Positive Thinking, Rational Thinking, Thought Awareness - Stress Management Training from MindTools Stop negative thinking with James Manktelow & Amy Carlson. Quite often, the way we feel about a situation comes from our perception of it. Often that perception is right, but sometimes it isn't. For instance, sometimes we're unreasonably harsh with ourselves, or we can jump to wrong conclusion about people's motives. Thought Awareness, Rational Thinking, and Positive Thinking are simple tools that help you turn this around. Introduction A commonly accepted definition of stress, developed by Richard S. In becoming stressed, people must make two main judgments: First, they must feel threatened by the situation.They must judge whether their capabilities and resources are sufficient to meet the threat. How stressed someone feels depends on how much damage they think the situation can cause them, and how far their resources meet the demands of the situation. Perception is key to this as (technically) situations are not stressful in their own right. Using the Tools Thought Awareness Rational Thinking
Mission Statements and Vision Statements - Leadership Techniques from MindTools Unleashing the Power of Purpose How to create mission and vision statements, with James Manktelow & Amy Carlson. Imagine going to work each day, full of purpose and conviction. Because you understand the good that your organization does in the world, you love what you do. People can be genuinely inspired if their organization has a compelling vision and a clear, worthwhile mission; and these can be powerfully expressed in well-crafted mission and vision statements. These statements can be highly motivating when they are expressed clearly and with intent, and when they are communicated effectively to everyone in the organization. In this article, we'll explore how you can write motivating mission and vision statements. Mission and Vision Statements Explained Mission and vision statements are the words leaders use to explain an organization's purpose and direction. Purpose Mission statements and vision statements do distinctly different jobs. Application Mission and Vision Statement Examples Tip:
Inferring Meaning Explanations > The SIFT Model > Inferring Meaning Inference filters | Validation | Deep thinking | Emotional state | Deep stuff | See also The stream of visual, auditory and other sensory data that assaults us is really just light and sound with no inherent meaning. Within our minds we must then make sense of what we experience. Inference filters When we see and hear communications from others or have various different experiences we infer their meaning from the combination of a range of different inference filters. Validation The output of the inference is some form of meaning. An invalid meaning would then force you to think further about this situation. Sometimes this validation is not well done, and an erroneous meaning slips by. Deep thinking When validation of the meaning fails, this throws us into a mental spin as we try to work out what has happened. Finding new meaning Finding new meaning is often an uncomfortable process. Create one or more hypotheses which must then be verified.
25 Killer Actions to Boost Your Self-Confidence Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. – E.E. Cummings By Leo Babauta One of the things that held me back from pursuing my dreams for many years was fear of failure … and the lack of self-confidence that I needed to overcome that fear. It’s something we all face, to some degree, I think. By working on your self-confidence and self-esteem. I still have those fears, undoubtedly. This post was inspired by reader Nick from Finland, who asked for an article about self-worth and self-confidence: Many of the things you propose make people feel better about themselves and actually help building self-confidence. Truer words have never been spoken. As an aside, I know that some people make a strong distinction between self-esteem and self-confidence. Taking control of your self-confidence If you are low in self-confidence, is it possible to do things that will change that? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Re-Engaging Team Members - Team Management Training from MindTools Turning Negative Back to Positive Engaged team members make a valuable contribution. © iStockphoto/dgilder "Excuse me, I'm the new program office administrator, and I need to book a hotel for a meeting. "Uh, just go on the intranet," replies your colleague, who then turns back to the person sitting next to her and resumes her conversation about her weekend plans. "Okay..." you might reply uncomfortably, even though you've already spent half an hour trying to find the right web page. Sound familiar? Disengaged people exist in all types of businesses, across all industries. Disengaged people are like poison – they don't perform their own jobs well, they drive customers away, and they have a bad influence on your other staff. What is an Engaged Team Member? Fortunately, you can re-engage members of your team and build back their pride and commitment. The first step is to... ... for the complete article: Mind Tools Club members, click here. Join now for just $1, first month
human intelligence (psychology) -- Encyclopedia Britannica human intelligence, mental quality that consists of the abilities to learn from experience, adapt to new situations, understand and handle abstract concepts, and use knowledge to manipulate one’s environment. Much of the excitement among investigators in the field of intelligence derives from their attempts to determine exactly what intelligence is. Different investigators have emphasized different aspects of intelligence in their definitions. For example, in a 1921 symposium the American psychologists Lewis M. Terman and Edward L. Articles » Measuring Assertiveness Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 Sometimes assertiveness gets a bad name, because people confuse it with aggressiveness. But if there were a yardstick to measure human behavior, assertiveness would fall right in the middle, with passiveness at one end and aggressiveness at the other. Here are some of the ways that passive, assertive and aggressive people are perceived by others: Passive people: • Have trouble saying no. • Do whatever others ask, even if it’s very inconvenient. • Get “stepped on” a lot. • Talk softly and don’t stand up for their rights. • They’re not even sure if they have any rights. • Do anything to avoid conflict. • Are taken advantage of. Assertive people: • Are firm and direct. • Don’t blame others but take full responsibility for their own feelings. • Concentrate on the present. • Can express their needs and feelings calmly and easily. • Are confident about who they are. • Speak firmly and make eye contact. • Respect others’ rights and expect the same in return.
