"Positive Thinking"

This is something I hear a lot in the software management circles, training sessions, etc., nowadays. All your problems can be solved by "positive thinking"! No one seems to be interested in practical thinking anymore!

The "real" managers who try to solve "real" problems, sometimes seemingly impossible, go much further with a positive approach to the problem at hand. On the other hand we have people who have a "positive" approach without any idea about the ground realities. This finally boils down to just wishful thinking or foolish optimism.

One of the sad facts about the software industry in India is that a lot of people just "manage" to get along especially in the services companies since none of the decisions taken have long term effect. It is usually the client who suffers much later. The payment and project would be over by then. A lot of people who neither have technical nor management skills or thinking tools "successfully" manage project teams. For them "positive" thinking is really valuable!

Positive thinking definitely is a great tool for those who do some practical thinking but it is not a substitute. I have a strange feeling that Scott Adams gets his inspiration for Dilbert from some of these circles.