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Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Know your triggers

Neil Thompson’s Lesson for Living – Know your triggers

We all have certain things that get under our skin, things that are likely to get us annoyed, irritated or distressed. These are known as ‘triggers’. Some triggers are shared by a wide range of people (if not by everybody) – for example, losing face or being humiliated. But there are also triggers that are specific to each individual. For example, what gets me really riled may have little or no effect on you, and vice versa. It depends on a number of factors, not least past experiences, future aspirations and, of course, our values. Let’s look at each of these in turn. Our past experiences can be significant in so far as they can leave us sensitive about certain…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 5, 2015
Do big data and wellbeing agendas actually address racial inequalities?

Do big data and wellbeing agendas actually address racial inequalities?

Runnymede’s Director, Dr Omar Khan, spoke at the 5th OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy, ‘Transforming policy, changing lives’ held in Guadalajara, Mexico 13-15 October. Among the questions the conference addressed were how we can or should measure human progress, whether and how ‘wellbeing’ could replace GDP and other income measures, and how data can better influence policy. He gives his account of the conference. The conference brought together over 1,000 delegates and high level speakers including Nobel-winner Joseph Stiglitz, former Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell, and academics, activists and policymakers from around the world. Runnymede’s presentation was part of a panel on ‘empowering minorities’ and included presentations from speakers from Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. https://www.racecard.org.uk/runnymede-trust/blog/it-will-take-a-braver-political-leadership-to-tackle-racial-inequalities/
Dr Neil Thompson
November 5, 2015
Seth Godin’s blog: The two-review technique

Seth Godin’s blog: The two-review technique

As you work on your project (your presentation, your plan, your speech, your recipe, your...) imagine that it's the sort of thing that could be reviewed on Amazon. Now, write (actually write down) two different reviews: First, a 5 star review, a review by someone who gets it, who is moved, who is eager to applaud your guts and vision. And then, a 1 star review, an angry screed, not from the usual flyby troll, but from someone who actually experienced your work and hated it ... https://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/10/the-two-review-technique.html
Dr Neil Thompson
November 5, 2015
Are emails really that urgent?

Are emails really that urgent?

One in five staff in Yorkshire and the Humber admit to checking emails on the loo New research from Mind makes for uncomfortable reading – the mental health charity has found that nearly 1 in 5 workers in Yorkshire and the Humber (19 per cent) who receive work emails sometimes check them while in the toilet. An online YouGov poll of 1,095 English and Welsh workers also showed that nearly 1 in 3 (29 per cent) of those who receive work emails admitted that they often check them outside of work ... https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/calderdale/is-it-that-urgent-one-in-five-check-emails-on-the-loo-1-7428830
Dr Neil Thompson
November 5, 2015
4 Messaging techniques to help defuse workplace drama

4 Messaging techniques to help defuse workplace drama

I can tell you that, for most executives, interpersonal drama is the least fun part of their job. I spend a lot of time helping people through challenging situations at work. One thing I see time and again is the power of messaging - the simple phrases we use - for navigating these situations and preventing them in the first place. Used effectively, the right question or comment, in the right context, can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your communication and leadership. I’ve started collecting a number of go-to messages that work especially well in those awkward moments that could escalate into conflict. The following four stand out because they come up so frequently. Try these out,…
Dr Neil Thompson
November 5, 2015
We’re on Kindle!

We’re on Kindle!

Neil’s Effective Writing e-book is now on Kindle (and other e-book platforms) as are his two brand new e-books, A Career in Social Work and How to Do Social Work. For a limited period they are available for only 99p each. We hope you will like them and feel able to give them a positive review. https://astore.amazon.co.uk/neilthomp-21?_encoding=UTF8&node=14
Dr Neil Thompson
October 22, 2015
Book review: The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It

Book review: The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It

Owen Jones has established himself as a highly respected social commentator, first in his column in The Independent and more recently in The Guardian. This book extends and consolidates that reputation. In a clear, well-written text he provides a powerful and convincing critique of the Establishment, the institutionalised power interests that have such a far-reaching effect on ordinary people. Across eight chapters he offers an impressive analysis of how certain groups of people have the ability to present their vested interests as the interests of the country or the economy or the social order in general. His scope is broad, encompassing politicians, the media, the police, and, of course, wealthy capitalists. In each case he provides evidence and argument to…
Dr Neil Thompson
October 22, 2015
Are top bosses worth 127 Police officers?

Are top bosses worth 127 Police officers?

The gap between the richest and the rest of us is less of a gap, more an interplanetary divide. Executive pay, in particular, has reached dizzying heights, stretching far away from the salaries of the mere mortals they employ. Research published ... by the High Pay Centre shows just how vast this chasm is. On average, FTSE 100 chief executives now receive almost £5m a year - or, put another way, 183 times the average salary. It would take someone on the minimum wage more than 400 years to earn what a top boss takes away in just 12 months. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/columnists/theres-no-defence-for-sky-high-pay-packets-when-top-bosses-are-worth-127-police-officers-10459341.html
Dr Neil Thompson
October 22, 2015
Local African dolls outselling Barbie in Nigeria

Local African dolls outselling Barbie in Nigeria

I don't personally have a big history of playing with dolls, and as a large, bearded male who enjoys violent sports, I might not even be the sort of customer that doll manufacturers have in mind when creating their products. I'm not really offended by that. But a story that didn't sit as well with me comes from Nigeria, where, one day, Taofick Okoya's daughter told him that she wished she was white. The comment didn't sit well with Okoya either, and instead of lamenting the lack of dolls who could make his daughter feel content in her own skin, he got to work. "All the dolls in the house were all white, and I was like, 'Oh, OK, that's…
Dr Neil Thompson
October 22, 2015
Seth Godin’s blog – On feeling like a failure

Seth Godin’s blog – On feeling like a failure

Feeling like a failure has little correlation with actually failing. There are people who have failed more times than you and I can count, who are happily continuing in their work. There are others who have achieved more than most of us can imagine, who go to work each day feeling inadequate, behind, and yes, like failures and frauds. These are not cases of extraordinary outliers. In fact, external data is almost useless in figuring out whether or not someone is going to adopt the narrative of being a failure. Failure (as seen from the outside) is an event. It's a moment when the spec isn't met, when a project isn't completed as planned ... https://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/10/on-feeling-like-a-failure.html
Dr Neil Thompson
October 22, 2015