Comments on: Changing the Questions at Work http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429 Positive Psychology News Daily - Daily boost of research-based happiness. Authored by University of Pennsylvania graduates of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program (MAPP). Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:58:13 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Margaret http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43928 Margaret Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:00:51 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43928 Jeremy - now that's a testimonial! Thank you! As you attend or hold meetings yourself this next week, just notice the balance of positive to negative or neutral questions. See if you can shift the balance to more positive. Cheers! Jeremy – now that’s a testimonial! Thank you! As you attend or hold meetings yourself this next week, just notice the balance of positive to negative or neutral questions. See if you can shift the balance to more positive. Cheers!

]]> By: Margaret http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43927 Margaret Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:58:29 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43927 Christine - thank you for your thoughtful comments! I know you consult with many large businesses. I'm curious what other questions you have found helpful to move your clients to a more positive, strength-based focus? Christine – thank you for your thoughtful comments! I know you consult with many large businesses. I’m curious what other questions you have found helpful to move your clients to a more positive, strength-based focus?

]]> By: Margaret http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43921 Margaret Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:55:43 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43921 Todd, thank you for your feedback! You're right, when it comes to running a business (or your life for that matter) "it depends" is a good mantra. What positive questions have you found helpful? Todd, thank you for your feedback! You’re right, when it comes to running a business (or your life for that matter) “it depends” is a good mantra. What positive questions have you found helpful?

]]> By: Margaret http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43918 Margaret Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:41:51 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43918 Dave - have you tried "perspective coaching" to help your team reframe those top/down directives?: 1. Ask the team to name (in 1 word) how they CURRENTLY feel about the topic (in this case top/down decisions). They may come up with things like "frustated", "marginalized", etc. 2. Ask how this CURRENT PERSPECTIVE is serving them well? They'll discover for themselves that it doesn't or only in some small way. 3.Ask them to "try-on" at 2 or 3 OTHER PERSPECTIVES they could hold that are more positive. If they cannot come up with any, that means they're really stuck so they'll need your help. You could suggest things like: What would your Future Self perspective be -- you, 20 years from now? Or, what would the Good Student perspective be? Have some fun with it. Sometimes you can get a team unstuck by suggesting some funny perspectives and having them attach their own meaning to it (I'll never forget suggesting to a team that they try on the Mr. Potato Head perspective. At first they looked at me as if I was crazy, but then one guy said that would mean we were really adapatable). 4. Ask them to pick 1 perspective (or combination of perspectives) other than their CURRENT, to hold for just the next week or so. Notice what happens. Dave – have you tried “perspective coaching” to help your team reframe those top/down directives?:
1. Ask the team to name (in 1 word) how they CURRENTLY feel about the topic (in this case top/down decisions). They may come up with things like “frustated”, “marginalized”, etc.
2. Ask how this CURRENT PERSPECTIVE is serving them well? They’ll discover for themselves that it doesn’t or only in some small way.
3.Ask them to “try-on” at 2 or 3 OTHER PERSPECTIVES they could hold that are more positive. If they cannot come up with any, that means they’re really stuck so they’ll need your help. You could suggest things like: What would your Future Self perspective be — you, 20 years from now? Or, what would the Good Student perspective be? Have some fun with it. Sometimes you can get a team unstuck by suggesting some funny perspectives and having them attach their own meaning to it (I’ll never forget suggesting to a team that they try on the Mr. Potato Head perspective. At first they looked at me as if I was crazy, but then one guy said that would mean we were really adapatable).
4. Ask them to pick 1 perspective (or combination of perspectives) other than their CURRENT, to hold for just the next week or so. Notice what happens.

]]> By: Jeremy McCarthy http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43560 Jeremy McCarthy Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:04:13 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43560 This is so good! I'm pinning this up on the bulletin board in my office. Thanks! This is so good! I’m pinning this up on the bulletin board in my office. Thanks!

]]> By: Senia http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43490 Senia Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:58:10 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43490 Christine, you know, I think you're right. The point is that inter-related is the important part! Seriously. I've been reading a bit and thinking a lot about reward and punishment with respect to research lately, and I am extremely interested in which when, and how they inter-relate. Thanks so much for that comment. You've been doing that a ton lately, Christine, really showing the depth of PPND articles through the discussions. I can't even out into words how much I appreciate that - it makes the whole site so much richer. Hug, Senia Christine, you know, I think you’re right. The point is that inter-related is the important part! Seriously.

