Psychomanagement

The ultimate test of management is performance - the achievement of actual results. Why, then, do Australian managers concern themselves with their colleagues' personalities and motives? Why have they become infatuated with emotional intelligence and, in bizarre cases, with spiritual intelligence? Traditionally, managers who performed earned the right to argue with their colleagues. Nowadays, individuals who argue are said to lack 'soft skills' while a sad few are thought to be suffering from a personality disorder. The popularity of soft-skill management has created psychomanagers: managers who have entered into a Faustian bargain with psychologists. Some managers work with psychologists to master themselves; others work with psychologists to master other people. As psychomanagement requires specialised knowledge, many Australian managers have yielded their authority to counsellors, coaches and consultants, many of whom believe that human behaviour is determined by internal and external forces over which individuals have little or no control. Accordingly, psychologists have laboured to absorb the idea of the free and responsible individual into a pseudo-scientific framework that denies moral agency. The result is that ideas of 'right' and 'wrong' have been replaced with 'healthy' and 'sick'. In their pursuit of a 'therapeutic state', psychologists have medicalised morality and managers have embraced powerful myths about minds, motive-forces, personality traits, social conditioning, leadership, occupational stress and mental illness. Consequently, the twin ideas of personal freedom and responsibility have been sabotaged. Freud, Maslow, Eysenck, Skinner and other influential psychologists have denied, or minimised the importance of, personal responsibility. And insofar as managers have entered into an unholy alliance with them, they too have minimised personal responsibility at the workplace. This book is about Australian managers and their long-standing love affair with psychologists. For fifty years the author has studied, taught and consulted with managers and 'waltzed' with several famous psychologists and an infamous psychiatrist. Fortunately, they represented both sides of the debate about personal responsibility and human freedom. This book is, therefore, a personal and selective account of a professional life spent studying the problematic relationship between managers and psychologists.

This book is about Australian managers and their long-standing love affair with psychologists. Using psychology to manage others has great attraction because it offers managers means by which they can control their colleagues. The problem is that psychomanagement requires knowledge that managers don't have. They have to understand various personality tests, theories and therapies which they are not trained to do.

A national bestseller and acclaimed guide to Buddhism for beginners and practitioners alike In this simple but important volume, Stephen Batchelor reminds us that the Buddha was not a mystic who claimed privileged, esoteric knowledge of the universe, but a man who challenged us to understand the nature of anguish, let go of its origins, and bring into being a way of life that is available to us all. The concepts and practices of Buddhism, says Batchelor, are not something to believe in but something to do—and as he explains clearly and compellingly, it is a practice that we can engage in, regardless of our background or beliefs, as we live every day on the path to spiritual enlightenment.

"Probably many a road scholar would testify this place makes good leavin' and better comin' back to . . . Place puts a hold on your soul, man, these streets call you like an old song . . ." So starts The Bluesiana Snake Festival as Hidden Dave Crossway, a New Orleans street sweeper, celebrates the city in its pre–Katrina skin. With the night of the "snake moon" as the backdrop, we experience the lives, languages, and rhythms of the French Quarter, an unexpected urban idyll. Through a blend of voices--Big Jim Bullshit, Shushubaby, and Brooklyn Bob, to name a few--the musical voice of New Orleans is revealed in its varied dialects, grooves reminiscent of ragtime, jazz, and blues. The result is a look into who these folks are, their ways and beliefs, their senses of truth, and of existence itself. A novel about the joy and beauty of life in the depths, the momentum and narrative heart isn't driven by a plot — it's about the trance.

How can we gain insight into and mastery of ourselves? Entering the world of the great philosophers and engaging with them, we become aware of what we are capable of becoming. They speak to us of themselves and the good life and thereby offer the possibility for self-development. While this sounds like psychology, it is what the ancient Greeks called moral philosophy and its main precept is 'know oneself'. To know oneself is to embrace one's personal power. From Socrates to Sartre, from Plato to postmodernism, philosophers have important things to say about the personal power that underpins human existence. This book discusses ten philosophical perspectives, or worldviews, which present original ideas capable of evoking in us values that are guidelines for personal conduct. Harmonising knowledge, values and conduct maximises our personal power and thereby enables us to solve the practical and psychological problems of human existence, or overcome those that cannot be solved. The philosophers discussed in this book embody ideas of considerable fascination and force which can change our lives by penetrating the illusions of appearance and the delusions of common sense. As philosophy is thinking critically about thinking, it is a liberating activity because philosophers confront us with our prejudices and arouse our curiosity without satisfying it. They show us what they were and how philosophy inspired them to live productive lives. They did not seek disciples but encouraged others to philosophise with them. We cannot escape from philosophy because we philosophise when we reflect critically on how well we are living. Philosophy is, therefore, a meditation on who we are and what we can become: it is an eye for an I.

Crash Course – your effective every-day study companion PLUS the perfect antidote for exam stress! Save time and be assured you have the essential information you need in one place to excel on your course and achieve exam success. A winning formula now for over 20 years, each series volume has been fine-tuned and fully updated – with an improved full-colour layout tailored to make your life easier. Especially written by senior students or junior doctors – those who understand what is essential for exam success – with all information thoroughly checked and quality assured by expert Faculty Advisers, the result are books which exactly meet your needs and you know you can trust. Each chapter guides you succinctly through the full range of curriculum topics, integrating clinical considerations with the relevant basic science and avoiding unnecessary or confusing detail. A range of text boxes help you get to the hints, tips and key points you need fast! A fully revised self-assessment section matching the latest exam formats is included to check your understanding and aid exam preparation. The accompanying enhanced, downloadable eBook completes this invaluable learning package. Series volumes have been honed to meet the requirements of today’s medical students, although the range of other health students and professionals who need rapid access to the essentials of paediatrics will also love the unique approach of Crash Course. Whether you need to get out of a fix or aim for a distinction Crash Course is for you! Provides the exam syllabus in one place - saves valuable revision time Written by senior students and recent graduates - those closest to what is essential for exam success Quality assured by leading Faculty Advisors - ensures complete accuracy of information Features the ever popular 'Hints and Tips' boxes and other useful aide-mémoires - distilled wisdom from those in the know Updated self-assessment section matching the latest exam formats – confirm your understanding and improve exam technique fast

Philosophy of Leadership has been written to arouse curiosity, not to satisfy it. The authors point out ideas about leadership which draw upon both ancient and modern wisdom. This book develops a philosophy of leadership by tracing the evolution of Western ideas from philosophical perspectives, ancient and modern.

Office politics, power struggles, ulterior motives, personality differences ...all combine to make this cynical poke at the "executive branch" of a typical office highly entertaining. The setting takes you to a management training program where several managers are invited to attend. As we watch form the sidelines we are witness to undercurrent of what really goes on. This is pure entertainment disguised as education! Using extensive research and personality tests for a look into human behavior we are able to glean from this witty and ironic work. Performance versus personality, management versus leadership all play a part in the clever portrayal of the world of executives. As the managers are skeptical about the motives of those who organize and conduct management conferences, they meet to discuss tactics. At the conference they argue with the psychologist who is trying to entertain them. The conference proceeds in the face of questions and arguments which challenge the authority of the psychologist who attempts to control the protagonists. But the conference participants have other ideas... Sit back in your seats, prepare to laugh uncontrollably.