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Capitalize on crisis Individual Well-beingWorkplace Well-being

Capitalize on crisis

A crisis is a turning point in someone’s life, a situation that will either get better or get worse. By definition, if it stays the same it is not a crisis. What can be a strong temptation when working with someone who is in crisis is to try and get things back to normal as soon as possible. While this is perfectly understandable, we have to recognize that this means that the positive potential of crisis is being missed. Crises can do a lot of harm (the situation gets worse) but they can also do a lot of good (the situation gets better) – for example, when new coping skills are learned, when longstanding obstacles to progress are removed and/or…
Dr Neil Thompson
April 4, 2023
Begin with the end in mind Individual Well-beingWorkplace Well-being

Begin with the end in mind

This is one of Stephen Covey’s seven secrets of highly effective people. It means that, at all times, we need to be clear about what we are trying to achieve or where it is we are trying to get to. Without that clarity we can drift and become unfocused. This is likely to hamper progress and can also prove stressful at times, as the lack of a sense of direction can create anxiety and uncertainty. It can also reduce our credibility (and thus our ability to influence other people) as we will come across in ways that do not inspire confidence if we are unfocused and unclear about what we are trying to achieve. Beginning with the end in mind…
Dr Neil Thompson
March 14, 2023
Develop an internal locus of control Individual Well-beingWorkplace Well-being

Develop an internal locus of control

Are you living your life or is your life living you? How much in control do you feel about what is happening to you? People who have what psychologist call an internal locus of control will have a good sense of being able to control (or at least influence) key aspects of their lives, both at work and at home. Someone with an external locus of control, by contrast, tends to have little sense of control and can pay a price for that in terms of lower confidence higher stress levels and so on. In a very real sense, having an external locus of control is a form of self-disempowerment, a way of putting obstacles in your own way. So,…
Dr Neil Thompson
February 28, 2023
Direct concerns to where the power is Workplace Well-being

Direct concerns to where the power is

A phenomenon I have come across many times in many organizations is for matters of dissatisfaction to act as a basis for moaning sessions (which do little good) and for the concerns or dissatisfactions not to be channelled in the direction of a person or group who can potentially do something about the problem. There is often a fear that if issues are raised the person(s) raising them will be seen as troublemakers, but it all depends on how the issues are raised. If they are raised in a confrontational approach, don’t be surprised if the response is a defensive one (and some people, of course, will act on the basis that attack is the best form of defence). Raising…
Dr Neil Thompson
February 14, 2023
Make it happen – carpe diem Individual Well-beingWorkplace Well-being

Make it happen – carpe diem

In today’s busy, pressurized world we can find ourselves with many different demands on our time. As a result of this important things may not get done. We can find ourselves drifting and losing sight of what is important to us. ‘Carpe diem’ – seize the day – is a good principle to guard against that. It can pay huge dividends to step back from time to time, to clarify what matters to use and focus on making happen whatever needs to happen to make sure those important things are given the attention they deserve.  
Dr Neil Thompson
January 31, 2023
Elegant challenging Workplace Well-being

Elegant challenging

When people act or speak in discriminatory ways, bully people or behave disrespectfully towards others, it can be very tempting to ‘have a go’ at them, to give them a piece of your mind. While that reaction is quite understandable, it can be highly problematic. This is because there is a danger that the person who is behaving irresponsibly will see you as the unreasonable one, to see you as the person who is behaving inappropriately. This can just make a difficult situation worse. ‘Elegant’ challenging, by contrast, refers to challenging inappropriate behaviour tactfully and sensitively, so that you are giving the other person no ammunition to fire back at you. Skilfully pointing out why what somebody has said or…
Dr Neil Thompson
January 18, 2023
More is not necessarily better Individual Well-being

More is not necessarily better

In our consumerist society we constantly find ourselves under pressure to earn more, buy more, achieve more. So much these days seems to depend on quantity, with relatively little attention being paid to quality, particularly quality of life. The idea that ‘more is not necessarily better’ is not only something to bear in mind for ourselves and our own well-being, but also for the people we are trying to help or support. While there is much that can be done to help people who are lacking in material resources we should not lose sight of the fact that there should also be ways in which we can help people enrich their lives in other ways
Dr Neil Thompson
December 13, 2022
Don’t reinvent the wheel Individual Well-beingWorkplace Well-being

Don’t reinvent the wheel

We can so easily become so engrossed in our work and under so much pressure that we don’t look more broadly at the situation we are dealing with. This can mean that we can find ourselves reinventing the wheel – that is, not realizing that it is likely that other people will have faced the type of situation we are in now and will have found helpful ways of responding to it. There is much to be learned from finding out how other people tackle their challenges, but we won’t do any of that learning if we don’t take the trouble to try and find out. If we don’t make that effort, we will be doomed to reinvent the wheel…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 8, 2022
Cultivate self-awareness Individual Well-beingWorkplace Well-being

Cultivate self-awareness

Self-awareness is an important basis for reflective practice. It involves being able to tune in to: (i) what effect you are having on the situation; and (ii) what effect the situation is having on you. When we interact with other people, we become part of that dynamic; we shape the situation to a certain extent, and so we will be in a stronger position to influence that situation in a positive direction if we are aware of what effect our presence and contribution are having. It is also helpful to be aware of what effect the situation is having on us: Are we anxious? Are we rushing? Are we tired? All these things can have a significant bearing on how…
Dr Neil Thompson
October 25, 2022