Category Archives: Positive Risk-Taking

A Strengths Approach, Positive Risk-Taking, Working with Risk

Making your best decision

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You make several decisions every day, some without much conscious thought. But, every once in a while you’re challenged to make a difficult decision… either in your work, or in life in general. So, how confident are you that you’re making the best decision you can in those circumstances?

I’ve been working in and alongside a range of health and social care services since the mid-1980’s, and I’ve been involved in a wide range of big decisions. The following link offers a training session on what I take into account when making those decisions myself, or supporting others to make their big decisions.

https://event.webinarjam.com/register/25/w0y8gaoo

Our narrow focus on risk assessment and risk management may be deflecting us away from what is THE core skill… confident and reasoned risk decision-making. I’ve published the books and manuals on the subject over many years, but now I’m creating that information in a more easily accessible digital format. What have you got to lose… apart from a short amount of your valuable time? Click on the following link to get instant access to a FREE training webinar outlining my 5 simple steps to making better decisions:

https://event.webinarjam.com/register/25/w0y8gaoo

This takes my original concept of positive risk-taking and puts it into practical use.

A Strengths Approach, Positive Risk-Taking, Practice development

Tugging on your coat about something!

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I know you’re a busy person, after all, that’s why I’m coming to you with a free offer for developing your thinking and your practice a little bit further. “If you want something doing ask a busy person”, right?

We all take risks in our lives… the questions we should occasionally address are ‘the why’ and ‘the how’!

I presented a series of webinars back in February 2022 on these very questions. I’m now taking a few moments out of the practice development work that emerged out of those webinars to plan a new programme of webinar presentations.

Click on the following link to at least register your interest in hearing more as these plans evolve. What have you got to lose… apart from a few minutes out from your busy time, which might just contribute later to some better focus and management of that busy time!

https://positiverisktaking.lpages.co/pr-t-webinar-registration/

Best wishes,

Steve

A Strengths Approach, Positive Risk-Taking, Practice development, Working with Risk

6 Influences on Making Better Risk Decisions

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20 years of consultancy, including working with a small caseload of brain injury case management clients, is a milestone to note. So, I’m currently enrolled on Amy Porterfield’s Digital Course Academy, with the intention of developing a new digital course targeted specifically for busy practitioners in healthcare and brain injury fields of work.

The focus will be on supporting people to make those challenging risk decisions with greater confidence. Access the following link for a FREE report

https://positiverisktaking.lpages.co/making-better-risk-decisions

I can’t banish the endless need for bureaucratic tick-box approaches to risk assessment. However, I can help people by providing non-bureaucratic guidance that helps in the moment of decision-making. The report outlines some of the influences that we should all be aware of. The course (in development) will provide much more detailed guidance, emerging out of my decades of experience, including the initiaiting of the concept of Positive Risk-Taking back in 1994. 

Positive Risk-Taking, Working with Risk

Why Positive Risk-Taking is so misunderstood

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‘A horse walked into a bar…’ (you can make up the rest… my version is that the bartender asked “what’s with the long face?”) So, you think you know what Positive Risk-Taking is… well, get it from the horse’s mouth…

A horse walks into a bar

There is no ‘Positive Risk’ in Positive Risk-Taking! Yet I have long since lost count of the number of times I have heard the phrase, such as “I am taking a positive risk.” What does that even mean?

As the person who initiated the concept back in 1994, I have always been very clear in communicating precisely what the phrase means.

And why should this even matter? Well, if you are not clear in what you are communicating, the oft-repeated message in all of those incident inquiries that “… communication broke down” will inevitably continue to be the case.

Ask 10 people what ‘Positive Risk’ means, and you might just get at least 11 different answers. For me, the positive is NOT about the risk; it IS about the outcomes. Why do we take a risk? Because we want to gain the benefit of the positive outcome of such an action.

Positive Risk-Taking is at the root of best practice in risk decision-making. It embodies a structured approach to clearly reasoned risk decisions.

To find out more about how good risk assessment practice informs the concept, and the role of mindset in making challenging risk decisions with confidence, check out my FREE training webinar by using the following link:

https://positiverisktaking.lpages.co/risk-aversion-risk-taking-webinar

Consistency in the use and understanding of language across our organisations is essential for underpinning best practice.

A Strengths Approach, Person-centred working, Personal passions, Positive Risk-Taking, Practice development, Working with Risk

Positive Risk-Taking webinar

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So you think you know what ‘Positive Risk-Taking‘ is? Well, reflect again on that statement, as I created it back in 1994, and I have come across many people who lazily misinterpret the language and get the true meaning wrong.

