Marty Nemko's Blog, page 254

Leadership Lessons from Four Presidents: Part 1: Lincoln

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin’s new book is Leadership: in turbulent times. It profiles Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson.

In this first installment of a four-part series in Psychology Today, I offer quotes from the book that address what made Lincoln successful. The subsequent installments will do the same for the other three.

The Easing Exhortation: Fad du jour

Perhaps in response to our ever more stressful life, there has been an easing movement.

Previously, self-help exhortations urged more drive, work ethic, doing the hard work needed for maximal achievement. But more recent urgings are to do less: slow down, breathe meditate, and change your mindset: Have a “growth mindset!” Think Positive.  “PowerPose!”  That continues even though rigorous attempts by independent researchers to validate such exhortations have largely failed to support the concept-creators’ puffy promise: Just follow my simple X-step plan and you can be fabulous.” Alas, we can’t all be fabulous. Posterity may well record this crop of fast-fix hawkers as modern-day snake-oil salesmen.

My PsychologyToday.com article today explains why the Easing Exhortation is a mere fad, which will end up taking its place among fads now ridiculed from phrenology to penis envy.

Not-Full Disclosure: Withholding and lying to helping professionals

All of us have not told all to our helping professionals. And sometimes with good reason. But my PsychologyToday.com article today should help you decide when it's wise to disclose, and if you're a helping professional, how to encourage disclosure.

Recovering from Big Mistakes: Career or relationship

We’re all subject to commitment bias. We commit to a career or spouse and understandably, it’s scary to change. It’s been said that the only person who likes change is a wet baby.

Sure, people change careers and people divorce, but at the risk of being contrarian, I don’t think they do it enough.

I make the case in my PsychologyToday.com article today and describe the low-risk baby steps you might take.
 

Beware Pop Psych Fast Fixes

Accepting your limitations is out of fashion. We all need hope that we can be excellent.

Indeed, many of the popular  pop psych gurus—excellent at selling—insist that you can be much better if only you follow their simple plan, for example, raise your expectations!  Reframe!  Have grit!  A growth mindset!  Power pose! Be fabulous!

Unfortunately, logically and empirically, such nostrums are longer on appeal than on real-world-significant results. In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I defend that assertion and describe approaches that are both more research-sound and reflect my experience with 5,500 clients.

Connect with me on LinkedIn What to Say in 9 More Ticklish Situations

In response to my recent post, What to Say in 16 Ticklish Situations,  a commenter asked me to write another post that said how I'd respond in nine other ticklish situations. Okay.

What to Say in 16 Ticklish Situations: Tips on difficult conversations

In ticklish situations., we often get nervous if not downright tongue-tied.
Of course, the right thing to say varies with the situation and protagonists but perhaps the examples I offer in my PsychologyToday.com article today can be instructive.

"Nemkoisms"

A students in the course on career counseling I’m teaching suggested I compile my “Nemkoisms” in a book. I don’t have enough to fill a book but perhaps there’s enough for an article. It's my PsychologyToday.com contribution today.

Contrarian Career Nuggets

I’m teaching a graduate course in career counseling. When I was a student, having remembered little from the mountains I was expected to read, I’m ruthlessly curating what I’m having my students read. For example, I'll be handing out a collection of contrarian ideas that have most helped my clients. It's my PsychologyToday.com article today.

A Type A's Guide to Life

Type-A people do everything fast, often intensely. It's routinely criticized.

The good news is that while it's extremely difficult for Type A's to become Type B's, making a few smart choices can result in Type A's having a great life. I describe them in my PsychologyToday.com article today.