Myth #2: Geeks have no social skills
This is the second in a short series exploring workplace myths. Having started my career as a computer programmer, this one is close to my heart and I use the term geek affectionately. IT departments are, of course, Geek HQ, but similar stereotypes apply to other specialists. For example, how can you spot an outgoing auditor? They look at your shoes when they're talking to you. So if you're a bit of a geek, or you work with them, here's an exploration of some of the stereotypes and misconceptions that lie behind this workplace myth. 1. All geeks are introverts ...
Myth #1: Technical specialists make lousy managers
This is the first in a series on workplace myths, many of which are based on stereotypes - soft female leaders, socially awkward geeks, psychologists obsessed with feelings. Like most stereotypes, there's generally a grain of truth in them. There's a reason we talk about German efficiency and Italian style, not the other way round. But stereotypes don't apply in every case, as I discovered when using the Bavarian rail network this summer (couldn't even manage a queue for a replacement bus service). It's the same with workplace myths - something which has some value as a generality can be ...
Three reasons why stress is a meaningless concept
Is your job stressful? Do you feel stressed right now? Or are some of your colleagues going through a stressful time? If so, you and your organisation would be fairly typical of the modern workplace. So given that I'm a psychologist, you're probably anticipating some tips on how to deal with workplace stress. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I actually want to suggest that the whole concept of stress is flawed to the point of being meaningless. Obviously, I'm not denying that people sometimes have a tough time at work. So what's wrong with describing that as 'stress'? Well here ...
The great taboos. The legal and psychological ramifications of discussing politics and religion at work
“Never discuss religion or politics”. This sage advice has been around for at least a century. But in these days of Brexit and Trump, politics seems harder and harder to avoid and religion has got wrapped up in it in a way it hasn’t been – or at least not in the UK – for decades. So what happens when people’s strongly held views on these subjects spill over into work? This month, I’ve teamed up with employment law barrister, Joanne Sefton of Menzies Law, to look at both the psychological and the legal aspects of politics and religion at ...
Can you be a nice leader? How to grow as a leader and develop your ‘inner Jim’
A little while ago, someone sent me an article from the Havard Business Review about the dangers of hiring a nice CEO. I found I had quite a strong reaction just to the title. I know a number of nice, decent, successful CEOs, MDs and other leaders in senior positions and was primed to leap to their defence. Were they suggesting hiring a nasty CEO instead? (Spoiler alert - no they weren't). The dangers of hiring a nasty leader The dangers of hiring a toxic leader are well-documented and, to my mind, outweigh the risks of being too nice. In fact, I ...
The age of female leadership? – Why female leaders are perceived differently
Well isn't this interesting - women are taking over the world. We have a female Prime Minister, the most powerful politician in Europe is a woman and I can't be the only one fervently hoping that the next US president is a woman because the alternative is too ghastly to contemplate. But will things be any different? Do women bring different qualities to the job? Instinctively, it feels like they do, but is that true? Well the short answer is, we don't really know. The research is somewhat contradictory and it's a complex thing to assess. What is clear is that female leaders ...
The psychology of ‘us’ and ‘them’ – How did Brexit get so tribal?
I didn't really want to write a BREXIT blog, but my blogging deadline was upon me and it really is the only subject in town. Everything else feels irrelevant. And surely psychology has something to say about the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in. In fact, psychology adds multiple perspectives, as these thoughtful analyses from the British Psychological Society demonstrate. I want to look at just one angle - how did it get so tribal and where do we go from here? In with the in crowd Though we often don't like to admit it, humans are a tribal species. ...
Are you passionate about your work? Well stop it!
Once upon a time, passion for work was limited to artists and fire-brand politicians. But in today’s workplace, it seems to be all the rage. LinkedIn is full of people who are passionate about everything from customer service to quantity surveying and even embroidery. And employers seem to want people who are passionate about a type of work, a product or brand or a cause. But what does it actually mean and is it really so valuable? Passion suggests extremely intense feelings about something: “I am so interested in/committed to/excited by this that I feel compelled to do it”. Who wouldn’t want ...
Three management fads to be wary of in 2016
So we’re well into the New Year, your feet are back under the desk, Christmas is a distant memory and maybe you’re thinking about things you might do differently at work in 2016. There’ll be no shortage of people to advise you on exciting new approaches you might want to try but how do you know what works? Well here are three hot topics to be wary of: 1. Neuro-leadership Neuro-leadership, neuro-management, neuro-marketing, even neuro-politics – it seems sticking the prefix neuro- on to something makes it instantly more scientifically credible. It’s all very 21st century, very now and, sadly ...
Did psychologists bring down a bank?
If you’ve read the business pages of the papers recently, you might begin to believe that people like me, with our dangerous voodoo magic, at least indirectly caused the demise of the Co-op Bank. It follows revelations at a Treasury select committee hearing that – shockingly, it would seem – some (unspecified) form of psychometric testing was used in the appointment of the now-disgraced Co-op chairman, Paul Flowers. The press have had a field day with this, giving the impression that the selection panel were so taken with the test results that they forgot to check whether he could run ...
