The Critical Thing Great Leaders Bring to Work
John Eades
Molding More Effective Leaders | Keynote Speaker | Leadership Development | Coach | Workshops | Sales Training | Author
It didn’t take long to realize that morale was at 3 on a 1-10 scale. The team had been beat up by poor business performance, selfish leadership, and unrealistic expectations. My first reaction was to jump right in and try to start solving problems, but I knew from my mentors that solving problems was only part of the equation. What everyone needed was hope and confidence about the future.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was the exact definition of optimism. Just this week, on Snapchat, I heard Gary Vaynerchuk say in a quick 10-second snap:
“The world lacks optimism, it’s in short supply. So if you find it, latch onto it. If you have it, much love.”
Optimism is what stops those with great talent from reaching their full potential.
Want proof? Since it's U.S. Open week look at what #1 Golfer in the World, Jason Day said this week: “You have to have a good attitude. Regardless of what the situation is. If you are going to have a bad attitude, you might as well not show up.”
It’s a leaders responsibility to bring optimism to the workplace every single day. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. If you do, these are the things that will happen:
People Will be Drawn To You
Optimism is like cookies coming out of the oven – you will draw people to you. Being surrounded by people with a deep interest in what you are doing and the desire to be around you is an enormous part of successfully leading a team to higher levels of performance.
People Will Follow You
You can't be a leader without people following you. Optimism provides a foundation to build great relationships with your team so they are willing to follow. Once someone is willing to follow, you have a chance to win on an ongoing basis. You probably have amazing leader-employee relationships but if you want a short reminder check out this video.
People Will Come to You in Times of Need
A mentor of mine once told me “everybody is going through something.” I don’t care how perfect someone else’s life looks on the outside, they are battling something. That means when people need to talk about their problems and challenges, the last place they want to go to is someone who has a negative outlook. Your optimistic outlook will allow you to help others during difficult times.
People Will Emulate You
Have you ever seen a small child watch their parents then immediately emulate them? This works for both positive and negative behaviors, and as parents it’s our job to set the example for our family. Obviously, your people aren’t children, but just like a family, your example sets a certain level of expectation. Give everyone a good example to follow.
People Will Spread Your Optimism
Your team will pass their new found optimism on to new hires, interns, and their family. Much like the power of social media you begin reaching a lot more people than you could ever imagine.
I am under no dissolution that bringing optimism to the workplace everyday is easy. In many ways, it might be the hardest thing any leader does because there are so much negativity and challenges in the world. That being said, I picked up a few ways to be an optimistic communicator from Jon Gordon, best selling author and speaker:
- Shout Praise, Whisper Criticism
- Encourage
- Smile More
- Don’t Complain
- Welcome Feedback
It’s my hope that by reading this, I will pass my own optimism on to you, at least for the day. The challenge will be evaluating how optimistic you are in your professional and personal life and committing to putting these into practice.
Online Leadership Programs. LearnLoft's out of the box training approach to helping modern professionals learn how to add value to their organization and world. Find out more about 'Getting Leadership Ready', a program designed to help young professionals understand what leadership really is and how to stand out as a potential leader. Their brand new program 'High Performance Leadership' teaches the core principles of performance leadership and provides tools and techniques to drive accountability in teams.
John Eades is the President of LearnLoft and Host of the Follow My Lead Podcast. He is passionate about the development of people. He writes, and speaks about modern leadership and learning techniques. You can find him on snapchat @johngeades.
Paralegal and Trial Assistant at Thompson Dove Law Group, LLC
8 年Love this! A great leader leads by example! Just like the old saying "treat others the way you want to be treated." It is true even in the business world! Great read!
Developing those that deliver care.
8 年Well said, John! Cultivating a culture of hope is critical for a team to even perceive a future. Optimism leads to buy-in which inspires problem-solving, and a desire to challenge the problems plaguing your workplace. If leaders don't have joy in their job or see a future where they work, they need change their perspective or leave. Leading people down a lightless tunnel only works with trains.
President Director at WLI Global Consulting
8 年True. Indeed developing optimism, sharing it with others, and make sure that sense of optimism spread over in the entire organization, every day is key responsibility of the leaders. I find this a very well written article on the subject and I guess many people can benefit from it if they decide to embrace and practice this value. Thank you.
Founder/CEO @ Executive Clarity Solutions | Leadership-building, Business Reflection
8 年John, Thank you for introducing me to Jon Gordon. I will certainly add him to my list of virtual mentors.
Founder/CEO @ Executive Clarity Solutions | Leadership-building, Business Reflection
8 年Great article! I always look forward to reading what you have to share. I am one of the few that have a good attitude (glass half full) personality. I make it a goal to share with others everyday.