This is the fourth in a series of blog posts looking at five cognitive distortions of high achievers. Today, our topic is blank-canvas thinking. A blank canvas offers us infinite possibilities, with minimal constraints. Blank-canvas thinkers are always searching for ideas without precedents; they’re the first to throw the Style Manual out the window. In many ways, this is… Continue Reading
This is the third in a series of blog posts looking at five cognitive distortions of high achievers. Today, we’re looking at correct overgeneralisation. Michael Dearing defines this as making universal judgements from limited observations. In other words, basing critical decisions on scant data. Sounds like something many of us do–but Dearing adds this kicker: and being… Continue Reading
This is the second in a series of blog posts looking at five cognitive distortions of high achievers. Today, we’re looking at dichotomous thinking—or, to put it more simply, black and white thinking. This distortion manifests in several different ways. Dichotomous thinkers are both judgemental and opinionated to a high degree. They see only black… Continue Reading
When we feel that someone has wronged us, we often hunger for an apology. Sometimes our hunger is so strong that we devour everything in our path. We insist on an apology as our due; we harass the person who has so wronged us until we wheedle or hammer or prise an admission from them.… Continue Reading
In case you missed it, this presentation by Michael Dearing has been attracting a lot of comment on the net. After interviewing 4515 Silicon Valley executives, Dearing identified five distorted thinking habits of chronic overachievers: Personal exceptionalism Dichotomous thinking Correct overgeneralisation Blank canvas thinking Schumpeterianism Some big words there, but they look inoffensive enough. And… Continue Reading
This post follows on from our previous post about working with thinking and feeling personality types. It’s the fourth and final in a series of posts about the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in the workplace. As you will recall, the MBTI can help us understand how we prefer to take in information (sensing or thinking), and… Continue Reading
This post follows on from our previous post about working with sensing and intuitive personalities. It’s the third in a series of posts about the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in the workplace. The third dimension in the MBTI identifies our preferred style for making decisions. On one hand, there are people who use logic… Continue Reading
The Brisbane Times has posed a controversial question: are women worse bullies than men? A quick scan of the comments page shows that this article has stirred up a lot of negative feeling. Many readers have shared their own experiences in the hands of workplace bullies, both male and female. Unfortunately, workplace bullying is all too… Continue Reading
This post follows on from our earlier post about extraverts and introverts. It’s the second of a series of posts about the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in the workplace. The second dimension in the MBTI identifies our preferred style for taking in information. On one hand, there are people who enjoy working… Continue Reading
Here’s a scenario many managers and team leaders fear: a staff member sits down in your office and bursts into tears. You don’t know how to handle such an outpouring of emotion. What should you do? Your first step is simple: hand them a box of tissues. Don’t have a box of tissues handy? Then… Continue Reading