Sole F80 Treadmill Review - Value and Performance!

This weekend I bought a car. I did considerable research on the Internet, comparing price, features, customer testimonials and third party reviews. My primarily focus was to purchase a fuel efficient model. I'm trying to do my part to save the planet. 

I looked at several budget models. Their price was very appealing for under $14,000. After serious consideration I ended up with a Honda Accord. It cost six thousand more, but I new I was getting the very best value for my money. Also, I was getting a car built to last.

When you buy a treadmill, there are numerous models to choose from. Some as cheap as $400, but are they built to last. With a warranty that covers 90 days parts and labor you can assume they are not.
I worked in the treadmill industry for a number of years. I am very familiar with the different brands and how they match up. Recently I have been particularly impressed with a relative newcomer, Sole Fitness. No this was not the company I worked for. In fact, they were a competitor.

Sole has been building some quality machines, and consequently their market share has been gradually growing. There are several features that make their treadmills stand-out.

Their treadmills have an excellent reputation. In fact, they are used exclusively by Hilton and other hotels worldwide for In Room Fitness. If the Sole treadmills are used in a commercial setting in hotels, think how they will hold up in your home.

They have one of the best warranties in the industry, which is another indication of their quality. Most of their treadmills come with a 30 year motor, 5 year parts and 2 year labor warranty.

They've received a "Best Buy" rating from Treadmill Doctor. One of the most reliable source, other than my site, for treadmill reviews. 

 

I am particularly impressed with the Sole F80. It sort of reminds me of my Honda Accord, although the Sole F80 has a better warranty. What are the similarities of the Honda Accord and the Sole F80. First, neither are the best products available in their industry. There are better cars than the Accord, as there are better treadmills than the Sole F80. If money is no object you definitely should consider a True, Precor or Landice treadmill.

But like the Honda Accord, the Sole F80 is one of the best values in its price range (Approximately $1,500). And similar to the Accord it has some nice standard features like, a 2.5 continuous duty motor, 20" x 55" running surface, heart rate control, 2 ¾" rollers and once again, that excellent warranty.
When I buy a car I want a machine that is reliable, performs to my expectations, and requires low-maintenance. And guess what? My criteria for purchasing a treadmill is exactly the same. So if you are in the market for a treadmill, I suggest you check out the Sole F80. They are sold online and some of the larger sporting goods retailers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/257535

Self Evaluations and Self Assessment For Your Annual Performance Appraisal

As many of you actually dread this process of undertaking personal self evaluations of your work performance, let me show you how approaching your annual appraisal with a constructive attitude is vital to an effective and rewarding result for you.

Try to think of self evaluations as a chance for you to rate your skills and put forward a strong case upon which a salary increase or promotion may depend. It's not always easy to compliment yourself on the work you do, but, it can be a very important time to make sure your boss knows what you've done and how aware you are of your own strengths AND weaknesses. Please make sure you know what your boss is expecting from you and what specific topics your boss needs you to cover.
It is not a good idea to leave this self appraisal until the very last moment. Instead, make yourself prepare it a few days before your annual performance review, then leave it for a day or two before you re-read it. Hopefully, these general tips for writing your self evaluations will help you showcase your strengths and help you get promoted or receive the salary increase you deserve.
Self appraisals or self evaluations are where you, get to give opinions - preferably backed up by accomplishments - about your performance. You need to critically analyse your performance, strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments, problems you have encountered and any training needs you feel you may have.
What To Include In Your Self Evaluations
In order to gather the right information for your self evaluations of your on-the-job performance, I recommend that you include statements about these key areas:

• Your current job responsibilities (use your job description as a reference point);
• Your achievements;
• Your goals for the coming year;
• Areas in which you may improve;
• Training requirements you need for your present job;
• Additional responsibilities you are ready to add to your remit;
• Any problems you have encountered and solutions you have come up with;
• Continuing professional development (CPD);
• Areas of the job you like or dislike.

On this last point you should also be ready to explain what it is you like or dislike and have some ideas about improving or managing the parts you dislike more effectively.
Most self evaluations should be based on your organisation's competency framework which will include a range of competencies such as:

• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Results Focus
• Working in Teams
• Customer Service
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Initiative
• Decision Making
• Leadership
• Managing Self

It is a positively good idea to quote actual examples and situations to support your self assessment of performance - the STAR routine of situation, task, action and result, typically used in competence based interviews, is a good basis for your self evaluations.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6054717

Virility Ex Pill Review - Boost Your Sexual Performance With the Natural Technique

Do you wish for harder, bigger and stronger durable erection when demanded? Do you desire increased sexual strength during sexual intercourse? Or perhaps you are sleepy of mood-killing early ejaculation control and disgracing yourself whenever it is time for real action. Then the virility Ex pill review is a must read if you want sexual guidelines on how to last longer in bed during sex.

