of Rajasthan tours and travels. It is widely known for beautifully painted havelis containing exquisite frescoes, murals, miniature paintings and wall paintings. Prime attractions of Mandawa are Havelis and Fort Mandawa Castle.

9. Ranthambhore – Ranthambore is one of the most popular destinations of Rajasthan tourism. It is globally famous for Ranthambore Tiger Reserve & National Park. The park is rich in its flora and fauna. The key attractions of the park are tigers, Ranthambore Fort, Jogi Mahal and ancient banyan tree.

10. Bharatpur – Bharatpur is a beautiful town in the state with attractions like Keoladeo Ghana National Park (formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary), Lohagarh Fort, Bharatpur Palace, etc.

These destinations are very popular among tourists and vacationers from all over the world and various Rajasthan tour operators as well. You will surly love to visit, explore and enjoy these deserving tourist places of Rajasthan, the Royal State of India.

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