Charismatic leaders
A long time ago here in England, as a junior manager in a social work team, I was told to go and interview a man called Frank Beck, a senior manager for Leicestershire Social Services. His charisma and effective use of IT to get good outcomes was legendary. When I met him he made my flesh creep. My manager told me I was a "negative thinker". I moved on to better thing, but I can't say I was really surprised when Frank Beck received several life sentences for serial child sex abuse. He died in prison, no doubt with some idiots still saying how "charismatic" he was. The recent events with Sir Jimmy Savile reminded me of this. Not all negative thinking is bad. Sometimes positive thinking is just another phrase for "appallingly naive thinking". I find if I feel negative about something, there's usually a reason for it. EG I advised against the expenditure of 3 billion pounds on an integrated but untried computer system for the NHS and Social Services here in the UK. I was over-ruled, but just look at what happened to that, you poor sucker taxpayers! I say let's have a bit more negative thinking. Sometimes positive thinking is like Neville Chamberlain (Prime Minister before WW2) telling Britain in 1938 that he had a solemn promise from Herr Hitler. Now there was a positive thinker...!
