Shirzad Chamine

Book Selection

Through working through the obstacles of hundreds of CEOs and their teams, author Shirzad (who is, incidentally, chairman of the world’s largest training firm) has developed three strategies for increasing what he terms PQ, or positive intelligence, designed to fit a modern professional’s work life and turn challenges into growth.

Positive Intelligence

Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Reach Their True Potential And

How You Can Achieve Yours Interview with Shirzad Chamine

Shirzad Chamine explores the debilitating habits, or “Saboteurs,” and our innate human strengths (termed “the Sage”) at work in individuals and teams, as well as the five “Powers” for helping us reach our full potential.

twsm What practices can HR departments adopt in order to encourage employees?

sc A key question I ask HR managers and pros is, What percentage of the improvements in leadership skills, team cohesiveness or morale attempted through training actually lasts? Most say that the vast majority of the impact fizzles shortly after. The key reason is the destructive force of the Saboteurs.

twsm How can we avoid the destructive force of Saboteurs?

sc My recommendation is focus on building a solid foundation of increasing Positive Intelligence. Have retreats where, beforehand, everyone has read Positive Intelligence and done their Saboteur and PQ assessments. In all my years, I’ve never run a retreat where a team member has looked the others in the eye and said “I don’t have any of these Saboteurs.” People get it. The focus of the conversation shifts from “Let me tell you what’s wrong with you,” to “Help me beat my Saboteurs and I will do the same for you.” This framework changes the nature of the conversation, showing that all of us can learn to reach more of our potential. It is a very empowering, equalizing and forwarding conversation.

twsm What are some examples illustrating the importance of taming Saboteurs and encouraging the Sage?

sc One of the greatest leaders of the century was Nelson Mandela. He was the very embodiment of the Sage. The Sage perspective is that everything that happens to us can be turned into a gift and opportunity. The Sage uses its 5 great powers to do so: If you read his biography closely, you’ll see each of these powers in play. Once imprisoned, he Explored how the “enemy” operated so that he could understand and exploit what made the system run, rather than bang his head against the wall. He Innovated how to turn the prison into an educational camp for his fellow prisoners. He Navigated using deeply held values and principles. He Activated his strategies objectively without biasing intervention from Saboteurproduced anger, hate, self-pity or fear. Once released, he Empathized not

Kelly McGonigal

Maximum Willpower: How to Master the New Science of Self-Control [Pan Macmillan, 288 pp., £11.99] Willpower, argues Stanford professor and author Kelly McGonigal, is not a limited resource: “Self-control is like a muscle: It gets tired from use, but regular exercise makes it stronger.” Beat procrastination, bad habits, and other serious impediments to success with her science-supported strategies.

Chris Komisarjevsky

The Power of Reputation: Strengthen the Asset That Will Make or Break Your Career [AMACOM, 210 pp., $22] A reputation takes time to build but just a moment to ruin. The Power of Reputation presents an actionable plan for businesspeople seeking to create a reputation for themselves, and their companies – one that not only with the oppressed, but even with the oppressors. This wouldn’t have been possible if he allowed his Saboteurs to react with sustained anger, hatred, resignation or self-pity. It all started with a Sage perspective that this shall be turned into a gift and opportunity, and sticking to that vision steadfastly through blow after blow.•

only builds trust but also communicates professionalism and power.

Diane Arthur Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees

[AMACOM, 384 pp., $49.95]