Human Performance

20/11/2024

Another full house here for the Workshop at Dublin City University. Attendees are learning how to harness tools such as and for and

🤖 If you need to get yourself and your people up to speed on Generative AI at work, message Larry G. Maguire to book this workshop

04/10/2024

Fixed and addresses the state of mind that suggests is critical to success in life and work1. How we perceive ourselves and our abilities can significantly influence our success in education, work, career development, and business. In her groundbreaking work on motivation, Dweck introduced these concepts of fixed and growth mindsets and shed light on how these mindsets shape our , , and achievement.

This article delves into Dweck’s with a specific focus on its applications in the workplace. We will explore how adopting a growth mindset can foster continuous learning, enhance employee engagement, and drive innovation within organisations. Additionally, we will address common misconceptions and flawed applications of Dweck’s theory that can hinder its effectiveness. By understanding the power and limitations of Dweck’s theory, leaders and employees can harness this knowledge to create more resilient, adaptive, and high-performing teams.

14/03/2023

In studying the behaviour and performance of people and organisations at work, job satisfaction is a popular concept we organisational psychologists like to measure.

Some believe it is a global concept that should be measured broadly. Others believe it is better measured through facets such as pay, relationships, work environment, and so on.

But many of these facets are deemed extrinsics - things that are related to but do not form part of the work being done. We know from Herzberg's research as far back as 1956 that these extrinsics can be a significant cause of dissatisfaction at work. However, ensuring they are in good shape doesn't make people satisfied with their work.

In other words, foosball tables, slides that take workers to the ground floor, free coffee and haircuts, childcare, and even performance bonuses, don't counteract a sh*tty workplace and a negative culture.

That said, to merely be satisfied with work is not enough.

"Results showed that people are made dissatisfied by bad environment, the extrinsics of the job. But they are seldom made satisfied by good environment, what I called hygienes. They are made satisfied by the intrinsics of what they do." - Herzberg, The Motivation to Work (1959)

You want more from your work and so do your people.

That "more" might not necessarily cost your business money. In fact, it may only cost you the price of a smile honestly generated and offered to someone who might need it.

It might cost you the absence of fear that your people will mess things up. It might cost you some trust that those who work for you might be capable of making a decision without you around to approve it.

The biggest mistake people make in business is believing they must make all the decisions and have all the answers. And no matter whether you are a self-employed owner of a small business, a CEO of a corporate organisation or a senior or middle manager, the essence of this is the same...

People need to feel that they are part of an organisation that has some humanity, that shares their values and trusts them to make decisions.

People need more than to be merely satisfied with work. They need to feel energised and highly motivated.

They need to feel that they have a sense of autonomy, are competent and trusted in their work, and are part of something bigger than themselves.

Get this right, and your organisation may, in addition to being a great place to work, be profitable too.

Larry



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Larry G. Maguire
MSc. Org. Psych., BA (hons) Psych., M.Ps.S.I., M.A.C., R.Q.T.U
Work & Organisational Psychologist

11/03/2023

I'm seeing clients at No. 8 Cabra Road, Phibsboro on Wednesday evenings or at your place of business upon request. Get in touch if you're seeking to address work and business challenges, improve your performance, and help your staff improve theirs.

08/03/2023

In my construction industry days and immersed in the daily challenge of running a business, I hired coaches. Some were of benefit, others not so much. One thing all of them had in common was their focus on the systems of the business rather than the person running it. There's a vital difference between these two approaches, and to bring about lasting positive change, the latter is paramount. If you're in business for yourself or if you are in a significant leadership role, executive coaching may help you develop the skills you need to succeed.

What is executive coaching and how can it help you progress in your career? In this article, you will learn what executive coaching is, and how it can help those in leadership positions obtain a deeper understanding of themselves, their motivations and behaviours, and develop a more progressive leadership style. You'll learn what makes coaching different from mentoring, how coaching psychologists differ from other professional coaches, what the role of the executive coach is in the coaching process, and the dangers of selecting the wrong executive coach for yourself or a member of your leadership team.

What is executive coaching? Get an in-depth explanation of executive coaching and how it can help you develop your leadership skills

11/01/2023

Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)

Many people engage in automatic thinking - thinking that occurs to us without any conscious intent. We believe the contents of our thought to be true and it often goes unquestioned - we take it as our own.

But what if these thoughts are merely the response to conditions?

What if they are something we've practised unknowingly?

What if they are not necessarily true?

Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) are negative thoughts or beliefs that come to mind automatically and unconsciously in response to certain triggers or situations. They are often automatic and difficult to control and can lead to negative emotions and maladaptive behaviours. ANTs tend to be overgeneralised, irrational, and not based on evidence. Some common examples of ANTs include:

- All-or-nothing thinking ("I always fail at everything")
- Overgeneralisation ("I can never do anything right")
- Mental filter ("I only see the negative aspects of the situation")
- Mind-reading ("They must not like me")
- Magnification and minimization ("This failure is huge and I can't handle it")
- Should and must statements ("I should be able to handle this")
- Personalisation ("It's my fault")

ANTs can be a symptom of depression and anxiety, but can also be a normal part of human thinking, and as a result, we all have them at some level. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) offers a solution to help identify and change ANTs to improve emotional and behavioural responses. Identifying ANTs is the first step. Addressing them with a more balanced and realistic thought pattern is next.

Automatic negative thinking can take us into all kinds of difficulties, disrupt the quality of our work and performance and negatively impact our lives.

Thankfully, there are some things we can do about it.

DO THIS 👇

1️⃣ Start your day the right way.

