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Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours
In his popular Stanford University lectures, Shirzad Chamine reveals how to achieve one’s true potential for both professional success and personal fulfillment. His groundbreaking research exposes ten well-disguised mental Saboteurs. Nearly 95 percent of the executives in his Stanford lectures conclude that these Saboteurs cause “significant harm” to achieving their true potential. With Positive Intelligence, you can learn the secret to defeating these internal foes. Positive Intelligence (PQ)SM measures the percentage of time your mind is serving you as opposed to sabotaging you. While your IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence) contribute to your maximum potential, it is your PQ that determines how much of that potential you actually achieve.
The great news is that you can improve your PQ significantly in as little as 21 days. With higher PQ, teams and professionals ranging from leaders to salespeople perform 30 to 35 percent better on average. Importantly, they also report being far happier and less stressed. The breakthrough tools and techniques in this book have been refined over years of coaching hundreds of CEOs and their executive teams. Shirzad tells many of their remarkable stories, showing how you too can take concrete steps to unleash the vast, untapped powers of your mind.
Discover how to
• Identify and conquer your top Saboteurs. Common Saboteurs include the Judge, Controller, Victim, Avoider, and Pleaser.
• Measure the Positive Intelligence score (PQ) for yourself or your team—and see how close you come to the critical tipping point required for peak performance.
• Increase PQ dramatically in as little as 21 days.
• Develop new brain “muscles,” and access 5 untapped powers with energizing mental “power games.”
• Apply PQ tools and techniques to increase both performance and fulfillment. Applications include team building, mastering workload, working with “difficult” people, improving work/life balance, reducing stress, and selling and persuading.
The great news is that you can improve your PQ significantly in as little as 21 days. With higher PQ, teams and professionals ranging from leaders to salespeople perform 30 to 35 percent better on average. Importantly, they also report being far happier and less stressed. The breakthrough tools and techniques in this book have been refined over years of coaching hundreds of CEOs and their executive teams. Shirzad tells many of their remarkable stories, showing how you too can take concrete steps to unleash the vast, untapped powers of your mind.
Discover how to
• Identify and conquer your top Saboteurs. Common Saboteurs include the Judge, Controller, Victim, Avoider, and Pleaser.
• Measure the Positive Intelligence score (PQ) for yourself or your team—and see how close you come to the critical tipping point required for peak performance.
• Increase PQ dramatically in as little as 21 days.
• Develop new brain “muscles,” and access 5 untapped powers with energizing mental “power games.”
• Apply PQ tools and techniques to increase both performance and fulfillment. Applications include team building, mastering workload, working with “difficult” people, improving work/life balance, reducing stress, and selling and persuading.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2012
2100 people are currently reading
8746 people want to read
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January 24, 2022
I’ve done a little research and I am compelled to share my assessment.
- Chamine is advertised (linkedin, book description, etc.) as having done PhD studies in neuroscience, and is mentioned as being a neuroscientist. However, he has not completed any PhD; he did a PhD program for one year and then quit. He has never published any peer-reviewed scientific work, not as first or co-author, on any neuroscience / psychological topic. He has not performed any scientific research on the matter that can be traced anywhere. After a Bachelor in Psychology, he completed a Master in Electrical Engineering and a Master in Business Administration. He careered as a businessman, becoming CEO of a mental health coach organization. The self-entitled background via PhD studies / neuroscience is therefore in my view a blatant form of forgery to give his book and program more credit as if it was neuroscientific.
- Throughout the website, book and program he makes claims that appeal to research that has been done. The vast majority of such claims are void of any reference to such research, and such research can indeed nowhere be found. For example:
“The breakthrough contribution of Positive Intelligence research is through factor analysis to discover the core factors that impact both performance and wellbeing. This research revealed that there are only 10 negative response factors (10 Saboteurs) and only 5 positive response factors (5 Sage powers).” (Positive Intelligence website).
This body of research does to my inquiry, not exist, not even in his own book.
“Our program focuses on growing three specific mental muscles, which become visible as new neural pathways in MRI imaging within 8 weeks of practice.”
The only reference I found regarding this matter was in his book to a study that was about phantom pain in limbs that were amputated. In that study, it was concluded that it took 21 days for the brain to adjust and for the phantom pain to subside. It seems intellectually and morally wrong to warp the conclusion of a study on limb amputation to be cut-and-clear proof that his own mental exercise program creates new neural pathways in MRI imaging.
“Our program is based on research with more than 500,000 participants from 50 countries, including CEOs, students, elite athletes, and sales, operations, and technology teams.”
Again, no idea what research he is referring to, because it can nowhere be found.
In my conclusion, he is using the false pretence of research and science to present his made-up mental health ideas and methods as being scientifically substantiated.
- Where he does reference a study, he seems to blatantly misuse them.
For instance, from the book: “In a fascinating study, researchers discovered a compelling difference between the impact of fake positivity (produced by the Survivor Brain) versus genuine positivity (produced by the PQ Brain).37 The researchers distinguished between the fake and genuine positivity by paying attention to the facial muscles involved in a genuine smile and a forced smile. (…) In this study, the researchers discovered that insincere positivity poses the same level of risk of coronary disease as the overt negativity of anger.”
I went to the reference (37 - Robert Zajonc et al., “Feeling and Facial Efference: Implications of the Vascular Theory of Emotion,” Psychological Review 96, no. 3 (July 1989): 395– 416.) The article does not talk about genuine or fake positivity or smile in any way, nor does it mention anything even remotely analogically linked to a PQ and survivor brain. Nowhere does the article mention anything about a relationship towards a risk for a certain disease. The article is about: “Is facial muscular movement capable of altering emotional state? Facial feedback theories answer this question in the affirmative but do not specify the intervening process. “ (from the article itself). Their conclusion is even precisely the opposite of what Chamine means with guine/fake: “It appears, therefore, that muscular facial actions may have an independent influence over the individual's subjective feeling state.” (from the article). They see that the facial action itself triggers a neurological response (that is in itself extremely complicated and placed into a deeply nuanced discussion about brain – emotion functions (nothing about two parts of the brain)).
Therefore, it seems that Chamine, whether intentionally or not, misreads and lies about the outcomes of a study to bolster his own mental health program. This also demonstrates the easiness with which a non-peer reviewed published book can create the veil of being scientific by small acts of forgery.
- Based on all what I found out about above, I have to conclude that Shirzad Chamine is a fraud. Unrelated to the above, but after having watched the Judge demo video (in which he lets out his inner saboteur, and starts acting like a crazy man), I sincerely wonder if he is mentally sane or merely acting. The book and program seems to basically teach the participant to have a multi-personality disorder. In light of his background, I find the whole book / mental coaching program irresponsible. There are people who become actual psychologists who try to help people, and actual neuroscientists, who truly do research on the topic; instead, we are here listening to a fraudulent businessman making gross amounts of money with some made up psychology.
- Chamine is advertised (linkedin, book description, etc.) as having done PhD studies in neuroscience, and is mentioned as being a neuroscientist. However, he has not completed any PhD; he did a PhD program for one year and then quit. He has never published any peer-reviewed scientific work, not as first or co-author, on any neuroscience / psychological topic. He has not performed any scientific research on the matter that can be traced anywhere. After a Bachelor in Psychology, he completed a Master in Electrical Engineering and a Master in Business Administration. He careered as a businessman, becoming CEO of a mental health coach organization. The self-entitled background via PhD studies / neuroscience is therefore in my view a blatant form of forgery to give his book and program more credit as if it was neuroscientific.
