Advances in brain-imaging technology from the 1990s onwards enabled researchers to discover two networks in the brain that in some ways are in opposition to each other. The Task Positive Network (TPN) is activated when you engage in ‘cognitive’ tasks – perception, motor control, and problem-solving including logical analysis. It tends to produce stressful feelings,
What makes the difference between the average performers and the stars in your team? More than any other factor, it’s emotional intelligence. This new book tells you how to hire emotionally intelligent people – without blowing your budget on expensive assessments. The right questions to ask, how you need to be as an interviewer, and
Since the 1950s there’s been a perception that most of the money spent on training is wasted, because it either fails to transfer back into the workplace, or fades away over time. Most studies of training transfer suggest a transfer rate as low as 10-20%. So what factors actually make a difference in training transfer?
Recently I was interviewed over video link about Appreciative Inquiry by Joe Dager of Business901. This introductory segment covers: What Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is in a nutshell What teams need to be successful Neuroscience discoveries that support Appreciative Inquiry How Appreciative Inquiry relates to teams (at the micro level) and organisational change (at the macro
I came across this quote by Albert Einstein mentioned in a couple of places in the same week, and it struck my how applicable it is to Appreciative Inquiry. If you’re looking only at analysing the causes of problems, you’re going to miss the factors that make for success. Unlike most of the Einstein quotes
Following on from the last post on Why It’s Better, And More Accurate, To Give Positive Feedback, here’s a format for doing just that. We’re more used to giving details about what people did wrong. When people do things right, the most they often get is a bit of non-specific praise of the “Well done!” kind.
Objective appraisal is impossible Although feedback is famously “the breakfast of champions”, nobody likes getting negative feedback. Now a new book, Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World, by management researcher Marcus Buckingham and SVP of Leadership and Team Intelligence at Cisco Ashley Goodall asserts that most management feedback and
Rising levels of stress and depression The business bestseller lists are full of books about how to embrace change. Silicon Valley companies are lauded for disrupting traditional business models. “A game-changer” is about the most complimentary thing you can say about an idea. But what if you’re an employee in a company that’s in a
While designing my Practical Appreciative Inquiry online course (the next one is starting soon if you want to take it), I auditioned various virtual whiteboard tools for online collaboration. These can be very useful for a virtual team or distributed group to quickly knock together a presentation, a high-level plan, or collaborative vision boards for
As I write, it’s ‘Fat Cat Friday‘ in the UK. January 4th the day when the chief executives of FTSE 100 companies have already earned as much as the average salary of their workers. Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari talks about stories as the ‘glue’ that holds our social organisation together and makes it possible
