Progress-focused

Recent research has shown that our perceptions of intelligence and ability can have implications for learning, inclusiveness and diversity in educational and professional settings. This article reviews a paper by Porter & Cimplian (2023) and a paper by Muradoglu et al. (2023), each offering unique insight into this issue. 1. The Impact of Intellectual Humility on Learning The research by Porter & Cimplian (2023) emphasizes the importance of intellectual humility – the ability to admit confusion, ignorance and mistakes – in the learning process. Their research shows that environments that emphasize intellectual prowess often discourage the expression of intellectual humility. Another important finding was that math emerged as the subject in which students struggled most to express intellectual humility, more than subjects such as physics, chemistry and biology. How does express itself? Think about a typical math class, where students often feel uncomfortable asking questions

John Hattie, is an education scientist at the University of Melbourne. He is well known in the education world for his 2008 book Visible Learning . The follow-up to this book, Visible Learning: The Seque l, was recently published. Below you can read a little more about Hattie's work.

Who these days is not concerned with the question of how AI systems, such as ChatGPT, will change our work and life? For example, many people have already experimented with ChatGPT and many enjoy using it. Some think that AI will take over large parts of our work in the future, while others are skeptical. Here are some recent findings I've come across and some reflections.

The American Dream, the belief in the possibility that everyone in the US, regardless of background, can achieve success through hard work and determination, has always attracted attention. But what does "success" mean? Is it wealth, fame and beauty – the so-called extrinsic goals ? Or is it perhaps the pursuit of personal growth, relationships, health, and giving to the community – the intrinsic goals ?

The process of personal growth is often accompanied by the experience of discomfort. This is because it usually means stepping outside of our comfort zone. For example, when we learn a new skill, it can feel uncomfortable because it is unfamiliar and we may make mistakes. So discomfort is often a natural part of learning and growing. We can tend to see it as a necessary evil that comes with learning. It can also lead us to learn and grow but prefer to get out of the way.

Human interactions are complex and often characterized by misunderstandings and misinterpretations. A well-known phenomenon is the liking gap , which is the phenomenon that we tend to underestimate how much others like us. This can lead to unnecessary feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. In this article, I discuss a related concept, the thought gap, based on an article by Cooney et al. (2021) . What is the thought gap, and what does it mean for our daily lives and professional interactions?

I read about an interesting approach to organizational change that fits well with progress-focused working and that emphasizes continuity in organizational change.

I have previously written about how irrational beliefs can be harmful  and also how they can be difficult to change due to some systemic and psychological obstacles . But beliefs can change and believing they cannot change can cause us to stop talking honestly about our beliefs, creating polarization and making progress more difficult. With that in mind, here I am sharing my top 6 harmful beliefs plus a brief explanation of why they are so dangerous in my eyes. Hopefully, these thoughts will provoke further reflection.

Work occupies a central place in our lives, not only because it provides a livelihood, but also because it can be a source of personal fulfillment and social recognition. Meaningful work contributes to our general well-being and can have a significant impact on our mental health. In this article I discuss a new paper by the Finnish psychologist and philosopher Frank Martela about what is now the core of meaning in work.

Last week, three people told me that they had considered resigning, in all cases because of a controlling management style of their supervisor. The first person shared that his boss was blunt and then claimed that as a manager you just have to be “a bit of a jerk”. The second person described how his supervisor was constantly coercive, controlling and suspicious to the frustration of several people on the team. The third person complained that her supervisor did not involve her and her colleagues in important decisions and always presented them with fait accomplis. Although they had not finally decided to resign, all three of them were seriously considering it.

I came across an interesting article on Fast Company. The article explains the so-called SSG method for effective communication , developed by David Rock , co-founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute. Rock focuses on applying neuroscientific insights to leadership and organizational development. He has authored several books, including Your Brain at Work and Quiet Leadership, and is a pioneer in the field of neuroscience and leadership.

It is important for teachers to realize that the mindset of students can influence their performance and growth. Having a growth mindset —the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort—is important for success. However, did you know that the mindset of the teacher can also influence the performance of students? Research by Heyder, Steinmayr & Cimpian (2023) shows that deliberate reflection on teaching can contribute to the development of a growth mindset in teachers.

