Optimism Works Best When You Read the Room. 👀🧭

There’s a fine line between being positive and being so relentlessly upbeat that people start backing away slowly. I’m an evangelist for optimism — in life, in leadership, and especially in hiring — but I’m also aware that I can come on a little strong for some people.

Optimists must practice emotional intelligence. They must be able to sense when there’s resistance or discomfort in others. They also need strong communication skills so they can listen, learn, and respond clearly. And they need coaching skills to help others understand how optimism plays out in the workplace. Like I said yesterday, optimism comes with a responsibility to promote and use it effectively.

I believe about 70% of people — applicants and employees — have a spark of optimism that can be developed with teaching, coaching, modeling, and reinforcement. When we hire or promote trainers, their optimism should be more formally developed because it can add inspiration to learning. “The same applies to managers and supervisors — not so much in their technical or compliance duties, but especially in how they motivate and guide employees.”

If optimism is a leadership imperative, then leaders must also know how to weave it into company policies, practices, and processes.

·       A good example is the employee handbook. Most companies frame codes of conduct as things you shouldn’t do. A more optimistic approach is to frame them as the things you should do.

While this approach works well with people who have that spark of optimism, a different strategy is needed for the one in four who lean pessimistic. For them, clear and consistent communication is essential. Point out the benefits of flexibility, curiosity, resilience, and grit. Make those traits part of promotability and recognition. You won’t win everyone over, and some may choose to leave if this isn’t the culture they want. But everyone will have the opportunity to experience optimism in the workplace.

Either way, optimism deserves a place in how you lead today.

James Branch Cabell (1879 – 1958): American author of fantasy fiction that was considered escapist and fit well in the culture of the 1920s, when they were most popular.                  Another interesting character: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Branch_Cabell