Get up before you need to and take 15 mins to quiet your mind. Then take 15 mins to imagine your day as you wish to experience it. Go light on the details and instead focus on the feelings you wish to feel.

2️⃣ Mentally Rehearse

Elite performers mentally perform tasks regularly beforehand. Whatever your work, mentally practice regularly by seeing yourself perform tasks to a high level. Imagine the process, not the result.

3️⃣ Be your own best friend

Positively affirming self-talk helps change the inner critic into an inner coach. Be kind to yourself just as you would to your best friend. Give yourself a break when things don't work out.

4️⃣ Change your response

Cognitive restructuring is the exchange of self-defeating automatic responses for logical supportive ones. Ask yourself; is this thought helping or hindering me? and if it doesn't help you, change it. You have a choice.

5️⃣ Play the game in front of your face

Stay present. Trying to correct errors already made is counter-productive - your actions now are most important. Paul O'Connell recalls Joe Schmidt's mantra; "win the moment in front of your face". Forget the mistake and instead ask yourself, what's the best thing I can do right now?

FINAL NOTE

These actions aren't things you should do once in a while...they are habits your must practice daily. After all, automatic negative thinking is something you have likely practiced for a while now.

Form the habit, see the change occur.

All the best.

11/01/2023

Currently, I have appointment space available on Wednesday evenings at No. 8 Cabra Road. You can get in touch via Psychology Today, contact me via FB Messenger, email, or text.

Psychological Services Include;

- Career & Business Coaching
- Work-related Stress & Anxiety
- Sports Performance
- Leadership
- Motivation
- Confidence & Self-esteem
- Psychological Skills Training
- Men's Issues

Find out more about the psychological services available, my qualifications, and accreditations and make an enquiry at Psychology Today [link in the comments]. All sessions are by appointment. The first session is free of charge.

05/01/2023

💼 The workplace can be a significant source of enjoyment, fulfilment, motivation, and creativity for people. But for many others, it is quite the opposite.

🗓️ Beginning today, I'll be sharing some strategies, thoughts and ideas from psychology that may help you or your colleagues better cope with negative workplace situations or, indeed, people. These ideas can also be applied to life on the whole.

🙋‍♂️Whether you work for yourself or for others is irrelevant - workplace stress has a negative impact on us all at some point in our careers. So finding healthy ways to manage it is important for our state of mind and general health.

Here's something you can do about it👇

🧠 Cognitive Reappraisal (Flipping The Thought)

WHAT IS IT?

Cognitive Reappraisal is, in short, the ability to think differently about a negative experience or relationship and is one of the most effective emotion regulation strategies we can use (Gross & Thompson, 2007). It involves changing the meaning of emotionally charged events so that they alter your experience. I call it "Flipping The Thought". Rather than ignoring the truth of the matter or telling yourself a lie, Cognitive Reappraisal is about finding an alternative way to think about the facts.

HOW TO PRACTICE IT

1️⃣ In a quiet and safe place, think about an emotionally charged situation that brings about an automatic judgment and reaction (appraisal), then...

2️⃣ Re-evaluate or re-judge the situation in a more neutral or positive direction (called a re-appraisal).

❗Let someone off the hook - maybe they're dealing with difficulty.
❗Let yourself off the hook - you don't have to get it right every time.
❗Ask yourself - does this situation always have to end up like this?
❗Consider a more positive alternative outcome - change is possible!

When we take a moment to think differently about an otherwise problematic situation, we can change our emotional experience entirely. What was at one minute an idiot manager who doesn't understand the task needs more time, can suddenly be a fellow colleague who's under pressure from a tyrant senior manager. When we Flip the automatic negative thought to a more positive one, we're not attempting to change the person, but our response to them.

Studies have shown that cognitive reappraisal (flipping the thought) can change our subjective emotional experience very quickly, and even show a reduced impact of negative emotion on the body (flight or flight response).

People and situations at work can influence, but don't have to determine, our emotional state. We can take charge of how we feel and respond. BUT IT TAKES WORK. With practice, Cognitive Reappraisal helps us develop the ability to be more measured in our response to difficulty, and build personal resilience.

WHAT NOW?

✅ Tag a friend who needs this
✅ DM for help implementing it
✅ Share this post

04/01/2023

Given it's the New Year and I've been working in since I graduated from DCU Business School last year, I figured it was about time I started talking a little about this new work I've entered.

I'm a Work & Organisational Psychologist, and I recently joined The Phoenix Practice in Phibsboro, Dublin 7, as an associate practitioner. The clinic is run by Niamh DeRossa and Helena Texier and provides psychology and psychotherapy services to adults and children. Therapeutic support is available at the practice for depression and anxiety, trauma, and relationship difficulties.

The services I offer are workplace-related and include , , , , and in the . I'm best positioned to assist people who seek to develop themselves, their management teams, or their staff in both personal and professional contexts.

If you know someone who is in a difficult place in their business or career and can't find a way out, or if they are ambitious and goal-oriented and need help setting a clear path, then pass them my info, or share this post with them.

I spent over 20 years in the construction industry trying to build a successful career/business. It was all about the business, and everything else took a back seat. Today my work today is different - it's vocational. It has meaning beyond the commercial. DM me if you think I can help you, a friend or a colleague.

CONTACT INFO

🏠 Human Performance at The Phoenix Practice
📍 No. 8 Cabra Road, Dublin 7, D07 T1W2
☎️ +353 1 557 5180
🌍 phoenixpractice[dot]ie
📭 larry[at]humanperformance[dot]ie