In this article , I wrote that self-determination theory research shows that when we engage in activities that are in line with our values, we feel and function better. A reader was interested in this and asked me for literature references showing this. You can read my answer here.

Brian Klaas, researcher in London and columnist at the Washington Post, has written a book that is very relevant to the times in which we live. The book is called “ Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us. ” It deals with questions such as: Why is it that bad people so often end up in positions of power? How can we ensure that the right good people end up in positions of power? and Does power corrupt or are people with corrupt tendencies just more likely to end up in positions of power?

To assess a country's overall well-being, it is crucial to consider both objective factors and material resources. These may include access to healthcare, education, clean water, among other essential services. For further insight into this area of research, please read this . Alongside these objective measures, it is equally important to examine psychological aspects and their impact on individuals' overall well-being and satisfaction. Psychological factors have been found to play a significant role in this regard. In fact, recent studies have explored the relationship between basic psychological needs and subjective well-being across various European countries.

The D-Factor , also known as the Dark Factor of Personality (D), is the following deep-seated belief held by some individuals: in the world we live in, it is justified and necessary to promote one's self-interest at the expense of the interests of others.” This D-factor turns out to be a common factor underlying all sorts of negative traits ( read more ). It has been researched in relation to various social and political phenomena, such as conspiracy theories, populism and responses to global issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

We regularly get questions about self-fulfilling prophecies, positive thinking, karma and the law of attraction. Do these phenomena really exist? How much value should we place on them?

Wisdom is invariably associated with life experience, by both laymen and experts. If it is true that wisdom develops through life experience, how does that work? And what kinds of life experiences are involved? Is it about situations in which we find ourselves more or less spontaneously? Or is it about specific situations that we have to look for specifically? Spontaneously? Or specially searched experiences?

The challenges of school closures due to COVID have been significant for many young people. Recent research points to two factors that may support young people to stay motivated with schoolwork during such periods.

Progress can occur in various aspects of life, and technology has the potential to drive significant changes, ideally for the better. One technology that has gained attention recently is blockchain. In a previous article , I explored the potential of blockchain as a powerful source of progress.  Despite the challenges faced by centralized financial institutions and some major centralized organizations in the cryptocurrency world, I maintain a positive outlook on the potential of blockchain and crypto to make progress. Even though I am not an expert in this domain and acknowledge its complexity, I am still extremely fascinated and committed to it. Consequently, it may be valuable to re-examine the fundamentals of blockchain and cryptocurrency and explore their potential for driving progress.

I recently spoke to a person over 50 about all kinds of things she had learned, was learning, and wanted to continue learning. She said she felt that life actually gave her more options now than when she was young. She concluded: Old age doesn't just come with infirmity. That sentence stuck in my head. Read below why I think that sentence holds a lot of truth.

In a LinkedIn post by Jan Rotmans , professor of sustainability in Rotterdam and author of the book Omarm de chaos , I came across the concept of ' illusion of powerlessness '.

Within self-determination theory , much attention has been devoted for years to the positive effects of supporting basic psychological needs. Somewhat less attention has been paid to the undermining of motivation and functioning through frustration of needs. A new study looks at both.

We live in a time of great changes in our societies. Organizations must continue to innovate to succeed in a changing society, which requires leaders and managers to foster a culture that fosters creativity and innovation and to continue to explore new ways to innovate and grow. If innovation is also important in your organization, it can be useful to take note of the cruelty incentive .

There is no denying that humanity faces a number of existential problems such as economic inequality, environmental degradation and political instability. Therefore, it is necessary for society as a whole to work for the common good. Unfortunately, a sense of despondency prevails as so many people seem to feel powerless in the face of these problems. Yet our contribution to a better world, even if we sometimes think they have little to do with these important challenges, can have an impact. In this article, we explore the power of small actions and how everyone's choices can influence the course of the future.

How mindset interventions can improve adolescent mental health. A new paper by David Yeager and Carol Dweck raises the idea that adolescents have different perceptions of their personal qualities, and that changing these perceptions can lead to better coping with challenging situations and improved mental health. The paper presents both theory and data that support this idea.

