Great Expectations
We often hope that things will get better, or at least, not worse. Better or worse actually means better or worse 'for me.' What if we could detach and just accept things as they turned out to be without becoming too emotionally attached to the outcome? How much freer would we be?
The F-words
Fight, flight, flail or freeze. How we respond to perceived threat, the physiology behind our response, and how rumination can prolong it.
Something Mything
The field of stress and stress management has more myths than the traditions of ancient Greece and Rome together.
Don't worry, be happy
A few months ago I attended the 13th annual conference on Happiness and Its Causes in Sydney.
Carried Over the Threshold
One of the fundamental principles of the Challenge of Change Resilience Training is that stress is not caused by people or situations but is the self-inflicted habit of ruminating about emotional upset.
Certain Uncertain
This year, 2017, is being described as a time of uncertainty, but when was that not the case.
Enough Is Enough
One of the scales on the Challenge of Change questionnaire is titled Perfect Control.
Oaks and Reeds
One of our colleagues had planned an afternoon mountain biking with his wife and teenage family.
Hide or seek?
In the Challenge of Change Profile we have a scale called avoidance coping, which is described as the ostrich principle for dealing with issues – stick your head in the sand and ignore them.
Pick it up and let it go, Part 2
This is a continuation of last week's two part blog. In light of recent tragic international events developing sensitivity to others couldn't be more important.
Pick it up and let it go, Part 1
One of the scales in the Challenge of Change Resilience Profile measures Sensitivity.
Antivenom
Heaven help me, I've just been holidaying with a Toxic Achiever. Do these people never relax?
Lizards and Leaders
Robert Ardrey claimed in The Territorial Imperative that a human being is 'as much a territorial animal as is a mockingbird singing in the clear California night'.
Smash, Grab and Burble
We know that expressing emotion is a vital part of resolving experiences and building resilience.
I'm Stickin' With You
The immediate feedback we receive from our Resilience courses is overwhelmingly positive and very humbling...
Me First!
There have been many references over the past few years to managers being narcissistic or even psychopathic.
It's not black and white!
We emphasise that there is no 'good stress', and that all that stress offers is a life that may be shorter and will definitely be more miserable.
The Conundrum of Engagement
Employee engagement is highly correlated with a variety of measures such as productivity, absenteeism, retention, and customer satisfaction.
Where's TED?
A recent TED talk by Kelly McGonigal was an opportunity to demonstrate that the earth is not after all flat.
Resilience: Inoculation Against Stress
The research programme that underpins the Challenge of Change Resilience programme was based on the fundamental question in science – what's wrong?
The Planning Trap
Being awake is about having presence of mind, which means that your mind is in the present.
Sir Graham Henry and the All Blacks: Champions of Resilience
How is Sir Graham Henry coping with the stress of releasing a book and the furore surrounding his suspicion about match fixing in the 2007 game against France?
Refreshing news
There's an old joke about the aspiring jazz musician visiting New York and trying to find directions to Carnegie Hall.
More Delicious Data
The effects of CoC Resilience training on sickness-absence and CoC Profile scores.
Psycholimitations
Many models have been proposed to try to define and explain stress, but a common feature is a reliance on capacity.
Anti-silo
Business is based on competition, and it is the choice between competitors that benefits consumers by keeping prices down.
Another day, another myth
During the 1950s and 60s two US Naval surgeons noticed a relationship between the number of things that had happened to people and their tendency to become ill.
Listen, just relax
We generally attach relaxation to particular times, such as weekends or the summer holiday.
To sleep, perchance to dream?
Participants in the Challenge of Change Resilience training sessions spend time at the beginning generating objectives for the day, and a common theme that emerges from the exercise is about sleep.
Prioritising: knowing what doesn’t need to be done
How often are we told we need to prioritise if we’re to be efficient?
The Challenge of Change: A New Zealand case study
One of the consequences of a recession is a greater need for evidence when making decisions about how to spend a diminishing budget.
Dangerous Myths
The NZ Herald recently carried an article claiming that “showing your anger rather than repressing emotions is the key to a successful life at home and at work”.
Resolutions
New Year is the time for resolutions: a new year, a new opportunity, a celebration to mark the occasion.
Happiness
In the most recent World Values Survey, which ranks the countries of the world on happiness, Denmark tops the list.
Being Well
‘Well-being’ and ‘wellness’ are increasingly popular phrases in the training world, but what do they actually mean?