- Throughout the website, book and program he makes claims that appeal to research that has been done. The vast majority of such claims are void of any reference to such research, and such research can indeed nowhere be found. For example:
“The breakthrough contribution of Positive Intelligence research is through factor analysis to discover the core factors that impact both performance and wellbeing. This research revealed that there are only 10 negative response factors (10 Saboteurs) and only 5 positive response factors (5 Sage powers).” (Positive Intelligence website).
This body of research does to my inquiry, not exist, not even in his own book.
“Our program focuses on growing three specific mental muscles, which become visible as new neural pathways in MRI imaging within 8 weeks of practice.”
The only reference I found regarding this matter was in his book to a study that was about phantom pain in limbs that were amputated. In that study, it was concluded that it took 21 days for the brain to adjust and for the phantom pain to subside. It seems intellectually and morally wrong to warp the conclusion of a study on limb amputation to be cut-and-clear proof that his own mental exercise program creates new neural pathways in MRI imaging.
“Our program is based on research with more than 500,000 participants from 50 countries, including CEOs, students, elite athletes, and sales, operations, and technology teams.”
Again, no idea what research he is referring to, because it can nowhere be found.
In my conclusion, he is using the false pretence of research and science to present his made-up mental health ideas and methods as being scientifically substantiated.
- Where he does reference a study, he seems to blatantly misuse them.
For instance, from the book: “In a fascinating study, researchers discovered a compelling difference between the impact of fake positivity (produced by the Survivor Brain) versus genuine positivity (produced by the PQ Brain).37 The researchers distinguished between the fake and genuine positivity by paying attention to the facial muscles involved in a genuine smile and a forced smile. (…) In this study, the researchers discovered that insincere positivity poses the same level of risk of coronary disease as the overt negativity of anger.”
I went to the reference (37 - Robert Zajonc et al., “Feeling and Facial Efference: Implications of the Vascular Theory of Emotion,” Psychological Review 96, no. 3 (July 1989): 395– 416.) The article does not talk about genuine or fake positivity or smile in any way, nor does it mention anything even remotely analogically linked to a PQ and survivor brain. Nowhere does the article mention anything about a relationship towards a risk for a certain disease. The article is about: “Is facial muscular movement capable of altering emotional state? Facial feedback theories answer this question in the affirmative but do not specify the intervening process. “ (from the article itself). Their conclusion is even precisely the opposite of what Chamine means with guine/fake: “It appears, therefore, that muscular facial actions may have an independent influence over the individual's subjective feeling state.” (from the article). They see that the facial action itself triggers a neurological response (that is in itself extremely complicated and placed into a deeply nuanced discussion about brain – emotion functions (nothing about two parts of the brain)).
Therefore, it seems that Chamine, whether intentionally or not, misreads and lies about the outcomes of a study to bolster his own mental health program. This also demonstrates the easiness with which a non-peer reviewed published book can create the veil of being scientific by small acts of forgery.
- Based on all what I found out about above, I have to conclude that Shirzad Chamine is a fraud. Unrelated to the above, but after having watched the Judge demo video (in which he lets out his inner saboteur, and starts acting like a crazy man), I sincerely wonder if he is mentally sane or merely acting. The book and program seems to basically teach the participant to have a multi-personality disorder. In light of his background, I find the whole book / mental coaching program irresponsible. There are people who become actual psychologists who try to help people, and actual neuroscientists, who truly do research on the topic; instead, we are here listening to a fraudulent businessman making gross amounts of money with some made up psychology.
April 25, 2012
I'm giving this a lower rating, not because the book was particularly poor, but because it is overly simplistic. It's left brain/right brain dichotomy and it's New-Agey lingo turned me off, although I agree with the concepts. It was a great reminder to practice more mindfully and meditate. The neurological benefits of these practices is really undisputed -- nothing mystical, just how our bodies work best.
The short summary: Think positively, so that you act, rather than letting negative thoughts sideline you. Repeat that sentence repeatedly, paying attention to your breath and you will realize you need to act.
The short summary: Think positively, so that you act, rather than letting negative thoughts sideline you. Repeat that sentence repeatedly, paying attention to your breath and you will realize you need to act.
July 24, 2019
I have been experiencing some challenges recently in my business and personal life and I have been looking for something to help me regain my focus. This is exactly what I have been looking for.
The tools in this book are simple yet have had a tremendous impact on my personal and professional life. I was able to have a productive conversation with my son tonight by focusing on my sage voice and quieting the saboteurs. He opened up to me and I was able to guide him without him feeling judged.
The impact on my professional life has been just as amazing. I sell real estate and the challenges in the market have really brought out the worst in everyone. I can see how my low PQ (positive intelligence score) has a tendency to bring out the judge saboteur in my clients and prospects. This past week as I met with new prospects and spoke with my clients, I was able to truly listen from a sage perspective and connect with them on a deeper level. Now, instead of trying to convince them, we are working together to find solutions where everyone wins. I have been able to get a yes on each of my last 7 presentations. Prior to reading this book, I was listing about 50% of my presentations.
I have already recommended this book to some co-workers and as soon as it is published, I plan on buying it for each of my children. Thank you for teaching this concept so simply and effectively. This will be a staple on my short list of resource books.
The tools in this book are simple yet have had a tremendous impact on my personal and professional life. I was able to have a productive conversation with my son tonight by focusing on my sage voice and quieting the saboteurs. He opened up to me and I was able to guide him without him feeling judged.
The impact on my professional life has been just as amazing. I sell real estate and the challenges in the market have really brought out the worst in everyone. I can see how my low PQ (positive intelligence score) has a tendency to bring out the judge saboteur in my clients and prospects. This past week as I met with new prospects and spoke with my clients, I was able to truly listen from a sage perspective and connect with them on a deeper level. Now, instead of trying to convince them, we are working together to find solutions where everyone wins. I have been able to get a yes on each of my last 7 presentations. Prior to reading this book, I was listing about 50% of my presentations.
I have already recommended this book to some co-workers and as soon as it is published, I plan on buying it for each of my children. Thank you for teaching this concept so simply and effectively. This will be a staple on my short list of resource books.
August 5, 2016
Like many books in the world of popularization of coaching, this is overly simplistic, has a bit of a complex about needing to justify itself with data, and puts cutesy terminology on things. This is the nature of the coaching profession right now. everybody is trying to develop unique intellectual property to stand it from the crowd, and everybody knows the big money is either in massive cultish events where people come to be touched by the charismatic guru or in the world of people and corporations who need evidence before eshelling out money.
That said, the content of this book is excellent and "actionable." You can read this book and start implementing it and start changing your life immediately. But most people will stumble and fall and need support.
Either working with a friend or a support group or a coach will make it easier to commit to the practices.
This book's use to me as a coach is great. I have already started using the assessment tool that looks at how this material shows up with my clients to speed their growth and am seeing impact.
That said, the content of this book is excellent and "actionable." You can read this book and start implementing it and start changing your life immediately. But most people will stumble and fall and need support.
Either working with a friend or a support group or a coach will make it easier to commit to the practices.
This book's use to me as a coach is great. I have already started using the assessment tool that looks at how this material shows up with my clients to speed their growth and am seeing impact.
June 18, 2024
Takeaways from reading the book:
Question # 1: Where do saboteurs / internal critics come from?