I’ve been reading a bit and thinking a lot about reward and punishment with respect to research lately, and I am extremely interested in which when, and how they inter-relate. Thanks so much for that comment. You’ve been doing that a ton lately, Christine, really showing the depth of PPND articles through the discussions. I can’t even out into words how much I appreciate that – it makes the whole site so much richer.

Hug,
Senia

]]> By: Senia http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43489 Senia Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:56:22 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43489 Hi Dave! "My current challenge, is to help my staff reframe the “top down” decisions we are being asked to execute in an affirming way." What are some of the specific steps you are thinking of taking? I think this'll be really valuable to hear. Thank you so much for your detailed comment! Senia p.s. And yes, "execution is the chariot of genius!" Hi Dave!

“My current challenge, is to help my staff reframe the “top down” decisions we are being asked to execute in an affirming way.” What are some of the specific steps you are thinking of taking? I think this’ll be really valuable to hear.

Thank you so much for your detailed comment!
Senia

p.s. And yes, “execution is the chariot of genius!”

]]> By: Christine Duvivier http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43395 Christine Duvivier Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:55:13 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43395 Senia and Margaret, Great article, thanks! You pose excellent questions-- and I agree whole-heartedly with your point that strengths need to come in the context of where we're going as a business and what we are expecting of ourselves and each other. These questions offer a great starting point for considering focus and also for understanding inter-related factors (for example, rewards and peformance feedback). Thanks for the article and congratulations on the book-- I can't wait to read it! Best, Christine www.positiveleaders.com Senia and Margaret,

Great article, thanks! You pose excellent questions– and I agree whole-heartedly with your point that strengths need to come in the context of where we’re going as a business and what we are expecting of ourselves and each other.

These questions offer a great starting point for considering focus and also for understanding inter-related factors (for example, rewards and peformance feedback).

Thanks for the article and congratulations on the book– I can’t wait to read it!
Best,
Christine
http://www.positiveleaders.com

]]> By: Dave http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43394 Dave Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:51:10 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43394 Margaret and Sienia, After hearing David Coopenrider present similar concepts and, thinking about my own interactions both up and down the organization, I would start with a group reframing. The difficulties in applying this wonderful lens have been based upon the deficit based view of those coming in, or the presumed biases of stakeholders. For example, a supervisor with a solution in mind and "decisions made" looking for execution from a stakeholder without the stakeholders input - to solve a problem? Looking at this through the affirming lens led to a good result, working on making more out of a strength (in this case web content), and making more of it through links in correspondence and reformatting the content in to smaller and more focused chunks. My current challenge, is to help my staff reframe the "top down" decisions we are being asked to execute in an affirming way. Which can be tough when our perspective appears to be getting marginalized. Along with reframing, I believe being courageous (brave) enough to step back from the "bleeding edge" to the "leading edge." In other words focus on execution as much as planning...remember, the tortoise won the race! Your PPND piece is great - I look forward to reading your book. DSB Margaret and Sienia,
After hearing David Coopenrider present similar concepts and, thinking about my own interactions both up and down the organization, I would start with a group reframing. The difficulties in applying this wonderful lens have been based upon the deficit based view of those coming in, or the presumed biases of stakeholders.

For example, a supervisor with a solution in mind and “decisions made” looking for execution from a stakeholder without the stakeholders input – to solve a problem?

Looking at this through the affirming lens led to a good result, working on making more out of a strength (in this case web content), and making more of it through links in correspondence and reformatting the content in to smaller and more focused chunks.

My current challenge, is to help my staff reframe the “top down” decisions we are being asked to execute in an affirming way. Which can be tough when our perspective appears to be getting marginalized.

Along with reframing, I believe being courageous (brave) enough to step back from the “bleeding edge” to the “leading edge.” In other words focus on execution as much as planning…remember, the tortoise won the race!

Your PPND piece is great – I look forward to reading your book.

DSB

]]> By: Senia http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429/comment-page-1#comment-43392 Senia Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:40:06 +0000 http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/margaret-greenberg-and-senia-maymin/200901141429#comment-43392 Hi Todd, Thanks so much. That's how we see it too - what can managers start doing? And life is different for each person and each work team. Thanks, really appreciate your thoughts! Senia Hi Todd,
Thanks so much. That’s how we see it too – what can managers start doing? And life is different for each person and each work team. Thanks, really appreciate your thoughts!
Senia

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