"Those who deny the negative live on credit."
In our optimism-driven world, happiness seems to be the ultimate goal. Social media, self-help literature, and coaching culture often propagate the idea that we can achieve anything—if we just think positively enough. But what happens when that's not enough? When suppressed emotions such as anger, envy, or resignation eventually find a destructive way out.
"The shadows don't disappear just because we turn on the light."
In his conversation with Georgiy Michailov, Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Hoffmann, business psychologist and author, presents his alternative to positive psychology. He shows why it doesn't help to suppress negative emotions in a business context. Instead, he advocates allowing them and using them productively. In this SMP LeaderTalk, he also explains why emotional neutrality is often more helpful than optimism, what resignation has to do with mental shutdown, and why leadership without emotional reflection fails in the long run. The two also talk about the role of the modern court jester in management, cultural differences in dealing with emotions, and consumption as a substitute religion.
*Video only in German
SMP LeaderTalks