- Page 16: When we are children, we develop saboteurs / internal critics in our minds. Why do we do that? We do that to survive / be accepted / be loved. As we go through childhood, the saboteurs / internal critics develop into automatic mind patterns. When we become adults, we do not need these saboteurs / internal critics anymore. However, the internal critics stay in our minds because they have become habits for us. Each of the saboteurs / internal critics has its beliefs which work against our best interests.
- Page 26: When the stress, you experience in situations in life, increases, the saboteurs / internal critics grow stronger.
Question # 2: What do saboteurs / internal critics do to you?
- Pages 16, 34, 55, 62, 73 and 84: For the JUDGE, love is conditional. We have to do something to be loved by the judge in us. The judge finds faults with us and other people. The judge thinks that if it does not find faults with us and punish us for making these faults, we will become lazy. The judge thinks that if it does not judge us for what is wrong with us and make us feel bad, we will not learn from our mistakes. The judge thinks it is better to punish us than to empathize with us. For example, the judge in the mind of the author said to him, when he was a child, that he was unworthy of his perfect parents' time and affection. The judge generates anxiety, stress, anger, disappointment, shame and guilt. The judge says "you will be happy when..." This lie and continuously moving target will ensure your everlasting unhappiness.
- Pages 17 and 39: The PERFECTIONIST hates mistakes. It tells you to be highly critical of yourself and others. The stickler tells you to live in constant frustration, disappointment and anger with yourself and others over things that are not perfect enough. It says to you that if you can't do something perfectly, don't do it at all. The stickler organizes everything well and is worried that people will mess up the order it has created. No matter how hard people work, the perfectionist will criticize. The perfectionist is highly sensitive to criticism of itself. To make up for others' laziness, the perfectionist works a lot.
- Pages 17 and 49: The HYPER-ACHIEVER / the WORKAHOLIC makes you dependent on constant performance and achievement. It makes you think that you are only worthy if you have external success and others think well of you. This leads to workaholic tendencies and causes you to fall out of touch with emotional and relationship needs. For the hyper-achiever / the workaholic, life is about results. It wants you to be the best. It is strongly competitive and wants you to work efficiently. It hides insecurities and adapts its personality to show a positive image of itself and impress others. The hyper-achiever fears intimacy and vulnerability and keeps people at a safe distance because closeness with others allow them to see imperfections. For the hyper-achiever, emotions get in the way of performance.
- Pages 19, 49 and 61: The CONTROLLER / the SERGEANT is afraid that nothing gets done, and that there will be chaos if it doesn't step in and tell people what to. Therefore, the controller wants to take charge, push people to do things and to control situations. The controller is stimulated by and connects through conflict. It is a straight talker, confrontational and impatient with people's emotions. The controller thinks it is either in control or out of control and believe other people want it to take control. When other people do not follow the controller, it gets angry. The controller's in-your-face communication is interpreted by others as anger or criticism. In the short term, the controller voice allows you to get results. In the long run, however, it creates resentment in others as people are prevented from using and developing their competencies. Resentment is a mix of disappointment, disgust, anger, and fear.
- Page 17: The PLEASER tells you that to be accepted, you need to help and please others. The pleaser has a strong need to be liked. It constantly needs to get assurance from others that he or she is accepted and liked. The pleaser feels that expressing his or her own needs is selfish. Therefore, the pleaser cannot express his or her needs openly. It bothers the pleaser that other people do not notice or care about what he or she has done for them. As a consequence, the pleaser thinks other people can be selfish and ungrateful. The behavior and thinking of the pleaser can lead to burnout. The child of a parent with a controller saboteur may develop a pleaser saboteur to maintain peace.
- Pages 18 and 49: The VICTIM wants you to attract attention by feeling emotional. The victim is attached to having difficulties. It thinks that terrible things always happen to him or her, and that he or she is disadvantaged. "Poor me", the victim thinks. Negative emotions stay in the mind of a victim for a long time. The victim thinks that nobody understands him or her and wishes that someone would come and rescue him or her from the mess that he or she is in. The victim feels alone. When the victim is criticized or misunderstood, it withdraws. When things get tough, the victim wants to give up. The victim represses anger, which leads to feeling depressed.
- Pages 18 and 49: The HYPER-RATIONAL / the ROBOT tells you to value knowledge strongly and process everything in a rational, analytical way - including relationships. The hyper-rational sees emotions as distracting, irrelevant and unworthy of much time. It analyses rather than experiences emotions. The hyper-rational becomes frustrated, when people express their emotions. The hyper-rational can be perceived as cold.
- Pages 18 and 49: The HYPER-VIGILANT wants you to think that life is full of dangers. Therefore, it makes you feel nervous about what can go wrong and makes dangers around you much bigger than they are. The hyper-vigilant is very suspicious about what other people will do and expect that people will mess up. The nervous energy of the hyper-vigilant results in stress and difficulty to relax.
- Pages 19 and 49: The RESTLESS wants you to be busy all the time and to continuously search for more excitement. It wants you to not miss out on anything. This results in constant distractions and lack of focus. The anxiety-based escape from being present results in distance to other people, because other people feel they cannot keep up with you.
- Pages 19 and 49: The AVOIDER wants you to focus on the pleasant and positive. It wants harmony and to make peace. The avoider downplays the importance of real problems and avoids difficult tasks and conflicts. The avoider thinks that if it lets go, things will take care of themselves. The avoider has difficulty saying no. It resists other people in a passive-aggressive way rather than directly. The avoider suppresses anger. It thinks that by dealing with conflicts now, it will hurt people's feelings and lose connection with them. Due to avoidance of conflicts, relationships of the avoider remain superficial.
Question # 3: How do we weaken saboteurs / internal critics in our minds?
Step # 1: Name the saboteur / internal critic when it comes up in your mind
Pages 20, 22, 25 and 51: Put a name on the saboteur that pops up in your mind when you think certain thoughts and feel certain emotions. When you put a name on a saboteur that shows up in your mind, that saboteur loses its power over you. Example: When the perfectionist voice speaks to you, say “Hello perfectionist, are you there again saying that I should...."
Step # 2: Weaken the saboteur / internal critic
- Page 51: Do NOT get angry with your saboteur. Avoid judging your saboteur.
- Page 66: What do you think would change in your life if the saboteur / internal critic, which pops up into your mind, was weakened?
- Page 73: Take whatever the judge tell us with a grain of salt.
Step # 3: Replace blame with learning
- Page 78: Try to let a problem go without feeling shame. Example: With your right hand, make a broom action on your left shoulder.
- Pages 6 and 73: Turn your way of thinking about a problem from a) disappointment, guilt and blame to b) curiosity, learning, excitement, creative thinking and action.
Step # 4: Love yourself. Accept yourself and be kind to yourself.
- Page 71: Realize and accept that stress you feel is created by saboteurs in your mind.
- Page 50: When you make a mistake, say to yourself that you are still a wonderful human being and that every mistake can be turned into an opportunity.
- Pages 83 and 122: Show yourself appreciation, compassion and forgiveness.
- Pages 85 and 158: To empathize with yourself, visualize yourself as a child doing something that made your eyes light up. This image is a reminder that you are worthy of unconditional caring when you are feeling beaten by your own judge.
- Page 95: Ask yourself what you can do to be more kind to yourself.
Step # 5: Learn
- Pages 20 and 122: Be curious and learn.
- Page 56: Write down an important thing about yourself that you have never shared with others because you were afraid of not being accepted or respected.
- Page 76: Try to find out what is good about people you judged.
- Page 76: Find out what people, whom you judge, try to tell you.
- Page 87: Take time to discover all important and relevant information before moving on to developing a solution and acting.
