The Strategic Edge Announces New Lunch N' Learn Series Sanity W/ Skeptics

Meredith Gardner, Ph.D., with The Strategic Edge in New York City, has announced a new upcoming Lunch N' Learn series: Sanity W/ Skeptics. Gardner says that the series is designed to teach participants how to deal with anxious, argumentative skeptic sleuth cynics, skeptics, naysayers, pessimists, and doubting Thomases. More information can be found at www.strategic-edge.com.

"The problem with these negative personality traits, especially paranoia," says Gardner, "is that it sucks the energy out of other people. It's not that the person is a bad apple, it's just that the argumentative, lack of trusting, ambivalent, and suspicious person is clueless about the consequences and the consequences of those consequences on colleagues, the team, and the enterprise. The 'glass half empty' person can learn new choices of behavior and 'archive' older, less useful behavior; and colleagues can learn new adaptive techniques; kind of like 'survival skills' when climbing Mt. Everest." Those interested can learn more about Gardner at www.strategic-cio-solutions.com.

Gardner says that the skeptic attitude can be found in Alec Baldwin, Jon Stewart and Madeleine Albright. Their positive traits include checking all facts, not accepting things at face value, finding unforeseen problems and really looking to see what's there. They possess nonjudgmental, investigative and questioning personalities. However, the negative traits of this type of people are that they are typically argumentative and can create unnecessary problems.

"You're in a meeting and just when everybody's about to agree on a plan they've been debating for hours, this one guy, who's been quiet the whole time, says, 'You know, I'm just not sure how comfortable I am with this idea' and starts the whole damn debate all over again," says Gardner.

She states that every company has at least one of this personality type and says that to them, consensus is a four-letter word. Instead of going along with the pack, Gardner points out that they just bring everyone else down with their skepticism.

Gardner says that while at first glance they seem to be not needed in a company, they actually are. She explains that, "Cynics question common wisdom and those in authority. Skeptics call out the boss, even if he is a scary a-hole. These are the folks who aren't just okay with the status quo. These are the folks who seek a better way to do things. These are the folks who break rules and break molds. These are what we in the management consulting trade like to call 'great leaders'."

However, Gardner hastens to add that there is such a thing as going to far. She adds, "I'm talking about folks who doubt with a purpose. They doubt because they want what's best for their company, their department, their employees, and they won't settle for what isn't."

Gardner points out that Steve Jobs is a great example of people with this kind of personality. She points out that Jobs had argued his point the way a prosecuting attorney would but this has resulted in innovations that have benefited the world. Gardner explains, "It doesn't make his demeanor right; it just makes it very challenging to interact with people who go for the jugular. I teach the strategies to main your sanity while interacting with such people."

Meredith Gardner, Ph.D. is an animated international speaker, coach, trainer and author. She previously had her own radio program as well as being a guest on local and national radio/TV. Meredith also attended programs at the NASA Corporate Space Academy (Huntsville, Alabama), where she was Director of the Space Lab on a simulated flight. As a Distinguished Toastmaster from the public speaking organization Toastmasters International, she has won many coveted awards. And, she utilizes some of her own stress management techniques to keep balanced during her own turbulent times. More about Gardner can be seen at her LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/in/meredithgardnerphd/.