Virility Ex supplements contains a lot of herbal ingredients such as catuaba,Sars, Damiana, Oat straw, Muira Puama, Tongkat Ali, Long jack, Elk Velvet Antler, Horny Goat, Tribulus, Maca,Yohimbe e.t.c
Reading through the list of all natural ingredients contained in virility ex supplements, you will agree with me that it has a potent effective and proven formulation to emphasize the penis and make your sexual experience thrilling. The Virility Ex Pill provides the proper supplementation that is key to natural health and improved sexual performance of the male user.

Ex Virility pills delivers more Powerful and sustainable erections during sex, Sexual strength and satisfaction increases penis size and consistently overhauls your sex life. The natural herbal ingredients contained in virility ex male growth listed above are chosen to prescribe drugs because they not only correct the symptoms of erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation problems; they also correct the causes of male weakness and early ejaculation in sex. There is a better chance of regaining and growing low libido in men using the virility ex pill than using any prescribed drug to heal male sexual performance problems naturally.

Virility-Ex pills are also safe when compared to other chemical pills produced for sexual activity by big pharmaceutical companies. Yet it is economical and very effective and no reported side effects of headaches, visibility, and heartaches e.t.c, as a result of using this 100% herbal natural male sexual enhancement drug. Confirmation of this can effortlessly be found on virtually every reputable natural sexual health product review sites, blogs and on forums enthusiastic to help men increase their low libido and sexual performances in bed.
Virility Ex herbal supplement pill is a cautious selection of special already proven effective natural herbs which are accurately blended to a powerful and safe mixture. These herbs used in producing Virility Ex pills have been carefully gathered around the planet and used in manufacturing this product right in the USA under an FDA certified and accredited reputable firm.

Enduring affirmative results can be easily visible within the first month of usage and it is recommended to be taken for 3 and up to 4 months. Continuous use will also improve your sex life to its optimum capacity. According to tens of reviews about Ex virility pills, the improvements witnessed from the use of this supplement are long lasting since its injectible and go directly into the blood stream. Do not be deceived by shabby, fake and online scammers trying to sell you their good-for-nothing so called the best male sex enhancement pills and drugs who tell you that the their drugs remedies will yield results within only 2-5 days.
You can now enjoy renewed sexual performance using virility ex pill and I will definitely recommend it for those who suffer erectile dysfunction and male premature ejaculation problem and those men that are in need for an improvement of their sex life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3683231

Get Your Performance Appraisal Discussions Off to a Good Start (Part 1)

But a lot of the awkwardness in performance appraisal meetings can be eliminated by following some simple suggestions. Here are a couple of tips that will help put both players at ease. (In Part 2 of this article, I'll provide some additional suggestions.)