- Page 87: Find out why the person is feeling how she / he feels?
- Page 96: Observe how the energy and emotions of people change in different situations.
- Page 115: Be aware / mindful of what you do, for example what your hands do when you make tea.
- Page 159: Find out what happened in a situation with the goal of learning from it - not with the goal of blaming.
Step # 6: Develop ideas
- Pages 20 and 122: Develop ideas.
- Pages 6, 73 and 77: What are three ways you can turn the problem into a gift and an opportunity?
- Page 87: Come up with as many ideas as possible.
- Page 88: Avoid judging / evaluating ideas.
- Pages 89 and 149: Try the exercise "Yes, and.." Example: "Yes, what I love about this idea is.... and..."
Step # 7: Discover your values and find purpose
- Pages 20 and 89: What are your values and purpose?
- Page 90: Our values and purpose lie in our hearts.
Step # 8: Try ideas out
- Page 73: Make a decision about an idea you want to try out.
- Page 20: Try out the idea.
- Page 149: Set boundaries for your top saboteur.
Question # 4: What are some results of positive intelligence?
- Page 9: More positive intelligence results in less stress, lower blood pressure, less pain and better sleep.
- Page 114: We feel emotions such as peace, curiosity, joy and compassion.
Question # 1: Where do saboteurs / internal critics come from?
- Page 16: When we are children, we develop saboteurs / internal critics in our minds. Why do we do that? We do that to survive / be accepted / be loved. As we go through childhood, the saboteurs / internal critics develop into automatic mind patterns. When we become adults, we do not need these saboteurs / internal critics anymore. However, the internal critics stay in our minds because they have become habits for us. Each of the saboteurs / internal critics has its beliefs which work against our best interests.
- Page 26: When the stress, you experience in situations in life, increases, the saboteurs / internal critics grow stronger.
Question # 2: What do saboteurs / internal critics do to you?
- Pages 16, 34, 55, 62, 73 and 84: For the JUDGE, love is conditional. We have to do something to be loved by the judge in us. The judge finds faults with us and other people. The judge thinks that if it does not find faults with us and punish us for making these faults, we will become lazy. The judge thinks that if it does not judge us for what is wrong with us and make us feel bad, we will not learn from our mistakes. The judge thinks it is better to punish us than to empathize with us. For example, the judge in the mind of the author said to him, when he was a child, that he was unworthy of his perfect parents' time and affection. The judge generates anxiety, stress, anger, disappointment, shame and guilt. The judge says "you will be happy when..." This lie and continuously moving target will ensure your everlasting unhappiness.
- Pages 17 and 39: The PERFECTIONIST hates mistakes. It tells you to be highly critical of yourself and others. The stickler tells you to live in constant frustration, disappointment and anger with yourself and others over things that are not perfect enough. It says to you that if you can't do something perfectly, don't do it at all. The stickler organizes everything well and is worried that people will mess up the order it has created. No matter how hard people work, the perfectionist will criticize. The perfectionist is highly sensitive to criticism of itself. To make up for others' laziness, the perfectionist works a lot.
- Pages 17 and 49: The HYPER-ACHIEVER / the WORKAHOLIC makes you dependent on constant performance and achievement. It makes you think that you are only worthy if you have external success and others think well of you. This leads to workaholic tendencies and causes you to fall out of touch with emotional and relationship needs. For the hyper-achiever / the workaholic, life is about results. It wants you to be the best. It is strongly competitive and wants you to work efficiently. It hides insecurities and adapts its personality to show a positive image of itself and impress others. The hyper-achiever fears intimacy and vulnerability and keeps people at a safe distance because closeness with others allow them to see imperfections. For the hyper-achiever, emotions get in the way of performance.
- Pages 19, 49 and 61: The CONTROLLER / the SERGEANT is afraid that nothing gets done, and that there will be chaos if it doesn't step in and tell people what to. Therefore, the controller wants to take charge, push people to do things and to control situations. The controller is stimulated by and connects through conflict. It is a straight talker, confrontational and impatient with people's emotions. The controller thinks it is either in control or out of control and believe other people want it to take control. When other people do not follow the controller, it gets angry. The controller's in-your-face communication is interpreted by others as anger or criticism. In the short term, the controller voice allows you to get results. In the long run, however, it creates resentment in others as people are prevented from using and developing their competencies. Resentment is a mix of disappointment, disgust, anger, and fear.
- Page 17: The PLEASER tells you that to be accepted, you need to help and please others. The pleaser has a strong need to be liked. It constantly needs to get assurance from others that he or she is accepted and liked. The pleaser feels that expressing his or her own needs is selfish. Therefore, the pleaser cannot express his or her needs openly. It bothers the pleaser that other people do not notice or care about what he or she has done for them. As a consequence, the pleaser thinks other people can be selfish and ungrateful. The behavior and thinking of the pleaser can lead to burnout. The child of a parent with a controller saboteur may develop a pleaser saboteur to maintain peace.
- Pages 18 and 49: The VICTIM wants you to attract attention by feeling emotional. The victim is attached to having difficulties. It thinks that terrible things always happen to him or her, and that he or she is disadvantaged. "Poor me", the victim thinks. Negative emotions stay in the mind of a victim for a long time. The victim thinks that nobody understands him or her and wishes that someone would come and rescue him or her from the mess that he or she is in. The victim feels alone. When the victim is criticized or misunderstood, it withdraws. When things get tough, the victim wants to give up. The victim represses anger, which leads to feeling depressed.
- Pages 18 and 49: The HYPER-RATIONAL / the ROBOT tells you to value knowledge strongly and process everything in a rational, analytical way - including relationships. The hyper-rational sees emotions as distracting, irrelevant and unworthy of much time. It analyses rather than experiences emotions. The hyper-rational becomes frustrated, when people express their emotions. The hyper-rational can be perceived as cold.
- Pages 18 and 49: The HYPER-VIGILANT wants you to think that life is full of dangers. Therefore, it makes you feel nervous about what can go wrong and makes dangers around you much bigger than they are. The hyper-vigilant is very suspicious about what other people will do and expect that people will mess up. The nervous energy of the hyper-vigilant results in stress and difficulty to relax.
- Pages 19 and 49: The RESTLESS wants you to be busy all the time and to continuously search for more excitement. It wants you to not miss out on anything. This results in constant distractions and lack of focus. The anxiety-based escape from being present results in distance to other people, because other people feel they cannot keep up with you.
- Pages 19 and 49: The AVOIDER wants you to focus on the pleasant and positive. It wants harmony and to make peace. The avoider downplays the importance of real problems and avoids difficult tasks and conflicts. The avoider thinks that if it lets go, things will take care of themselves. The avoider has difficulty saying no. It resists other people in a passive-aggressive way rather than directly. The avoider suppresses anger. It thinks that by dealing with conflicts now, it will hurt people's feelings and lose connection with them. Due to avoidance of conflicts, relationships of the avoider remain superficial.
Question # 3: How do we weaken saboteurs / internal critics in our minds?
Step # 1: Name the saboteur / internal critic when it comes up in your mind
Pages 20, 22, 25 and 51: Put a name on the saboteur that pops up in your mind when you think certain thoughts and feel certain emotions. When you put a name on a saboteur that shows up in your mind, that saboteur loses its power over you. Example: When the perfectionist voice speaks to you, say “Hello perfectionist, are you there again saying that I should...."
Step # 2: Weaken the saboteur / internal critic
- Page 51: Do NOT get angry with your saboteur. Avoid judging your saboteur.