Myth #2: Geeks have no social skills
This is the second in a short series exploring workplace myths. Having started my career as a computer programmer, this one is close to my heart and I use the term geek affectionately. IT departments are, of course, Geek HQ, but similar stereotypes apply to other specialists. For example, how can you spot an outgoing auditor? They look at your shoes when they're talking to you. So if you're a bit of a geek, or you work with them, here's an exploration of some of the stereotypes and misconceptions that lie behind this workplace myth. 1. All geeks are introverts ...
Myth #1: Technical specialists make lousy managers
This is the first in a series on workplace myths, many of which are based on stereotypes - soft female leaders, socially awkward geeks, psychologists obsessed with feelings. Like most stereotypes, there's generally a grain of truth in them. There's a reason we talk about German efficiency and Italian style, not the other way round. But stereotypes don't apply in every case, as I discovered when using the Bavarian rail network this summer (couldn't even manage a queue for a replacement bus service). It's the same with workplace myths - something which has some value as a generality can be ...
Three reasons why stress is a meaningless concept
Is your job stressful? Do you feel stressed right now? Or are some of your colleagues going through a stressful time? If so, you and your organisation would be fairly typical of the modern workplace. So given that I'm a psychologist, you're probably anticipating some tips on how to deal with workplace stress. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I actually want to suggest that the whole concept of stress is flawed to the point of being meaningless. Obviously, I'm not denying that people sometimes have a tough time at work. So what's wrong with describing that as 'stress'? Well here ...
The great taboos. The legal and psychological ramifications of discussing politics and religion at work
“Never discuss religion or politics”. This sage advice has been around for at least a century. But in these days of Brexit and Trump, politics seems harder and harder to avoid and religion has got wrapped up in it in a way it hasn’t been – or at least not in the UK – for decades. So what happens when people’s strongly held views on these subjects spill over into work? This month, I’ve teamed up with employment law barrister, Joanne Sefton of Menzies Law, to look at both the psychological and the legal aspects of politics and religion at ...
Can you be a nice leader? How to grow as a leader and develop your ‘inner Jim’
A little while ago, someone sent me an article from the Havard Business Review about the dangers of hiring a nice CEO. I found I had quite a strong reaction just to the title. I know a number of nice, decent, successful CEOs, MDs and other leaders in senior positions and was primed to leap to their defence. Were they suggesting hiring a nasty CEO instead? (Spoiler alert - no they weren't). The dangers of hiring a nasty leader The dangers of hiring a toxic leader are well-documented and, to my mind, outweigh the risks of being too nice. In fact, I ...
The age of female leadership? – Why female leaders are perceived differently
Well isn't this interesting - women are taking over the world. We have a female Prime Minister, the most powerful politician in Europe is a woman and I can't be the only one fervently hoping that the next US president is a woman because the alternative is too ghastly to contemplate. But will things be any different? Do women bring different qualities to the job? Instinctively, it feels like they do, but is that true? Well the short answer is, we don't really know. The research is somewhat contradictory and it's a complex thing to assess. What is clear is that female leaders ...
The psychology of ‘us’ and ‘them’ – How did Brexit get so tribal?
I didn't really want to write a BREXIT blog, but my blogging deadline was upon me and it really is the only subject in town. Everything else feels irrelevant. And surely psychology has something to say about the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in. In fact, psychology adds multiple perspectives, as these thoughtful analyses from the British Psychological Society demonstrate. I want to look at just one angle - how did it get so tribal and where do we go from here? In with the in crowd Though we often don't like to admit it, humans are a tribal species. ...
Are you passionate about your work? Well stop it!
Once upon a time, passion for work was limited to artists and fire-brand politicians. But in today’s workplace, it seems to be all the rage. LinkedIn is full of people who are passionate about everything from customer service to quantity surveying and even embroidery. And employers seem to want people who are passionate about a type of work, a product or brand or a cause. But what does it actually mean and is it really so valuable? Passion suggests extremely intense feelings about something: “I am so interested in/committed to/excited by this that I feel compelled to do it”. Who wouldn’t want ...
Three management fads to be wary of in 2016
So we’re well into the New Year, your feet are back under the desk, Christmas is a distant memory and maybe you’re thinking about things you might do differently at work in 2016. There’ll be no shortage of people to advise you on exciting new approaches you might want to try but how do you know what works? Well here are three hot topics to be wary of: 1. Neuro-leadership Neuro-leadership, neuro-management, neuro-marketing, even neuro-politics – it seems sticking the prefix neuro- on to something makes it instantly more scientifically credible. It’s all very 21st century, very now and, sadly ...
Did psychologists bring down a bank?
If you’ve read the business pages of the papers recently, you might begin to believe that people like me, with our dangerous voodoo magic, at least indirectly caused the demise of the Co-op Bank. It follows revelations at a Treasury select committee hearing that – shockingly, it would seem – some (unspecified) form of psychometric testing was used in the appointment of the now-disgraced Co-op chairman, Paul Flowers. The press have had a field day with this, giving the impression that the selection panel were so taken with the test results that they forgot to check whether he could run ...
