Why doesn’t the smartest kid in class grow up to be the most successful? Does the American educational system really teach thinking skills? The answer to these questions is found in what’s known as “The Archway Effect” a model in which an inflow of people goes toward an archway that represents an institution of higher learning. From that archway emerges an outflow of intelligent people. Conventional wisdom tells us that passing through the archway results in intelligence. However, most universities don’t produce brilliant graduates because of the excellence of their teaching, but rather because they accept only brilliant students. The fact is, most universities show no proof that they’ve taught these students to think at all. To date, no one has been able to use grade point averages, SAT scores or even IQ as predictors of success. Intelligence is not enough.

The business community acts in the same manner. Businesses recruit college graduates from elite universities, assuming that these intelligent people will be the most successful employees. They quickly learn that the majority of the recruits, though intelligent, have not developed their potential through effective thinking skills. They’re intelligent, but they’re not smart.

Level Six Thinking is about being smart. Level Six Thinking is about generating alternatives and solving problems. Fluency, articulation and debating, which are tools of thinking, are often mistaken for thinking itself. All that these tools accomplish is simply a flow of logic that allows one person to prove another wrong, and thereby, themselves right. The inadvertent result of logic is to limit options and miss alternative solutions, whereas the purpose of Level Six Thinking is to increase the range of possible solutions through exploration. It may appear that Level Six Thinking attacks logic, but only with the intent of highlighting and using the perception side of thinking.

Critical Thinking and Scholarly Thinking are the two most common methods for solving problems. Critical Thinking is easy and concrete; Scholarly Thinking is neat, orderly, and linear. Critical and Scholarly Thinking have their place, but it’s been demonstrated that we have sufficient skills in these areas. What’s required is Level Six ThinkingL6 Thinking is practical, creative and productive. L6 Thinking enables people to take constructive and immediate action, even with incomplete and imperfect information. People who attain the Level Six Thinking are smart.

You can learn how you can overcome The Archway Effect through Level Six Performance: A Gold Medal Formula for Achieving Professional & Personal Success published by Champion Press.

Proving through his work with champion athletes and corporate executives that leadership and high performance are learned skills built upon inherent strengths, Dr. Stephen Long has helped permanently raise corporate and team productivity from adequate — to outstanding. Level Six Leadership is a breakthrough social operating system that immediately enhances an organization’s efficiency. Applying his coaching and leadership techniques, Long’s instruction has helped Fortune 500 companies realize a 125% increase in productivity.
Long’s method proves performance relies more on learned, deliberate competence much more than natural cognitive ability. Using Level Six Leadership techniques, organizations can adapt to stressful and changing business situations as well as any championship team in overtime. Identified as a top-10 performance enhancement specialist in North America in an independent study conducted at the University of Utah, Dr Long is a highly sought after speaker, consultant, executive coach and trainer.

Back during the 1950s and all the way through the 1980s, two American luxury car brands battled for supremacy. For General Motors, builder of Cadillacs and for the Ford Motor Company, builder of Lincolns, corporate prestige rested upon which automaker sold the most models each year. For many years, a pitched battle was raised until the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve. During those years, no one knew for sure who the sales winner was until well into January; that is when the final sales tallies were released. Today, the luxury car market has changed dramatically, so much so, that the storied battle between the two automakers no longer matters. So, what brought about this change? Several things, please read on for the details.

More Competition — Before the 1980s, Mercedes and BMW were minor players in the luxury car market. Infiniti, Lexus, and Acura were previously nonexistent brands created during the 1980s by parent Japanese auto giants, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda respectively. Add in Audi, Jaguar, Volvo, and Saab and the competition really heats up.

Higher Incomes — The average American family’s income level has surged over the past two decades, meaning more buyers are choosing luxury brands. Why settle for a Chevy when you can afford a Cadillac? Why buy a Cadillac when there are so many other choices for consumers?

American Quality Problems — Both Cadillac and Lincoln have had their share of quality issues over the years. Brand confusion has reigned too as Cadillac once sold rebadged Chevy Cavaliers as Cimarrons and as so many of Lincoln’s models have failed to capture the imagination of potential buyers. European brands gained in prominence as many of their models were considered to be better engineered, better built, more fuel efficient, and just as luxurious as the American brands.

Cadillac Transforms, Lincoln Wallows — Although Mercedes and Lexus both outsell Cadillac today, Cadillac has made dramatic improvements over the past ten years while Lincoln has not. Most Lincoln vehicles sold today are simply reskinned Fords while Cadillac has been developing and successfully marketing new models that are unique to the brand. Most Cadillac products today compare favorably with BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, and Mercedes vehicles. Most Lincolns do not compare favorably with any other luxury models. All of this has been proven out in the marketplace as Cadillac regularly outsells Lincoln by more than 2 to 1.

Yes, the luxury brand battle has changed well beyond Cadillac versus Lincoln giving consumers better vehicles and more choice. While Cadillac has successfully redone its dowdy image, Lincoln has not. That, with the increased competition from foreign makes, spells all the difference in what was once a heated battle for American luxury car supremacy.

Copyright 2006 – Matt Keegan is a freelance writer covering the luxury brands as well as automotive trends. You can keep your Cadillac, Infiniti, Lincoln, Mercedes, or other fine make at peak performance by shopping Performance Market for high quality automotive parts and accessories.

The old saying to shoppers “if you want to save shop around”,
this old fashion phrase is not limited to your traditional
shopping but virtually anything you are willing to pay for. As
fellow entrepreneurs in online business the same applies to you.