- Page 66: What do you think would change in your life if the saboteur / internal critic, which pops up into your mind, was weakened?
- Page 73: Take whatever the judge tell us with a grain of salt.
Step # 3: Replace blame with learning
- Page 78: Try to let a problem go without feeling shame. Example: With your right hand, make a broom action on your left shoulder.
- Pages 6 and 73: Turn your way of thinking about a problem from a) disappointment, guilt and blame to b) curiosity, learning, excitement, creative thinking and action.
Step # 4: Love yourself. Accept yourself and be kind to yourself.
- Page 71: Realize and accept that stress you feel is created by saboteurs in your mind.
- Page 50: When you make a mistake, say to yourself that you are still a wonderful human being and that every mistake can be turned into an opportunity.
- Pages 83 and 122: Show yourself appreciation, compassion and forgiveness.
- Pages 85 and 158: To empathize with yourself, visualize yourself as a child doing something that made your eyes light up. This image is a reminder that you are worthy of unconditional caring when you are feeling beaten by your own judge.
- Page 95: Ask yourself what you can do to be more kind to yourself.
Step # 5: Learn
- Pages 20 and 122: Be curious and learn.
- Page 56: Write down an important thing about yourself that you have never shared with others because you were afraid of not being accepted or respected.
- Page 76: Try to find out what is good about people you judged.
- Page 76: Find out what people, whom you judge, try to tell you.
- Page 87: Take time to discover all important and relevant information before moving on to developing a solution and acting.
- Page 87: Find out why the person is feeling how she / he feels?
- Page 96: Observe how the energy and emotions of people change in different situations.
- Page 115: Be aware / mindful of what you do, for example what your hands do when you make tea.
- Page 159: Find out what happened in a situation with the goal of learning from it - not with the goal of blaming.
Step # 6: Develop ideas
- Pages 20 and 122: Develop ideas.
- Pages 6, 73 and 77: What are three ways you can turn the problem into a gift and an opportunity?
- Page 87: Come up with as many ideas as possible.
- Page 88: Avoid judging / evaluating ideas.
- Pages 89 and 149: Try the exercise "Yes, and.." Example: "Yes, what I love about this idea is.... and..."
Step # 7: Discover your values and find purpose
- Pages 20 and 89: What are your values and purpose?
- Page 90: Our values and purpose lie in our hearts.
Step # 8: Try ideas out
- Page 73: Make a decision about an idea you want to try out.
- Page 20: Try out the idea.
- Page 149: Set boundaries for your top saboteur.
Question # 4: What are some results of positive intelligence?
- Page 9: More positive intelligence results in less stress, lower blood pressure, less pain and better sleep.
- Page 114: We feel emotions such as peace, curiosity, joy and compassion.
August 14, 2016
It would be unfair to suggest I read Positive Intelligence with an open mind, or even read it, rather I flipped through it. I did read today’s report in The Observer by Harriet Sherwood, the headline of which is Top cleric says C of E reforms risk making it a ‘suburban sect’. How does that apply to Shirzad Chamine’s New York Time’s bestseller? Well, I’d argue that Positive Intelligence (PQ) which measure the percentage of your mind that is sabotaging you as opposed to helping you is pseudoscience or just plain bullshit. ‘The great news is you can improve your PQ.’ You can minimise the Judge that rules your life and increase your Sagacity and empathise more. Win-Win. In other words, do unto other what you would do to yourself.
I’ll quote Sherwood here on the Church of England’s plans, but they could apply equally to PQ:
'There seems to be no sagacity, serious science or spiritual substance to the curatives being offered.'
Make no mistake Positive Intelligence tells you, like the Church of England or indeed Alcoholic Anonymous’ Big Book, how to turn your life around. Read, for example, the account of ‘Peter an entrepreneur’. He had wanted to make $10 million before his retirement. He was offered $125 million for his company, but turned it down because his college buddy had been offered $330 million. Late Peter became bankrupt. Peter is an asshole is the lesson I learned. I’m not great at empathising with people like him, but that is being judgemental. You need to ask yourself why you are being judgemental. Ask your Sagacity.
My Sagacity says fuck off.
Chamine points out in his research that ‘on average, able-bodied adults who become quadriplegic through an accident return to their baseline happiness’.
I thought I was poor and unhappy because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet. Read that sentence again. Happiness has a baseline. Unhappiness too must have a baseline. I’m going to send away for one of those things you blow into when the cops arrest you and they say ‘sorry, pal, you’ve driving a car and you’re three times over the unhappiness limit’. You’re looking at a two year ban, put in the cells and beat up.’ Blow into the bag again. ‘look pal, you’re ten time over the limit, we need to cut your feet off and you’ve done this before so we’re cutting your fingers off. Are you happy now? See what you’ve made us do?’
If you look through Positive Intelligence peppered with stories that could have come straight from AA’s Big Book so you don’t need to read the PI book. ‘The Vicious Cycle’; ‘Women Suffer Too’; ‘Jim’s Story’; ‘The Man Who Mastered Fear’; ‘He Sold Himself Short’; ‘The Missing Link’; ‘My Chance to Live’; ‘Acceptance Was the Answer’; ‘Winner Takes All’.
I’m not asking you to read the Big Book or take the PI test, or read the New York Times bestseller. I’d just ask the kind of people that read books where they can slap themselves on the back and thing how they’ve created such a fine test and algorithm for measuring happiness to blow in that bag, pal and take a long hard look at themselves. Books are the answer because they can help us empathise with the other, the worker, the underlining, the refugee.
Anthony Trollope’s character had something to say in the nineteenth century in 'The Way We Live Now' that has added bite in the twenty-first century. ‘People said of him that he had framed and carried out long and premeditated and deeply laid schemes for the ruins of those who had trusted him, that he had swallowed up the property of all who had come in contact with him, that he was fed with the blood of widows and children’.
Positive Intelligence is an argument for the placebo effect and for backslapping for those that own the top 100 US companies Chamine is writing and works for. These are not my people. This is not my book. Read. Read. Read widely and wisely. Then you’ll understand.
I’ll quote Sherwood here on the Church of England’s plans, but they could apply equally to PQ:
'There seems to be no sagacity, serious science or spiritual substance to the curatives being offered.'
Make no mistake Positive Intelligence tells you, like the Church of England or indeed Alcoholic Anonymous’ Big Book, how to turn your life around. Read, for example, the account of ‘Peter an entrepreneur’. He had wanted to make $10 million before his retirement. He was offered $125 million for his company, but turned it down because his college buddy had been offered $330 million. Late Peter became bankrupt. Peter is an asshole is the lesson I learned. I’m not great at empathising with people like him, but that is being judgemental. You need to ask yourself why you are being judgemental. Ask your Sagacity.
My Sagacity says fuck off.
Chamine points out in his research that ‘on average, able-bodied adults who become quadriplegic through an accident return to their baseline happiness’.
I thought I was poor and unhappy because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet. Read that sentence again. Happiness has a baseline. Unhappiness too must have a baseline. I’m going to send away for one of those things you blow into when the cops arrest you and they say ‘sorry, pal, you’ve driving a car and you’re three times over the unhappiness limit’. You’re looking at a two year ban, put in the cells and beat up.’ Blow into the bag again. ‘look pal, you’re ten time over the limit, we need to cut your feet off and you’ve done this before so we’re cutting your fingers off. Are you happy now? See what you’ve made us do?’
