Seth Godin’s blog – Which team?

Culture seeks shortcuts.

The oldest shortcut is: “Friend or foe?”

If we know the answer to that, a whole bunch of time gets saved, and fear is reduced as well.

The labeling goes beyond which team, cadre, tribe or village someone is part of. It extends to the ways we demonstrate which box we’ve chosen–fashion, pro sports, even the tech we use or how we speak. The search for safe shortcuts becomes an end to itself.

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Twitter: Follow Neil Thompson on Twitter

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Spotlight – The Spirituality and Religion Practice Manual

Spirituality, whether or not rooted in religion, is a core feature of what it means to be human. In this important practice manual, two very experienced writers and educators explain  why spirituality and religion should be a fundamental consideration for the people professions, broadly defined – that is, professions based on helping people tackle their problems and fulfil their potential.

Available from https://neilthompson.info/shop/ or Amazon

It’s all about people: visit Neil Thompson’s humansolutions website

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Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Give yourself thinking time

As we have noted, the modern workplace tends to be a pressurized one. There is therefore a temptation to just press on, to adopt an attitude of ‘Head down, get on with it’. This can be highly dangerous as it means that people are making decisions, interacting with other people and generally going about their business without giving enough thought to what is involved or how it might go wrong. Part of the problem is that some workplace cultures can encourage this sort of behaviour and create the impression that stopping to think is a luxury you can’t afford if you work here (rather than a necessity if you are to practise safely). So, whether the impetus to just ‘Get on with the job’ without thinking is coming from within yourself or from your wrong environment, the significant (and potentially disastrous) dangers remain the same.

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Ensuring every older person is treated with dignity as a unique individual

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Beyond ‘toughing it out’: Mental health in the social change workplace

The applause at the conference was enthusiastic, and the ambiance, reflective. Hands shot up in the air with question after question:

“Can you say more about how it felt when you were depressed?”

“What can we do if our CEO is not supportive of employee well-being?”

“My friend has bipolar, how can I support him?”

I (Enoch) gladly and patiently answered them. On the outside, I looked poised, having just shared my lived experience from depression and suicide attempts to founding my social impact consulting company, Bearapy, to improve workplace mental health in the Asia-Pacific region. Inside, I could feel myself disintegrating. I knew my energy was depleting, and I had been met with rejection after rejection from potential clients because they did not have the “budget” for mental well-being initiatives. I was full of doubt, and wondered if leaving my career as a corporate banker to become a social entrepreneur was a wise choice.

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A Career in Social Work: Part biography, part overview of social work careers

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The ‘work hard and you’ll get a good job’ mantra is no longer true – so what do I tell my kids?

When I was a child, back in the relatively halcyon days of the 1990s, I had my fair share of angst – friendship problems, homework, sibling rivalry and appalling fashion sense. But one thing remained clear and stable: the advice I was given on how to achieve the best possible life. In those pre-digital days, this was imparted by a few trusted adults: teachers, relatives and parents. And it rarely wavered from “get a good education, choose a good career and climb the ladder”. There was an implicit understanding that if you jumped through the accepted hoops between childhood and adulthood then success and happiness would be your reward.

These days things are less clearcut. The path to perceived success is muddied, and the route to financial stability and potential happiness less clear. House prices have soared and it’s more difficult than ever for first-time buyers to make it on to the property ladder. The current financial crisis has led to an increase in job insecurity; and with the pension age looking set to rise over the years, a comfortable retirement is far from guaranteed.

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The Authentic Leader A new approach to leadership in Neil’s important book.

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Navigating leadership challenges: Lessons from top industry leaders

Leaders of any organization or industry face challenges that can either make or break their careers. Leadership comes with significant responsibility and requires unique skills to navigate complex situations. In today’s fast-paced world, the challenges facing leaders have become even more complicated and diverse. How well they can manage these challenges distinguishes successful leaders from others. This blog post will explore some of industry leaders’ most common leadership challenges and draw insights from their experiences.

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LinkedIn: Connect online & join Neil Thompson’s HUMANSOLUTIONS discussion group

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Spotlight – The Problem Solver’s Practice Manual

“Where there are people, there will be problems, but there will also be potential” is a key part of Neil’s work. And that is precisely what this manual is all about – equipping practitioners from various professional disciplines to help people address their problems and realise their potential. Part One provides an extended essay on the nature and significance of problem solving to lay solid foundations of understanding. Part Two then offers guidance on using 101 problem-solving tools that can be used in a wide variety of circumstances.

Available from https://neilthompson.info/shop/ or Amazon

If you’re a social worker come join us in the Social Work Focus Facebook group!

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Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Believe in yourself

Confidence is not something that you either have or do not have or have in a certain quantity. Confidence is an attitude. The word confidence means ‘trust’, so whether you are confident or not depends on whether you trust yourself. Sadly, many people have little trust in themselves, little self-belief, and so they will approach new situations and challenges with an attitude that says: ‘I can’t do this’. People who believe in themselves, by contrast, will approach new situations with the attitude: ‘I don’t know whether I can do this, but I am going to have a damn good try’. That is, they do not write themselves off.

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Effective Teamwork: The importance of working together

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