Buying a product to resell If you stumble on a product you have
been seeking, don’t rush into buying the first time, chances are:

The product is dated In this situation it a total loss of income
and who wouldn’t be furious? It is wise to enquire how old the
product has been on the market and when was the last time the
product was upgraded. It will also pay to read reviews on the
product before purchasing, this will save you a lot of headaches

Offered free somewhere else Have you ever purchased a product
only to find out that it is available free somewhere else. If
you find yourself in this situation you are no different from
above. It is definitely a loss of income as well. Check on the
internet, do a search on the “Product+Free” and see the results.

Offered as bonus if you buy another product You should always be
on the look out for what I termed a “double score” in this case
search for a product to see if it is being offered as a bonus
some where else with other products. Because of customer
perceived value 99.9% internet software and information products
offer additional bonuses and you are bound to find the product
you are seeking is given away as bonus or bundled with other
products, wow what a win.

What strategies are available? Bargain with the seller Send a
mail or phone to the vendor directly informing that you are
interested in purchasing the product and you are willing to pay
only a stated amount or to the nearest offer you are willing to
pay. 99 out of 100 will reply with an offer. I personally was
looking for a product which was advertised on the internet for
$4,000. I sent a personal email to the vendor stating I wanted
to become a reseller but I was willing to pay only $500, I had a
reply saying $500 was below suppliers cost however they are
willing to take $800. I was able to shake of $3,200 off the
regular price. I was more than a happy customer I knew the
potential earnings of the product was huge.

Check your business opportunity magazines It is often perceived
that people reading business opportunity magazines are more
likely to buy and promote products. You often find that prices
offered in these magazines are much lower than what is offered
online. The prices on online are inflated to ward off curious
people looking for freebies and be able to receive good leads
from interested buyers.

Compare similar products Don’t forget there are competing
products that will equally perform the same function. Look for
the products compare features and how they will benefit your
business.

Abrahm Hanson, is the founder of Global Business Resources -
http://www.findprod.com http://MotivtedProfits.com

Copyright © 2005 Global Business Resources. All rights reserved.

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Cricket is a sport of English origin, which has become increasingly influenced by international interest. As commercial opportunities have arisen, the sport has made itself more appealing to its followers.

There is evidence to suggest cricket was played, in some form as long ago as the 11th century, but it was not until 1646 when the first organised game took place for a bet of twelve candles.

Cricket continued to develop for another hundred years or so without any standard written rules. The earliest laws of the game were formally composed in 1744. Although it would be another 43 years before any central governing body existed. In 1787 Marylebone Cricket Club (more commonly known as the MCC) was set up at Lord’s Cricket Ground to protect the standard laws of cricket.
The MCC was to be the international guardian of cricket for another two hundred years and it is still to this day, the copyright holder of the “Laws of Cricket”.

Despite its previously strong English history, the first international cricket game was between the USA and Canada in New Jersey in 1844. The MCC later adopted a policy to encourage the global development of cricket – particularly in British colonies, where the sport was becoming increasingly popular.

The first international game played by England was not until 1877, when James Lillywhite captained a side that travelled to Australia and lost at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The event was a tremendous success and arrangements were hurriedly made for a rematch, which was won by England. This lengthy format of match (typically lasting five days) was to become “test cricket”.

Australia played a return match in 1882 and defeated England at the Oval. It was seen as a national shame and a mock obituary appeared in The Sporting Times the following day. It announced the death of English cricket, infamously stating “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. This later spawned an ongoing battle between the nations for ownership of these fabled Ashes.

Regardless of the national team’s failure at that time, domestic cricket in England continued to thrive. And eventually, in 1890 the inaugural County Championship took place, comprising eight regional teams.
It had expanded to fifteen teams by 1900 and with the addition of Northamptonshire (1905) and Glamorgan (1921); the competition was attracting interest across England and Wales. The county championship had no fixed setup until after the Second World War. In 1968 a format was agreed that stayed in place until the 1990s. By this time county cricket was in disarray; teams were getting into debt as crowds sharply declined.
After the addition of an eighteenth county, a two division championship was set up to remedy the problem of diminished interest, but this did little to help the crumbling county game, which still struggles greatly as gate revenue fails to compensate for overheads.

However the tale of the international game is very different. England and Australia began to play against other countries. South Africa became an official test cricket nation in 1888. West Indies, New Zealand and India followed in the years after World War One. Pakistan became a test nation when they split from India in 1947.

From then on no major changes occurred in international cricket, until 1970 when South Africa were suspended for their government’s policy of apartheid.

The following year, a one day match was trialled between Australia and England. This form proved to be more attractive than test cricket, since then one-day-international series have regularly accompanied headlining test series between all nations. A regular World Cup now takes place every four years as a one-day-international tournament.

In 1993 came the biggest sign of the shift in world cricket – the MCC handed over global authority to the International Cricket Council, whilst allowing the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) to handle domestic affairs. Regardless of its decline, it still holds the copyright to the Laws of Cricket.

Today the ICC fully controls world cricket and the game’s new power base is arguably India; a country of one billion inhabitants where cricket is the sole national sport, but growth is global; Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have all gained test status in the past quarter of a century and South Africa were reinstated in 1991.
Cricket is continuing to flourish in more and more countries and with the teams choosing to employ more attractive tactics; the sport’s future has never looked more prosperous than it does now.

Oldham Cricket Club play in the Central Lancashire League.

View our website to experience life inside a genuine English cricket club http://www.oldhamcc.co.uk