Why the Rules are There - Team Management Training from MindTools Helping People Understand and Enforce Rules "Get your rule-setting right." © iStockphoto Adults tend to resent rules – especially rules in the workplace. Have you, or the people around you, ever thought these things: "Why can't they trust us?" The reality is that not everyone has the same level of common sense or awareness of consequences, and not everyone can be trusted. In a perfect world, we'd all do our jobs with integrity, honesty, safety, and concern for the well-being of stakeholders. Why We Have Rules Unfortunately, some people take advantage of situations for their benefit. There are essentially two types of rules... ... for the complete article: Mind Tools Club members, click here. Join the Mind Tools Club to finish this article AND get 1,000 more resources Join now for just $1, first month "When I started using Mind Tools, I was not in a supervisory position.
40 Superb Psychology Blogs Forty of the best psychology blogs, chosen to give you a broad sweep of the most interesting content being produced online right now. The list is split into three sections: first are more general psychological blogs, followed by those with an academic slant, followed by condition specific and patient perspective blogs. Other than that the blogs are presented in no particular order. Updated Sep 2012 to reflect blogs that are now inactive. General: PsyBlog: The blog you’re reading right now—you should subscribe to PsyBlog here.MindHacks: links to psychological goodness from all around the web. More academic: Dr Petra Boynton: sex educator and academic exposes media misrepresentations of science.Babel’s Dawn: exploring the origins of language.The Neurocritic: anonymous, critical, mischievous.Advances in the History of Psychology: it’s all in the title.Deric Bounds’ MindBlog: biological view of the brain from an Emeritus Professor. Condition specific/patient perspective blogs: Panic!
Management by Objectives (MBO) - Team Management Training from MindTools Aligning Objectives With Organizational Goals Learn how to align people's actions with your organization's goals. © iStockphoto/danleap In many organizations, it's hard to remember a time when non-managerial employees were kept in the dark about strategy. We're often reminded about the corporate mission statement, we have strategy meetings where the "big picture" is revealed to us, and we're even invited to participate in some business decisions. We're also kept aware of how our day-to-day activities contribute to corporate goals. This type of managing hasn't been around forever. About the Tool Peter Drucker developed MBO, and published it in his 1954 book, "The Practice of Management." The idea may have become a victim of its own success; it became such an integral part of modern business practice that it may no longer have seemed worthy of comment. Advantages and Disadvantages Using Management by Objectives with your team offers several benefits. How to Use the Tool
10 Psychology Websites To Help Educate Yourself The Internet is a great place to satisfy your curiosity about anything under the sun. There are tons of resources to learn about anything that may catch your fancy, whether it is for a casual look, a serious hobby, or a lifelong pursuit of knowledge in a specific field. Whatever the nature of your interest, it doesn’t help to start on the wrong foot. It is often necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff on the web, so here is a guide to get you started with 10 websites to educate yourself about psychology. You might also want to check out 8 Websites With Cool Free Personality Traits Tests. #1: PsychCentral This site is one of the largest independent psychology websites launched in 1995, providing information, resources, & hosting over 150 support groups. Key sections on the psychology website are: #2: American Psychological Association With over 150,000 members, the APA is the world’s largest association of psychologists. #3: National Institute of Mental Health #4: Wikipedia #9: PsyBlog
Blake Mouton Managerial Grid - Leadership Training from MindTools Balancing Task- and People-Oriented Leadership © iStockphotoanthonyjhall When your boss puts you in charge of organizing the company Christmas party, what do you do first? Do you develop a time line and start assigning tasks, or do you think about who would prefer to do what, and try to schedule around their needs? When the planning starts to fall behind schedule, what is your first reaction? Do you chase everyone to get back on track, or do you ease off a bit, recognizing that everyone is busy just doing his/her job, let alone the extra tasks you’ve assigned? Your answers to these types of questions can reveal a great deal about your personal leadership style. Neither preference is right or wrong, just as no one type of leadership style is best for all situations. A popular framework for thinking about a leader’s ‘task versus person’ orientation was developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in the early 1960s. Understanding the Model Figure 1 – The Blake Mouton Managerial Grid Note:
Why Preparing in Advance is Priceless: How MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga Planned Ahead for His New Leadership Role Ajay Banga did a particularly good job at Master Card at embracing and leveraging his Fuzzy Front End (the time between the acceptance of the job and his start date). Many leaders fall into the trap of believing that leadership begins on day one of a new job, but Banga’s actions are a good example of how leaders can use the time before then to get a head start in order to increase their chance of success. Making the Move to MasterCard CEO Ajay’s transition from Citibank to MasterCard began even before the official announcement in June 2009 that he would join the company that summer. Ajay recently explained to me that this was all part of the three-stage plan created by his predecessor, Bob Selander, and the board: Stage 1) Ajay as COO reporting to Bob; Stage 2) Ajay as CEO with Bob still around; and Stage 3) Ajay as CEO with Bob not there. Throughout, Ajay leveraged his leadership skills in connecting with people. Thus, he spent a lot of time doing just that.