Are you occasionally, or often maybe, confronted with a need to make a challenging risk decision? Well, if so, read on, as I have good news for you…

Logo 2019

Click on the link below to register for instant access to my latest webinar, outlining 5 simple steps to clear and confident risk decision-making. The webinar outlines my original creation of the concept of Positive Risk-Taking, along with access to a comprehensive range of resources for implementing best practice.

https://positiverisktaking.lpages.co/risk-aversion-risk-taking-webinar

Positive Risk-Taking, Practice development, Working with Risk

10th EuroSciCon Conference

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Congratulations to all who attended and contributed to the Paris Conference (11-12 April 2019) on Psychiatry, Psychology & Brain Studies.

A small but truly global event, as I had the opportunity to introduce contributions from Australia, Russia, Malaysia, India, Brazil, USA and UK. Thanks particularly go on Day 1 to Torie Robinson, Greg Robin and Paul Lang for their inspiring personal stories.

Also, thanks go to the Day 1 audience for their enthusiastic receiving of my keynote presentation on Good Practice in Risk Decision-Making incorporating the concept of Positive Risk-Taking that I created back in 1994. Look out for forthcoming webinar presentations and access to a full Membership Site underpinning the concept of  Positive Risk-Taking through the intricacies of working with risk.

Positive Risk-Taking

Paris Conference 2019

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Many thanks to the organisers of the 10th EuroSciCon Conference on Psychiatry, Psychology & Brain Studies (Paris 11-12 April 2019) for inviting me to be both a Keynote Speaker on Risk Decision-Making and my personal concept of Positive Risk-Taking, and also to be session chair for most of Day 1.

Check out the following link for details of the conference content:

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Aaa79f52e-2f6d-46ef-9cdf-9841cd13f298

Positive Risk-Taking

Paris Conference Presentation

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The following was the abstract I submitted for the keynote presentation at the recent Mental Health Congress in Paris (9-11/7/18):

Positive Risk-Taking: From Rhetoric to Reality

Do we pay enough attention to the impact that the language we use has on the people we serve, and the ways in which we serve them? Our adherence to professional jargon more often serves to exclude and/or confuse other people. This is most notable in the language of risk, particularly where the negative connotations can often drive a blame culture and promote an unnecessary risk averse approach. Where is the person within such a picture?

Assessing and manging risk is an essential skill; but, so to is calculated and reasoned risk-taking. My concept of ‘Positive Risk-Taking’, initiated in 1994, brings the language of risk, strengths and person-centred outcomes together in a clear and sharp focus. As a concept, it is underpinned by the principles and practice of good risk assessment and management, applicable to all facets of mental health, wider health, and social care considerations.

The concept is focused on the outcomes, rather than solely being led by the risks. Taking risks for positive outcomesrequires a clear definition and description; but, it is also underpinned by the fully recognized components of mental health good practice… focused and contextualized risk assessment is counter-balanced by a full strengths assessment; supervision and support is complemented by teamwork and team-focused training. Collective decision-making enables balanced and reasoned risk-taking decisions to be made with confidence, and the identification of individual responsibilities for action to be outlined within a thoughtful plan.

Welcoming the audience to the presentation:

Steve-Morgan_Euro-Mental-Health-2018,-Paris

A partial link to what you missed!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Nmes1fRYvhkBTSLw0rXk8w7yuoxKdTkN

Fielding a question or two:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pytmlqXLHoxJc8KKu20wZOT49xjpaKoa

And sharing in the post presentation accolades (holiday snapshots time !!):

Paris Congress 2018

Positive Risk-Taking

European Congress for Mental Health

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July in Paris, and it’s time for the next European Congress for Mental Health (9-11th July 2018).

Positive Risk-Taking is on the agenda, as I present one of the early morning keynote presentations on Day 1. Access the event programme line-up through the following link:

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/0efc6edd-d3df-427c-9606-0140c5e1e037

Tightrope

Positive Risk-Taking, Working with Risk, You Tube training videos

Who’s fault is the blame game?

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Who can we blame, who is at fault? These are natural questions to be asked when something has gone wrong, but are they a help or a hindrance to implementing good practice? In this video I challenge the value of adopting a blame game.

 

Use the following link to also access a free training webinar which introduces my simple 5-step process to risk decision-making, which also form the core modules of the Positive Risk-Taking Membership Site:

https://app.webinarjam.net/register/21360/99e6026a97