In a BBC Radio 4 interview, Sir Bob Geldof described how his friends had helped him through the traumatic death of his daughter, Peaches. There was no heavy-duty therapy, no probing exploration of his darkest feelings. His musician friends simply stayed with him,...
Positive psychology has become the focus of considerable critical attention of late - a mark, perhaps, of its growing stature. However, I think there is a misconception in some of these critiques - the assumption that positive psychology necessarily excludes...
Carrying on our focus on Appreciative Inquiry and the use of good questions, here we will consign a few more well-intentioned but counter-productive questions to the bin marked ‘never to be asked’. Bad question #3: Have you thought of doing it this way? This sounds...
One of the characteristics of complex organisations is that they rely on different forms of expertise to function. However, problems arise when the experts are siloed in their own teams or departments, perhaps exchanging a few friendly words with colleagues from other...
A large company generates 2000 measurement systems for assessing problems, including exit surveys to study turnover, an annual low morale survey and focus groups with its most dissatisfied customers. Result? 80 per cent of management attention is focussed on fixing...
There is a peculiar fact about positive thinking: it tends to evoke a “shadow” of “negative” thoughts and feelings. If I am reminiscing about a lost loved one, I may find myself bathed in feelings of warmth and affection; however, sadness over the loss and even anger...
