A revolution in learning and development could be on the way if Quantum Thinking catches on, the brainchild of a self-styled Dr of Happiness; meanwhile, a warning about Christmas traditions casts a shadow on the party season.
It’s freezing cold, the heating costs too much, your train home at Christmas is strikebound and the economic news is dire. Step forward the man who will make everything right. All hail Dr of Happiness Andy Cope.
Cope is an expert in Quantum Thinking; a mode of thought that we all need to buy into, although, as the Dr of Happiness himself concedes, “it is a bit weird”.
Speaking at Cheshire Business School on 12 December, Dr Cope will address business leaders, managers and students about how in “the relentless nature of today’s world people can forget how amazing they are”.
“Quantum thinking is rethinking how you think, tuning yourself back into being your best on a more regular basis.”
I also think everybody is a superhero but too many people are pretending to be normal” – Dr of Happiness, Andy Cope
At its root is the concept of emptying your mind of unimportant stuff. “Most training is additive,” he says. “It gives you more things to remember and do. Quantum Thinking is subtractive. As you don’t need more stuff on your mind, you need less.”
Such concepts are hard to describe but it’s fair to say Dr Cope is not one for conventional thinking: “It’s about self-remembering as opposed to personal or self development and counteracts traditional business coaching and training.”
The Dr of Happiness wants to attract a younger audience and so the choice of venue is ideal because Cheshire Business School offers “world class speakers at an affordable rate”.
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There is no doubt that an evening being lectured by the Dr of Happiness could help you recover your sense of self worth. He says: “My view is everybody already is amazing but you might have forgotten or the world might have made you forget.
“I also think everybody is a superhero but too many people are pretending to be normal. People are knackered, especially those in front-end jobs like the NHS or teaching, and wellbeing and happiness is in really short supply.”
Party time?
You might think that at this time of year one thing that can make you happy is a Christmas party. Alas, Personnel Today has been contacted by teambuilding firm Wildgoose – a good seasonal name you might think – to remind us that “Christmas” (note the quote marks) is “not applicable to all employees” and can contribute to some employees’ feelings of exclusion.
This is a bit of a downer; oh well, I could always pour myself a glass of wine to compensate. No, no, no. As Wildgoose tells us, “alcohol is a focal point, which can lead to certain groups or individuals feeling excluded”.
To be fair I think many of us were aware that there are plenty of fun activities even without the imbibing of booze. Wildgoose agrees: “Leadership teams ensure there are activities without alcohol which invite all to participate. There are plenty of indoor team-building activities which are not Christmas themed, allowing all to have fun without feeling unseen or excluded.”
How about tinsel? Is that allowed? A bauble perhaps? Is my spruce offensive?
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Perhaps we should all, as the Dr of Happiness suggests, stop “pretending to be normal”.
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