The Solutions Focus

This is a new and updated edition of this acclaimed first business book on the powerful, simple yet subtle approach to positive change in people, teams and organisations. Used around the world by a wide range of people, professions and organisations, the first edition has now sold nearly 10,000 copies and been translated into 7 languages. Including new chapters reflecting the increasing importance of coaching and the solutions focus movement in the business environment, this wide-ranging book is filled with all the most important ideas, case examples and practical tips for managers, facilitators and consultants. Proven in many fields and with a distinguished intellectual heritage, "The Solutions Focus" provides a simple and direct route to progress in your organisation. It focuses on: solutions - not problems; in between: the action is in the interaction; make use of what's there; possibilities - past, present and future; and language. Every case is different. The trouble with traditional approaches to people problems is that they assume a straightforward relationship between cause and effect, between a problem and its solution. A solutions-focused approach sidesteps the search for the causes of a problem and heads straight for the solution, showing you how to envisage your preferred future and quickly takes steps forward. The authors present a set of practical techniques, including specific forms of questioning that lead to immediate action and results. They show how to identify what is working in your organisation and amplify it to make useful changes; to focus on what is possible rather than what is intractable and how to be solution focused, not solution forced.

Fourteen organisations all over the world tell the stories of how Solutions Focus has helped them to change - and show you many ways to find what works in the workplace. organisational change simple. The fourteen real life cases described here illustrate the Solutions Focus approach in action from widescale change to everyday effective management, e.g. British Sky Broadcasting, Bayer Cropscience, the Cooperative Group, the Ontario Medical Association and Freescale Semiconductor. They worked on issues including restructuring, strategy development, sales improvement, continuous improvement, team development, outplacement, training and job satisfaction. Jenny Clarke guides you through the ins and outs of each case, and draws 80 lessons which you can use in building positive change at work and keeping things as simple as possible - but no simpler.

Daniel Meier shows you how to use the positive power of Solutions Focus to work with teams in business and organisations. Meets the needs of meets the needs of both the experienced coach and the manager looking for practical steps. Applying the positive power of Solutions Focus to working with teams, Daniel Meier shows you how to: Apply Solutions Focus methods with groups and teams Choose and use the eight steps of the SolutionCircle Become an effective team coach - as a manager or external resource Engage team members in finding useful action steps Use challenges and difficulties in the team to build progress.

Facilitators and consultants from all over the world share their experience in this collection of Solution Focused activities for workshops and team events. It helps readers to maximise the effectiveness of their workshops, team meetings and projects, use creative stimulating activities with confidence and precision.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) promotes collaborative work and positive outcomes. It is an approach that can be used in acute hospitals as well as with clients who are seen as outpatients or in the community. Written in an accessible style with over seventy case examples Focus on Solutions shows how SFBT can help people who are suffering from voice or memory difficulties, a stammer, a stroke, HIV, traumatic brain injury or illnesses such as cancer or Parkinson' s disease. The book provides a practical framework as to how individuals, families and groups can begin to work on their strengths by focusing on the solutions rather than the problems in their lives. Focus on Solutions contains many useful ideas for experienced practitioners and those new to solution focused work, which is of growing importance in the health service as well as business and education. Therapists, doctors, nurses or psychologists will find this book an invaluable contribution to the field of reflective practice.

This book provides a solution-focused approach to working alongside students, parents, and teachers that decreases misbehaviors, encourages mental health and growth mindset in students, and provides social emotional learning opportunities. Grounded in the notion that focusing on problems often leads to frustration when tried and true remedies fail, the book provides an efficient and simple three-step approach to having solution-focused conversations with students, parents, and in response to intervention (RTI) and team meetings. This systemic approach enlists the client rather than the counselor to conjure a preferred plan for success, consequently reducing future counseling visits and promoting independent success in students. Each chapter includes a specific topic that was developed from the issues and situations faced by school counselors today, including consideration for working with all students, including LGBTQ students, and those with traumatic experiences or substance abuse. Complete with specific dialogues for students of all ages, and case studies, this text provides school counselors with a road map to looking beyond problems and seeking solutions with students, creating grit and resilience.

It's time to be part of the “Solution Revolution” and join the thousands of leaders and companies throughout the world who are becoming solution-oriented leaders. It’s all based on the lessons in this step-by-step guide developed by author, keynote speaker, and international leadership expert Dr. Rick Goodman. You’ll discover how to Transform Your Thinking, Optimize Your Assets, and Accelerate Your Connectivity to achieve world-class balance and results in your business and in your life. In this first-of-a-kind, comprehensive guide, author Dr. Rick Goodman leads you through the everyday challenges of the modern workplace while providing you with easy-to-implement solutions to achieve world-class results! The Solutions Oriented Leader shows you how to: Implement transformational leadership tools to help you achieve balance in business and your life Utilize communication systems that increase employee engagement and workflow Develop a positive attitude that motivates your team and increases retention Handle conflict and manage workplace burnout Now you can be in control of your destiny—giving yourself permission to be successful! You can become a leader who inspires others for a lifetime. You can harness your positive attitude and share it to propel your business to new heights. With the Solutions-Oriented mindset, you now have the business and life playbook promoting productivity, boosting employee engagement, and creating a happy work environment.

Positively Speaking: The Art of Constructive Conversations with a Solutions Focus By Paul Z Jackson and Janine Waldman Suppose.. You've got a difficult conversation that you're really not looking forward to You want to change your boss's mind, but he doesn't listen You need your team - or your children - to take responsibility for their own issues Top consultants Paul Z Jackson and Janine Waldman take you on a tour of successful, constructive conversations, from preparation through opening remarks to agreeing the right actions. Illustrated throughout with tips, examples and exercises, Positively Speaking will develop your skills in creating dialogue that works well for you at work, in social settings and at home. With a resource-based, solutions-focused approach, you will find it simpler and more enjoyable to get what you want by talking to people the Positively Speaking way. And the results will be positively extraordinary. Praise for Positively Speaking: "With Positively Speaking Jackson and Waldman have created my dream Solutions Focus book: they make the concepts absurdly easy to understand and - more importantly - they make the material relevant to my work and relationships " Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener, Programme Director, Center of Applied Positive Psychology "The strategic application of Solution Focused approaches can help unlock the most challenging aspects of executive leadership in the modern public sector. Jackson and Waldman's approach instils the discipline of simplicity and builds confidence through positive enquiry. I have greatly benefited from working with them and recommend Positively Speaking as a way ahead." Andrew Fowlie, General Manager, NHS Grampian "For me, there's nothing like going on a course and gaining new skills - unless it's a book like 'Positively Speaking', which gives me background, theory, case studies, models and, most importantly real concrete ways to put all of that into practice in my day-to day work of coaching, facilitation and working through conflict. This book is a real asset to any practitioner who needs to 'just do it' - just great." Ann Lukens, Director, Groupworks "This resource really does live up to its aim of helping us learn more about what we can do rather than what we can't. I like the way it brings the idea of Solutions Focus to life through examples, case studies and practical exercises. I'll definitely be using these ideas in my work as a facilitator and coach." Colin Coombs, Learning & Development Manager, Tate Paul Z Jackson and Janine Waldman are co-directors of The Solutions Focus (www.thesolutionsfocus.co.uk), leading a team of consultants, facilitators and coaches who apply this approach worldwide in organisations including Beiersdorf (Nivea), PepsiCo, Reading Borough Council, John Laing and The Metropolitan Police