If you look through Positive Intelligence peppered with stories that could have come straight from AA’s Big Book so you don’t need to read the PI book. ‘The Vicious Cycle’; ‘Women Suffer Too’; ‘Jim’s Story’; ‘The Man Who Mastered Fear’; ‘He Sold Himself Short’; ‘The Missing Link’; ‘My Chance to Live’; ‘Acceptance Was the Answer’; ‘Winner Takes All’.
I’m not asking you to read the Big Book or take the PI test, or read the New York Times bestseller. I’d just ask the kind of people that read books where they can slap themselves on the back and thing how they’ve created such a fine test and algorithm for measuring happiness to blow in that bag, pal and take a long hard look at themselves. Books are the answer because they can help us empathise with the other, the worker, the underlining, the refugee.
Anthony Trollope’s character had something to say in the nineteenth century in 'The Way We Live Now' that has added bite in the twenty-first century. ‘People said of him that he had framed and carried out long and premeditated and deeply laid schemes for the ruins of those who had trusted him, that he had swallowed up the property of all who had come in contact with him, that he was fed with the blood of widows and children’.
Positive Intelligence is an argument for the placebo effect and for backslapping for those that own the top 100 US companies Chamine is writing and works for. These are not my people. This is not my book. Read. Read. Read widely and wisely. Then you’ll understand.
September 11, 2018
I cannot give 0 stars, so I'm giving it 1.
How to write a book like this. First, come up with your custom categorization of human traits/behaviors. Then, having an established vocabulary and the categorization write these words with Capital Letters. Remember to describe everything in these words, and bring several stories where you were using only These words and These words only when coaching people. Then repeat. Not forget to provide some scale, as people like to score points and compare numbers.
The same could have been done in a much better way, by noticing what works for people and calling things with the already existing names: the inner critic, morning rituals/routines. Renaming things to Saboteurs or Sages and claiming that with this, it helps people, won't make it any better. Unless we're discussing it from the brand/business perspective.
How to write a book like this. First, come up with your custom categorization of human traits/behaviors. Then, having an established vocabulary and the categorization write these words with Capital Letters. Remember to describe everything in these words, and bring several stories where you were using only These words and These words only when coaching people. Then repeat. Not forget to provide some scale, as people like to score points and compare numbers.
The same could have been done in a much better way, by noticing what works for people and calling things with the already existing names: the inner critic, morning rituals/routines. Renaming things to Saboteurs or Sages and claiming that with this, it helps people, won't make it any better. Unless we're discussing it from the brand/business perspective.
May 28, 2012
I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars because I am not entirely convinced that it could be so easy to achieve peace and happiness as described in this book. "Easy" is the wrong word, although the steps themselves are simple and lucid, getting there will still require hard work. The book teaches us to recognize our saboteurs, strengthen our sage, doing "PQ" exercises (which is little more than awareness/mindfulness training). What I especially liked about this book is that it encompasses the ideas of Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth: create a better life". The basis is that the inner chatter in your head is not you, usually it's just a saboteur or judge at work. However, Shirzad Chamine is more concrete as to how to quelch your saboteurs and strengthen your "sage", the positive. The word of caution is that you mustn't just pretend, as pretending to be positive without actually feeling it puts you at risk of coronary heart disease and doesn't improve anything mucht.
I have, in accordance with this book, started labelling my saboteurs. From the website www.positiveintelligence.com I found that my chief saboteur is the controller. No surprise there, I have been aware of that for years. I suffer tremendous pain when I'm not in charge or have full control. Letting things float is just not my style. My second most frequent saboteur is the victim, and this came a surprise. I didn't know this, I hate being a victim, but apparently that doesn't stop me from playing that card to myself (oh poor me), eventhough I rarely do so openly. Another thing I didn't think I was doing all that much of - anymore - was juding other people. Muahahahaha. I was so wrong! As a leader, I consider it part of my job description, but I am doing my best reevaluating my position as I didn't think I was doing it by far as often as I really am.
I have also started doing "PQ" exercises, which is just 10 seconds of being aware of ones surroundings (mindfulness training, really): the feel of wind on the skin, different sights, smells, the weight of my body in the chair. One hundred "PQ" exercises a day for three weeks should, according to this book, lead to dramatic results. Let's see. I know I'm not at 100 yet, but I do notice that I am more relaxed and less anxious now.
I will continue to take the advice of this book into account and I certainly consider it money well spent.
I have, in accordance with this book, started labelling my saboteurs. From the website www.positiveintelligence.com I found that my chief saboteur is the controller. No surprise there, I have been aware of that for years. I suffer tremendous pain when I'm not in charge or have full control. Letting things float is just not my style. My second most frequent saboteur is the victim, and this came a surprise. I didn't know this, I hate being a victim, but apparently that doesn't stop me from playing that card to myself (oh poor me), eventhough I rarely do so openly. Another thing I didn't think I was doing all that much of - anymore - was juding other people. Muahahahaha. I was so wrong! As a leader, I consider it part of my job description, but I am doing my best reevaluating my position as I didn't think I was doing it by far as often as I really am.
I have also started doing "PQ" exercises, which is just 10 seconds of being aware of ones surroundings (mindfulness training, really): the feel of wind on the skin, different sights, smells, the weight of my body in the chair. One hundred "PQ" exercises a day for three weeks should, according to this book, lead to dramatic results. Let's see. I know I'm not at 100 yet, but I do notice that I am more relaxed and less anxious now.
I will continue to take the advice of this book into account and I certainly consider it money well spent.
January 20, 2012
I first learned about the concept of Positive Intelligence while earning my MBA with one of my concentrations being in leadership development. Chamine has done a fantastic job of authoring a primer on the subject. Even if a potential reader of this book doesn't believe in the "psychobabbling" of business which I have often heard PI referred to, the book lays out excellent descriptors of group and individual dynamics which can interfer with successful team projects and lead to disastrous results. I think the thing that is most interesting about this book is that it isn't limited to the corporate world. This is a book whose concepts could be utilized in any group setting.
It is a book I would recommend to other leaders and in fact, already have!
It is a book I would recommend to other leaders and in fact, already have!
January 24, 2021
Overall, I liked the book, the shared ideas, and concepts. I'm giving 2 out of 5 stars because It was too simplistic for me. I could summarize the whole book in developing your awareness and becoming more centered. This is what the practice of meditation helps. In this way, you could become aware of your negative thoughts, for instance, then stop getting into them and start diving into your whole self and inner wisdom.
I've picked up the book because I was accepted into the PQ Program. Maybe the program could have some significant impact but, in my opinion, just by reading the book, I'm not sure how much value you will get.
I've picked up the book because I was accepted into the PQ Program. Maybe the program could have some significant impact but, in my opinion, just by reading the book, I'm not sure how much value you will get.
October 31, 2021
Useful on the whole in that it reinforces certain grounding mechanisms and strategies to overcome mental traps, but the book is a bit jargon-y and can get repetitive.
August 12, 2025
I was speaking to a friend the other day about how much leadership and self-help non-fiction is a regurgitation of ideas from the past but with different labels. Even the title, “Positive Intelligence,” seemed to ride on the coat tails of “Emotional Intelligence,” a hot buzz word in the corporate culture. Shirzad Chamine is another CEO who claims to have found the secret sauce for personal and team development. The value that the reader can glean from Chamine’s work is to monitor the damaging critical thinking we have toward ourselves and others, something he has labeled the “Judge,” and replace it with wisdom, which he calls, “the Sage.”