Gather Your Appraisal Information and Materials in Advance
The most important item you need to have is a copy of the individual's performance appraisal. That's obvious. But that's not all.
At the beginning of the year you and the individual probably had a performance planning meeting. Ideally, the individual would have taken notes on a blank copy of the appraisal form and made a copy for you. That document should have all of the key items that you discussed during the meeting. Be sure you have a copy of that planning document in case a question about the original goals comes up.
You'll also need information about the individual's performance, particularly if there are some areas where the performance varied significantly from your expectations. Whether the variation was in a positive or negative direction, you'll need to be able to demonstrate why you assigned the rating that you did. If the assessment is that the individual's performance was less than you desired, then it's critically important that you have all of the evidence you used in order to come to that "Unsatisfactory" or "Need Improvement" performance appraisal rating. There's a magic phrase to use here. That phrase is, "For example . . ." Make sure you've got plenty of examples that support a less-than-satisfactory evaluation.
You may want to have a copy of the individual's development plan. You may want to have copies of weekly reports that the individual submitted that described progress against the goals that were set. You can't make a mistake by having too much support material. It will prevent the embarrassment of being unable to find anything of substance to justify the rating you gave.
Make a List
What are the key points that you want to cover during the discussion? In addition to having a copy of the performance appraisal, write down a list of the most important items you want to discuss. It's easy to refer to them during the meeting to make sure that everything that needs to be discussed gets covered.
Pick an Appropriate Place
Probably most performance appraisal discussions take place in the manager's office, with the manager behind the desk and the appraisee sitting directly in front of it.
Is that the best place to hold the discussion? It may well be, particularly if the performance appraisal is not very good and the manager wants to trot out all of the power and authority available to make the subordinate understand that immediate change is necessary. But too often the authoritarian, boss-behind-the-desk arrangement serves to emphasize the power relationship at a time when a more collegial approach might be more effective.
More important than the actual location where the discussion ends up taking place is the decision-making process the manager engages in to determine that location. Too often, managers conduct the performance appraisal discussion behind their desks by default -- they haven't given any thought to the matter and just let it happen in the place where they are most comfortable.
There are several other alternatives possible. The manager's office might not offer complete privacy, particularly if walls are thin or it's a cubicle arrangement. In this case a conference room or the temporarily vacant office of an out-of town senior manager might be pressed into service. If the performance appraisal contains good news and the two participants in the appraisal drama are old colleagues, it might best be conducted over a cup of coffee in the cafeteria. And if it is conducted in the manager's office, just a little furniture rearrangement might reduce the hierarchical nature of the discussion.
If the performance appraisal does indeed contain bad news, and particularly if the manager believes that it will take a dramatic gesture to bring home the message of "Change or else!", the appraiser's boss's office might be a good location. Having your boss give you your performance appraisal in her boss's office -- with her boss sitting in as an observer / reinforcer -- certainly communicates the seriousness of the message being delivered.
But beware the unusual location. The district sales manager who gives one of her sales reps his annual performance appraisal while the two of them are in the car, driving down the highway on route to a new prospect's office, is exercising bad judgment. So too is any manager who selects a location significantly away from a business setting, unless the necessity for conducting the performance review at that time, in that location, is obvious to both players.
These are some small suggestions that will help to reduce the awkwardness that always seems to surround the performance appraisal discussion. In Part 2, I'll provide a couple more tips that will help put both players at ease.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/166929

Give Yourself A Personal Job Performance Review

If your employer has a formal job review process, then you want to take advantage of that. However, many companies do not have a formal review process. In this case, you should still try to get some feedback from your boss. But you should also give yourself a personal job performance review. Effective performance reviews accomplish three main things: measure progress; set goals; and define an action plan. Whatever your job situation -- if you work for yourself, are currently employed or are in between jobs -- give yourself a personal job performance review.

Measure your progress by updating your resume. What have you accomplished in the last three, six, nine and twelve months? Is this more or less than you had planned? If you are self-employed, have you hit your revenue and growth targets? If you are in-between jobs, what have you done towards your job search or career development?

Set or re-set goals. Do you need to continue with the plans you made for this year? Have circumstances changed to warrant new goals? If you are an employee, has your company or industry changed where it may make sense to develop new skills, focus on different areas or look for a new job? If self-employed, will you focus on the cost or revenue side of the business? If in-between jobs, will you focus on finding new job prospects, networking with existing targets, interviewing skills, or learning a new trade?

Define a concrete action plan. Based on the goals, what exactly are you going to do over the next six months? How does this translate month-by-month, week-by-week, and day-by-day?
Reviews that measure performance are great for holding you accountable to your plans. Reviews that help clarify old goals or identify new goals are great for providing short-term direction. Most importantly, the outcome of a review should be actionable steps. I coached a mid-career researcher last week who felt adrift in her career. When we actually itemized where she was and what she needed to do, she felt energized, inspired and much more confident.

You might think you have not accomplished anything in the last few months but think differently once you've taken the time to itemize your accomplishments. Maybe your circumstances have changed to render whatever actions you have taken obsolete and you want to redirect to ensure you stay on track to your goals. You can always progress further along than you are now. Give your career a review and act accordingly.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5525673

Performance Appraisal Survival Guide

It is the time of the year when your performance appraisal is just round the corner. Appraisal is primarily done to evaluate your past performance and chart out your future course in the organization. Appraisals are typically done once a year in most companies. In some companies half yearly appraisals are held.

