Optimistic Leadership - 3 Learnings From Managing Through Ambiguous Times
When crisis hits, we find ourselves as leaders and teams.
In 2020 when the dreaded "C" word was dropped us, I was the CEO of a 300+ hotel group in the UK. Amidst the doom and gloom of a global health crisis and those unforgettable shut-downs, our team went to work to find a silver lining. By the end of the pandemic, our brand and its members had:
We could have easily shut everything down, furloughed the team, and prayed Covid would end. But my team wouldn't accept that route. As a result, the brand's success today is largely due to our optimistic efforts during that tough period. We significantly increased the number of hotels in the brand while reducing long-term costs.
However, we don't need a crisis to apply what we learned. Here are a few of my favorite strategies for building organizational optimism:
1. Solution Meetings
When the pandemic hit, we knew there would be a significant financial impact. It left a hole we couldn't immediately fill and would take years to recover. It was damage control and once we limited that exposure, our attention swiftly turned to what CAN we do. Enter the solutions meetings. The name itself aptly positioned intent; we are not here to discuss problems, rather to find opportunity. Solution meetings gave birth to many of the key initiatives listed above.
Learning: The crisis forced us to think differently. We often focus on what bigger problems prevent us from doing rather than the opportunities they create.
Schedule time with your team to step back from the day-to-day and take a fresh look at your biggest problems. View them through the lens of what you CAN do. Set these meetings regularly—every 3 or 6 months. The key is to focus on how you CAN win, despite the severity of the problem.
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2. Optimism Sprinkling
Sounds crazy, right? Far from it. The crisis forced us to look deeper into opportunities to engage our teams optimistically. One idea that came up was writing letters to those in isolation. Members of the public could register themselves, or someone else, to receive a hand-written note of comfort and hope. The British public and the whole brand got behind the initiative. Employees at home had their children write. Hotel staff, our board, and the leadership team all wrote letters. We were literally mailing hope to British people in isolation, building the brand's goodwill through kindness and optimism.
Learning: Actively seek opportunities to engage your team in optimism, regardless of the circumstances. It might be a kind act of service or celebrating small wins at your monthly meeting. Seek them out, go beyond the obvious, and be original.
Just like toxicity spreads fast, so does positivity. You get to choose which one to sprinkle.
3. Bounded Optimism
Napoleon famously said, "A leader is a dealer in hope." I firmly believe this; however, results are the currency of hope. Without results, the hope you sell as a leader is worthless.
We couldn't guarantee an end to Covid, nor could we guarantee the company's survival. That would be reckless. Our optimism had to be bounded by reality, recognizing the severity of the situation. Naturally, the main focus was not on the fear of the unknown, but it was important to acknowledge we were in unchartered waters. This balance maintained credibility and trust within the team. Our message was clear: we didn't know what would happen, but we would do everything possible to protect our team and get through it together.
Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right." Studies prove that optimistic leaders deliver better results. Why is that? Because optimistic leaders don't just want to win; they believe they will win.
Lead Well,
Rob
Yes to optimism and action steps/tracking to get there rather than hope; yes to values integration more than values conflict! Yes to solutions meetings, rather than why are we here?... these choices work, not just in pandemic. All about choice, daily.