December 7, 2016
Um livro que recomendo a todos. Não é apenas um livro de conteúdos gratuitos que ensinam "a amar a nós próprios" ou "balelas" românticas para quem quer ser "feliz aqui e agora", como se poderá achar pelo título. É um livro para quem quer exercer uma função de líder na sua vida quer profissional, quer pessoal quer emocional. É um livro para todos os que já têm esta inteligência positiva e a exercem sem o saber ou para todos os que a pretendem desenvolver de forma progressiva porque sentem que "só vêm o lado negro da vida". É baseado em vários estudos e revela de forma eficaz métodos para focar a mente nos nossos objetivos pessoais sem os típicos comportamentos auto destrutivos que a sociedade aceitou como normais e até os incentiva (ansiedade, frustração, stress, ou seja, o chamado mau humor de chefe, já reparam que trabalhar sem esforço ou com felicidade é entendido como não havendo trabalho "a sério"? Se estivermos felizes e não houver esforço é porque não estamos verdadeiramente empenhados na tarefa mas... Porque é que as coisas têm de custar para serem bem feitas?). Ao nos libertarmos desses comportamentos que nos são incutidos ou pela sociedade ou pela parte do cérebro sobrevivente, conseguimos desenvolver a paz interior e adquirir o discernimento adequado ás mais variadas situações. Sinto que a leitura ajudará a todos nestes aspectos. O simples facto de se ter a percepção dos nossos sabotadores é meio caminho andado para os irmos corrigindo. Ter a percepção de que todos nós, sem excepção, os temos, é uma forma de criar empatia para com o outro quando ele os exerce sobre nós (traduzindo, quando alguém tem uma atitude menos correta para connosco). Ao aceitar que os outros falham, e diferentemente ao que se possa pensar não é ser-se bonzinho, é saber como e quando ajudar o outro ou o limite e o tratamento adequado a várias atitudes de outros de forma a não accionar os nossos próprios sabotadores. É, sobretudo, uma forma de ganhar uma liberdade e desprendimento mentais necessários para lidar com todos os tipos de situação quer seja a perda de alguém, uma falha num trabalho ou quer seja sentir que a felicidade não está ligada ao "quando". "Quando perder x kg, quando for promovido, quando trabalhar no que quero" etc, são tudo construções do Juiz para nos impedir de alcançar uma felicidade que, sinceramente, é bastante simples de ser encontrada. Leiam se tiverem interesse em aprender como libertar os comportamentos sabotadores que todos temos. Cinco estrelas, adorei.
February 24, 2022
I guess you could say that I failed this book since I'm giving it a negative review, hah. It took me perhaps longer than it should have to realize that it is basically about mindfulness and meditation repackaged to serve a business-school audience. Its message would make sense for a 5-page magazine article, but is way drawn out for a book. Or perhaps the author is just really bad at writing a book. After all, much of what is in Atomic Habits by James Clear, for example, can probably be summarized in a much shorter way, yet Atomic Habits makes for an engaging informative read. This book does not. It's mechanical and full of lists that are not particularly helpful or insightful. After asking my self multiple times why I was still reading it, I finally gave up about 80% through. I wish I could get my time refunded.
December 28, 2012
Professor Sanjeev Bedi first introduced me to this book right after I told him I'm interested in pursuing a startup. To my surprise, this is not a book that teaches how to run a startup, but a book that teaches skills that critical to achieving success in any area of life.
According to the author, one's positive intelligence (PQ) is her biggest determinant of success. Based on this premise, this book explores the various entities in the mind that make up one's PQ. One of those entities is the "Judge." Everyone has a Judge in their mind that labels everything in life as either good or bad. Judging oneself prevents one from attaining happiness in the process of achieving success; Judging others is the enemy of happy relationships; and Judging the circumstances denies one from ever being satisfied with what she has. By bringing the Judge to the conscious awareness, it will slowly melt away, making way for our inner "sage" to surface.
This book touches on many complex and abstract concepts. Although the reader may become more aware of the inner workings of the mind after the first read, attempting to articulate all the concepts to someone else may be difficult. Understanding all the content requires more than one read. But once the content is internalized and applied to every day practice, positive change is right around the corner.
According to the author, one's positive intelligence (PQ) is her biggest determinant of success. Based on this premise, this book explores the various entities in the mind that make up one's PQ. One of those entities is the "Judge." Everyone has a Judge in their mind that labels everything in life as either good or bad. Judging oneself prevents one from attaining happiness in the process of achieving success; Judging others is the enemy of happy relationships; and Judging the circumstances denies one from ever being satisfied with what she has. By bringing the Judge to the conscious awareness, it will slowly melt away, making way for our inner "sage" to surface.
This book touches on many complex and abstract concepts. Although the reader may become more aware of the inner workings of the mind after the first read, attempting to articulate all the concepts to someone else may be difficult. Understanding all the content requires more than one read. But once the content is internalized and applied to every day practice, positive change is right around the corner.
March 25, 2021
This books starts like many of the thousands of self-help books ("you have all the power you need inside you") and I was worried it would be all vague, semi-spiritual fluff. But it turns out that he gets more and more specific on what the harmful thought patterns are (he calls them "saboteurs") and on what the helpful thought patterns are ("the sage"). And then he even ends with some specific case studies, real situations where all of it has been applied. In the end, this book turned out to be of the more practical books on managing your self-talk.
November 14, 2021
I gave this a lower score largely because it appears to be an attempt to sell more services. I found the principles in the book enlighten but grew increasingly frustrated with the recommendations to go to the authors website for further information. Once at the site, the sales pitch was obvious.
June 13, 2017
Such a waste of time. The whole book is pseudo-science psychology, without a single piece of evidence to support the claims. Besides being overly-simplifying regarding normal life events, it is of the "I'll teach you what to think" type.
September 5, 2017
What a waste of time! Maybe I'm just harder to convince but all the strategies, applications, anecdotes and personal tools provided were simplistic. If you need a pep talk for a few days, this is the book for you.
June 1, 2023
I have come across many self development models and theories past few years, and I can say this is maybe the one that is most effective and applicable. I especially recommend reading this book alongside the 6 week programme that you can do via the app. I've learned about my saboteurs and can say I feel much more relaxed and at peace handeling 'challenging' situations.
August 7, 2024
I've engaged in PQ work for some time but finally took the time to read the book all the way through. I had started earlier but reached the end of the free preview. I'm glad I finally read it completely - very enlightening, and I look forward to putting it into practice!
April 14, 2024
I’d recommend to everyone. It’s a unique, simple approach to how the mind works and how you can make changes towards achieving control of your mind and accomplishing your goals.
August 25, 2022
Agree with Kate's review: the book is pretty simplified, slightly new-agey, and co-opts many different concepts into its own easy digestible framework, but this did not take away from the book's utility for me.
Working with a coach makes a big difference, and of course no system is perfect, but the perfect is the enemy of the good, after all.
Using the assessment tool and focusing on the top 2-3 'saboteurs' will probably account for 80% of a person's progress towards living a more aware and fulfilling life.
Working with a coach makes a big difference, and of course no system is perfect, but the perfect is the enemy of the good, after all.
Using the assessment tool and focusing on the top 2-3 'saboteurs' will probably account for 80% of a person's progress towards living a more aware and fulfilling life.
