The last few years were full of positive thinking but more recently opinions have been emerging against it. Talentmgt.com summarises some arguments in support of negative thinking.
Imagine a manager who is speaking to his team. Suddenly he does not know what to say next. The situation is out of control. If he had not been thinking only positively during his preparation and focused also on possible negative aspects of his performance, he would probably be successful. He might have had cards with notes or at least a glass of water.
Oliver Burkeman, author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can´t Stand Positive Thinking, says dealing with issues that can go wrong leads to greater success. He claims negative thinking is the best strategy for solving problems.
Face up to your failures
If you often persuade yourself how great everything is, you can easily fail. And even if you succeed, you won't be ready for the fall which may follow. Nonetheless, negative thinking still hasn't found its way into the business environment.
HR consultant Seymour Adler says that if you refuse to embrace your problems or anxieties, you won´t be able to find the source of them. And thus you won´t be able to deal with them. And it is very probable you are going to repeat them again and again.
According to economic journalist Megan McArdle, the trend of positive thinking had a bearing on the financial crisis. Even banks did not have a worst-case scenario and they were left helpless. All were acting as if it couldn´t happen.
Companies should embrace a negative approach as well as a positive one. As Megan McArdle says, trial and error is a powerful force.
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