The word values ​​refers to what we value in life and what we think is good and bad. Values ​​are important because they strongly influence our judgments, choices and behaviors. Self-determination theory research shows that when we engage in activities that are consistent with our values, we feel and function better. But what kind of values ​​can we have? In this article I describe characteristics of values ​​and explain Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Fundamental Human Values. Then I describe which values ​​wise people especially have and which they especially don't have. If you want to get wiser, maybe you can take some inspiration from this.

Wisdom is a complex concept. Wisdom contains multiple components and facets. It brings together many of the best things in people at the same time. The complexity of wisdom makes it difficult to describe and study. Different thinkers and scientists have looked at this complex concept from different angles. With the advent of the still young science of wisdom, there is gradually more clarity about what wisdom consists of, how it can be measured, how it relates to other concepts, what its importance is and how it can be developed.

We live in a time of profound changes and countless uncertainties. Recently, as a society, we have been shaken up by the dramatic opportunities and threats that artificial intelligence (AI) entails. These developments are going so fast that the prospects are that AI will be able to take over the work of many people in the foreseeable future. What possibilities and opportunities will there be for us in the future? This is an essential question because opportunity is crucial to the pursuit of goals, and without opportunity, progress is unlikely.

This article is about the quality of motivation according to self-determination theory (SDT). I focus on the best quality of motivation: autonomous motivation and explain that it comes in two forms: intrinsic and internalized motivation. Then I explain that there are two wrong ways of thinking about intrinsic motivation. Finally, I come to the conclusion that the balance between intrinsic and internalized motivation can be seen as an important key to success in education and work.

Rebecca Collie conducted a survey of 426 Australian teachers. Through this research, she sought to find out which factors are involved in teachers' well-being and turnover intentions ( Collie, 2023 ).

An interesting, fairly new discipline is emerging within the social sciences: Cognitive Immunology (CI). This discipline of science studies the immune system of the mind that protects against infectious and dangerous ideas, just as the immune system of the body protects against microbes. Cognitive immunologists strive to better understand disorders, causes of mental immunity, and interventions to improve mental immunity. Below I give a brief description of this discipline.

Being able to say 'no' effectively is important. Countless explicit and implicit requests are coming our way every day. By explicit requests I mean direct questions that we are asked, such as: "Could you do ...  for me?'' or "Is it okay if I ...'' By implicit requests I mean something more abstract, namely all the stimuli and triggers that ask for our attention. These can be all kinds of things such as e-mails that come in, interesting, exciting or disturbing news reports on websites or on the radio or TV, expressions on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook, incoming text messages or Whats app messages, and even people passing by or sounds you hear.

This week I facilitated a progress-focused session of a team of professionals from the municipality of Rotterdam. Facilitating such an unknown team in advance is often a bit exciting. You don't know who you're dealing with and you have no idea what they'll say or how they'll behave. But usually my sense of curiosity is greater than my nervousness. The reason for this is that I usually hear interesting and informative things from such a group. That was also the case that morning. Several interesting things were said that also made me think again. I will highlight one as an example.

I had an interesting experience last week during an exercise in our training. A participant changed his attitude from authoritarian and sarcastic to progress-focused within a few minutes. During our progress-focused leadership training, I supervised an exercise in which we practiced progress-focused directing . During part of that exercise, one of the participants, Peter, wanted to practice a bit. Peter had said earlier during the training that he wanted to practice being non-authoritarian in the conversation. He saw this as a pitfall for himself. I stepped into the role of employee and he stepped into that of manager. We practiced that he would ask me directing question and I would respond complainingly.

Love is an almost universal phenomenon with a biological background. It is therefore certain that love occurs worldwide. But to what extent do culture and environmental factors influence the extent to which people express and experience love? To find out, a group of 91 researchers conducted a large-scale study of romantic relationships in 45 countries and territories. 

Around the holidays and the New Year, we often meet a lot of people and sometimes have conversations that we can't always have during the busy working weeks . I had a few conversations with a few people about big topics of our time. I quite often think about such conversations afterwards. Below, from my memory, I try to recall as best I can how those conversations went.

Recently I was musing about people, as I often do. You may know that. As I did that, I realized that the people I thought about might, in real life, be very different from what I think they are. Our mental versions of them can be very different from themselves. I thought about that for a while.