September 20, 2020
I’d already been referred to the author’s Saboteur Assessment before picking this book up, and I wondered what additional it could offer beyond what I’d learned in the test. What was most interesting was not more about The Judge - Chamine’s collective term for negative self talk - but how well he framed positivity as a realistic thinking style. If our brain can only interpret something as either a threat or opportunity, and only one of those choices activates the brain’s creative and innovative thinking centers... then choosing to be positive is not delusion, it’s a deliberate choice to bring our best possible thinking to the situation at hand. I’ve been playing more of Chamine’s crisis / opportunity game - what are 3 ways that this could turn out positive? - to practice this mental reorientation.
The last third of the book on Positive Intelligence Quotient (PQ) brain exercises was good, but repeated themes I’ve heard before so didn’t stand out. For someone who hasn’t read previously on mindfulness practice, focus, deep work, etc. Chamine writes very clearly and gives compelling personal and professional examples from his consulting business. I still wonder how “logging” your positive thinking can happen 100x a day... and not be in itself distracting!
The solution to putting the Positive Intelligence approach consistently into practice appears to be paying $1000 for Chamine’s 21-day detox program. Which does reek of some of the icky commercialism of pop wellness. But there are enough core concepts from the book about practical positivity and frameworks for positive thinking in action that can be adopted for free!
The last third of the book on Positive Intelligence Quotient (PQ) brain exercises was good, but repeated themes I’ve heard before so didn’t stand out. For someone who hasn’t read previously on mindfulness practice, focus, deep work, etc. Chamine writes very clearly and gives compelling personal and professional examples from his consulting business. I still wonder how “logging” your positive thinking can happen 100x a day... and not be in itself distracting!
The solution to putting the Positive Intelligence approach consistently into practice appears to be paying $1000 for Chamine’s 21-day detox program. Which does reek of some of the icky commercialism of pop wellness. But there are enough core concepts from the book about practical positivity and frameworks for positive thinking in action that can be adopted for free!
August 29, 2021
THIS IS NOT AN EASY BOOK TO REVIEW
Disclosure:
1) I am a psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist
2) I am an Associate Professor at a major metropolitan medical school
3) I have written my own mass market book (2007)
4) I'm a little bit of a perfectionist
The information Chamine presents is well very founded in the literature. There is nothing new here. What he has done is anthropomorphize these concepts by turning them into "characters" - The "Saboteurs" and the "Sage." Personally I found these construct terms incredibly distracting. That said, he is correct in stating that putting your issues into such a framework can be useful. Indeed, this is exactly how we do it with very young children.
His "neuroscience" is often little old in understanding. While it may work for the lay person, as an academic I had issues with his description of cortical function. The same could be said for some of his other neurobiological statements which are more theoretical in nature.
The bibliography in the back of the book requires editing / correction.
Chamine is an excellent marketer and likely an equally excellent coach. The book is a good way to conceptualize regularly utilized CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) practice.
It will be something I will certainly keep in my toolbox.
Disclosure:
1) I am a psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist
2) I am an Associate Professor at a major metropolitan medical school
3) I have written my own mass market book (2007)
4) I'm a little bit of a perfectionist
The information Chamine presents is well very founded in the literature. There is nothing new here. What he has done is anthropomorphize these concepts by turning them into "characters" - The "Saboteurs" and the "Sage." Personally I found these construct terms incredibly distracting. That said, he is correct in stating that putting your issues into such a framework can be useful. Indeed, this is exactly how we do it with very young children.
His "neuroscience" is often little old in understanding. While it may work for the lay person, as an academic I had issues with his description of cortical function. The same could be said for some of his other neurobiological statements which are more theoretical in nature.
The bibliography in the back of the book requires editing / correction.
Chamine is an excellent marketer and likely an equally excellent coach. The book is a good way to conceptualize regularly utilized CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) practice.
It will be something I will certainly keep in my toolbox.
October 13, 2020
The has to be the most underrated book I’ve ever come across. It has all the answers I’ve been looking for about how to make significant change in my mental programming. The author somehow makes neuroscience easy to understand and offers simple, meaningful ways to get your brain working in your favor, rather than be a victim to our judgmental mind or childhood conditioning. It’s broken down in an easy-to-read format with engaging stories, real-life examples and practical application.
When a friend recommended this book to me, I was hesitant as the cover looks very “professional development,” but thankfully once I began reading, I realized the value in its contents. It’s not only useful for professional life and workplace dynamics, it’s an essential tool that everyone needs and can easily benefit from. Imagine taking just 10 seconds to breathe deeply, changing which part of your brain is working, tapping into your calm, clarity, and wisdom. It can be that easy and life changing. I’m so grateful to have found this book and I recommend it to everyone who wants more ease and connection in their life.
When a friend recommended this book to me, I was hesitant as the cover looks very “professional development,” but thankfully once I began reading, I realized the value in its contents. It’s not only useful for professional life and workplace dynamics, it’s an essential tool that everyone needs and can easily benefit from. Imagine taking just 10 seconds to breathe deeply, changing which part of your brain is working, tapping into your calm, clarity, and wisdom. It can be that easy and life changing. I’m so grateful to have found this book and I recommend it to everyone who wants more ease and connection in their life.
December 4, 2021
There are bits of wisdom here and there but the book is so clearly targeted towards management-level white collar professionals that it made the ideas presented in the book, and the way that they are delivered (the author keeps withholding information and instead points the reader to his website) seem too opportunistic. The way that the author argues that we no longer need our inner Saboteurs in the modern world is highly suspicious. Sure, we no longer need to hide from wooly mammoths in the wild but that doesn't mean there are no other predators in the world that we need to look out for. In other words, I'm far too much of a skeptic to buy into anything that's not presented in a nuanced and argumentative way.
The idea of the Sage is very compelling but it's just not an original idea and not explored deeply enough in this book. Not that the author ever credited himself with coming up with it but for those who are really interested, best to take up Buddhism (but I'm guessing that this is something that the target audience of this book doesn't have time for).
The idea of the Sage is very compelling but it's just not an original idea and not explored deeply enough in this book. Not that the author ever credited himself with coming up with it but for those who are really interested, best to take up Buddhism (but I'm guessing that this is something that the target audience of this book doesn't have time for).
September 4, 2018
Some of the concepts in this book are stellar - the idea of managing how positive you feel through the construct of "saboteurs" to your happiness and your own internal "sage" resonated with me. However, the idea that all bad feelings you experience in your life are caused by these saboteurs and can be managed through some simple mental exercises overly-simplifies external influences and personal demons that so many face. There are definitely some things I'll take away from this book and it was worthwhile, but managing a person's PQ (positivity quotient, like IQ for intelligence) is more complex than I think this book is willing to acknowledge. Otherwise there'd be no more need for therapists in our world.
October 7, 2024
I enjoy reading books on improving business efficiency and thinking about how to apply the ideas to my business. Although I'm not entirely buying everything he's selling, I appreciated a lot of his messaging. My major take away from the book is that meditation is good (although he never uses the word meditation) which I do believe. He suggests you can 'strengthen your PQ brain' by doing PQ exercises (being in the moment, quieting thoughts, getting centered, etc.) for 10 seconds at a time 100 times a day. It's an intriguing idea and I'm working on it.
July 3, 2012
I was extremely impressed with the framework and model proposed by Chamine. The idea of Sabateours and Sage traits resonated greatly with me. I liked it so much that I've also ordered the hardcover to supplement my kindle version.
I have used the reframing methods with great success already and hope to be able to increase my PQ through the exercises - though I do find this harder to accomplish.
I highly recommend this book for people interested in positive intelligence.
I have used the reframing methods with great success already and hope to be able to increase my PQ through the exercises - though I do find this harder to accomplish.
I highly recommend this book for people interested in positive intelligence.
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