Gaining perspective
The most logical and rational of people can end up getting things out of perspective. One of the key ways they do this is by over-dramatising the nature of the events they are experiencing. This leads to stress.
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All generalisations are false, including this one. |
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As a manager, it can be helpful to become highly attuned to language. You will need to listen out for words such as never, nothing, no one, everything, everyone, always...
These words are often used to introduce generalisations, frequently in sentences that are not logically factual. For example, people can end up saying things such as the statements in the left-hand column below. In which case, you can challenge them to be more realistic and specific – you will see examples in the right-hand column.
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Challenge |
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As you will see from this, people’s thinking can be irrational and self-deceptive. Once people lose perspective, they generally need help to regain their sense of balance and they can be very grateful when they return to a balanced viewpoint, as they feel much less stressed.