An objective appraisal professionally done benefits both you and the organization you work for. You get feedback on your performance, suggestions for improvement, training needs and goals for the coming year which are aligned to the overall organization strategy/ objectives. Basis your past accomplishments you could also get compensation hike.
Before you go for your appraisal interview and during the course of it there are a few things you can do to make the process effective. Making a list of all that you have accomplished in the last evaluation period is the first step. When you keep a tab of your achievements and projects completed during the course of the year it will be easy to consolidate them at the end. Any appreciation mails or thank you mails/ communication can be taken as evidence too.
During the actual performance appraisal interview it is important to be participative. Give a brief about what you have done, your aspirations and training needs. Be open to listen objectively - you are likely to get positive as well as negative feedback. You can make your point of view clear but without being defensive or offensive. Remaining confident through out the performance evaluation process helps to build a professional image about you. Last but not the least it is crucial to perform all tasks assigned to you on time, every time.
Delivering high quality work, taking ownership of tasks, leadership and assuming extra responsibilities are traits that will get you noticed and pave the way for better roles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3092271

Employee Performance Reviews

Performance reviews offer insight on how well individuals excel at their jobs in the workplace. To some degree the rating system may resemble an academic report card or perhaps an intricate scoring system. In today's age, performance reviews are highly valued as resources are limited while the large supply of walking talent floats within the job market. Aside from assisting employers how they should allot their assets to the most deserving employees, it is necessary for people to know where they are rated and ranked among their competition. This differentiates those who perceive their position to be a job versus one that is a stepping stone on a career path. Such reviews are either held semi-annually or annually, whereas companies may also conduct reviews after new employees complete their probationary period. A fair amount of companies do bring new employees on board with probationary terms that usually last either 90 days (3 months) or 180 days (6 months). These provisions may vary due to the size of the company and factors that lead management to enforce these decisions.

Some of the elements that add weight to one's performance reviews are the following:
*Attendance-this shows consistency in behavioral patterns of an employee to employers and clients.

*Results-it is VERY important that workers yield positive output(s) than just trying their best. Remember results lead to business profits which further lead to salary/bonus increases. In business, numbers speak volumes as they appear the most objective form of making quick calculated decisions.

*Communication-employees are judged on how well they function in a corporate culture along with their colleagues, clients, etc. This may also include your writing, messaging, phone demeanor and inter-personal skills.

*Personality-this is a tricky variable to assess so usually one's attitude and intangible demeanor is judged in reference to their position and corporate values.
Sometimes the wrong personality can be matched with a job position that the employee performs poorly without realizing their introvert or extrovert demeanor conflicts with the nature of the position. If such deviation is acknowledged early on by the employer, it is possible the employee can be moved to a more appropriate opportunity that aligns with their true self as this strategic move increases their performance potential.

*Team Work-some employers put more emphasis on team work than others where employees are critiqued on how well they work, communicate and deliver results in their groups. How well people function in their work teams also offers a clue of how well the company is perceived by outside clients and critics. One adamant personality can change the dynamics of an entire team and if the entire team becomes effected by such distractions, it affects the overall team performance.

*Initiative-how often do employees anticipate the needs of those whom they serve and act upon it before they are asked to do so. Forecasting future needs, planning accordingly to meet them and delivering such expectations in time proves an employee can take the time to think, to take a risk while planning, and to claim responsibility for turning these thoughts into actions.

*Observational Behavior-managers do pay attention to behavior to see if employees are credible in their speech and actions, if employees honor confidentiality, if employees abuse company resources and time, if employees are representing the company properly; how well employees are perceived by their colleagues, etc.

The short list of variables listed above can determine whether an individual will be granted a salary increase, a bonus, a promotion and many other perks that follow a successful performance review. To the contrary, receiving less than stellar ratings can also jeopardize one's position as one can be put on probation or be asked the company.

In a neutral scenario, the employee can be granted a fair amount of time to improve their performance before the final assessment. Depending on the nature of the business, employees are expected to improve their performance immediately while a follow up review is performed in a two week to a three month time frame.
In most cases generic or customized forms are used as in the format(s) below:

-Open ended questions
-A rating systems (1 to 10 with '10' being the best)
-A ranking system (prioritizing employee attributes)
-A questionnaire that engage team mates to also contribute feedback
-A questionnaire for the employee to judge and rate their own performance, etc.
A few of these formats can be used in one form; in addition supplementary criteria determine how evaluations are performed.
After all said and done, it is the employee that primarily determines how well their review will yield successful results. So if things aren't going well as anticipated, speak up and seek guidance from your boss to change the outcome in time.
Best of Luck!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4480938