The senior employees on the same page about a book of ‘drivel’

But of the many problems I have with this book, probably the biggest is its explicit assertion that there’s a flipside to this conjuring; that in the same way wealthy and successful people have thought their way to prosperity, the poor and marginalised have thought their way to hardship.

Following this logic, awful illnesses must also be the product of the “wrong” thinking. But that’s OK because, according to the book, you can always think your way out of poor health, including cancer.

How does such simplistic nonsense account for the (presumably) millions of people who have taken an optimistic attitude to their serious disease and died? Or those who have undergone treatment with the lowest of expectations and gone on to live long lives free of recurrence?

I could go on and on.

Now, if these people kept their veneration of the book to themselves, there wouldn’t really be a problem. And even if they talked about it now and then, without the coercion, it might be worthy of your displeasure but not your concern. However, these are powerful people who push the work and its precepts on less powerful colleagues. This isn’t a collection of bad jokes or a terrible novel; it’s directions on how to live your life and is being disseminated as such. I can see why the whole situation troubles you.

I’m interested to know whether this kind of magical thinking pervades the entire upper echelon of your organisation (in which case, run away) or is just confined to a small but influential set. If there are more critically minded people in positions of power, my advice would be to have a private chat with one about just how zealously these people are advocating such rubbish. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking in person, perhaps consider a carefully worded email or even an anonymous note.

The higher-ups may not care that a blame-the-victim mentality is being advanced in the guise of a sparkly New Age self-help book (although they should). But circulation of the idea that you can wish anything into existence – an exemplary performance review, a hefty pay rise, a majority stake in the company you work for – is much more likely to pique their interest.

I hope you can find some reason among the pseudoscientific pap. I can assure you, though, the problem won’t go away if you just wish for it hard enough.

Send your Work Therapy questions through to jonathan@theinkbureau.com.au