How to Lead with Complete Optimism and Achieve Better Results

Optimism is an underrated emotion and outlook on life that can often come across as fanciful or unrealistic. For those who describe themselves as optimists, a skeptical glance is usually shot their way. In a sense we expect cynicism verging on pessimism by default. We suspect that anyone who believes in good outcomes, positive outlooks, and rosy dispositions most of the time must not be connected to reality.

Those who leer doubtingly are more likely to receive praise for their perspicacity and wisdom. It’s a predicament in that we preclude optimism as a viable mentality, leaving it little room to flourish where it otherwise might. 

Fortunately, those who strive for optimism possess a resilience that cannot be undone by mere skepticism or cynicism. It’s unsurprising then that optimistic people are far more likely to succeed than their dubious counterparts. Optimists are predisposed to look forward, to new days, new opportunities, favorable prospects, and happiness. The optimist’s mentality grants them the fortitude to cope with life’s hardships and adversity without losing ground. 

I strive to maintain an actively optimistic demeanor and mentality in all situations. I don’t think that distances me from reality. It creates a new reality around me that invigorates my family, friends, and coworkers with positive energy. I am an antidote to their negativity, and in that way, together we create a medicine cabinet of optimism that allows us to counteract unproductive negativity. Both the negative and the positive mindset are self-fulfilling prophecies, and I’d much rather work toward the latter.

Active Optimism Is a Practice 

It isn’t easy to be optimistic: particularly when those around you are the opposite. It can feel like the world is conspiring to bring you down. It isn’t. That’s just pessimistic rhetoric parasitical to your self-narrative. With a few guideposts to follow we can steer clear of the pitfalls of pessimism. 

1. Remember that your optimism increases the likelihood of good outcomes. It isn’t just because you see things positively but because you seek out opportunities positively.
2. Break down larger tasks into smaller ones. We can feel overwhelmed by all we have to do because we don’t have a clear sense of what we have to do.
3. Ask for assistance whenever a task is unmanageable for you.
4. Encourage the people around you with solution-oriented positivity. It isn’t enough to say positive things. You must follow through with positive actions and provide positive solutions to real problems.
5. Exercise self-control and be mindful of your habits. We spend years developing habits unwittingly. They can sometimes be the reason for our failure. Be aware of them.
6. Optimism starts with the individual but can only thrive in a community of optimism. It isn’t to say that such a community would have no place for negativity or pessimism. It would; but not as the baseline.

The list above is meant to cover individual and community aspects of optimism, in addition to common pitfalls. The best way to avoid the pitfalls and ensure the success optimism in your life and the lives of the people around you is to spread it around. 

Inspire Optimism in Others 

First, start with the assumption that the best possible realities are attainable. Temper that with the belief that they are only accessible to groups and not individuals. The reason being that we are entrenched in social environments, which means that we affect and are affected by those around us. If you want to live the life of a positive hermit, so be it. If not, to live an optimistic life is inevitably a social activity. 

The three key ingredients to form an optimistic community are purpose, meaningful work, and extraordinary people. The purpose informs our efforts while concurrently community building. When there is purpose, there is meaning. When those are present, specific and perceptible reasons for doing what one does are readily identifiable. When that happens we unlock what’s extraordinary in others and ourselves.   

However! Optimism is a potent force that can sometimes bowl us over without notice. Be wary of the signs and outcomes of an excess of optimism. 

1. When only good news is acknowledged and any bad news is swiped away to avoid conflict or dispirited faces, confusion can ensue. Tackle difficult conversations head on.
2. The country club effect is when a team grows isolated from the realities of business enough that the detachment generates losses, conflicts, and unfeasible plans. This can happen with any mindset.
3. Over reliance on advocates who speak on your behalf. Don’t give your voice in a group to someone else, no matter how much you agree with what they say. Your words will differ and shine light on darkened corners.
4. Inflexible methods that emerge from complacency and comfort. Stirring things up when its necessary isn’t a bad thing. Just make sure you have a purpose—hopefully a noble one. 

Learners Are the Best Optimists

Leaders should be learners, not stewards of established beliefs, norms, and practices. The attitude of a learner is fertile ground for constructive optimism, as in optimism that won’t fall prey to the 4 excesses I listed above. A learner recognizes that their current knowledge is not the end-all-be-all. They recognize the importance of listening to others, of coalescing different modes of thinking, and of the inherent value in all ideas. Value, therefore, becomes a function of perspective rather than power, authority, or verbosity.

We should all endeavor to be learners at all times. There is a certain amount of selflessness that is needed to be a successful learner. You must identify when to put aside your knowledge and experience to just absorb new perspectives and information, as opposed to seeing how to fit the new information into your existing framework—or how to refute the new information. This takes optimism. Fearlessness. A desire to change for the better. And none of that is simple. Nor is it easy off the bat. With practice though, it gets much easier. 

Too many people lack this learner’s disposition, and when the leadership lacks it, then organizations suffer because they stagnate and corrode from the inside out. Inflexibility is a manifestation of negativity. We hold on to what we know for fear of change. But we only fear the change because we don’t know if bad outcomes will accompany it. With an optimistic outlook, we can change with the forethought that even if bad outcomes arise, so too will good outcomes. We change in search of the good, not the bad. Don’t let the fear of possible bad outcomes force you to sacrifice all the good that exists. 

Believe in Self-Improvement

Be self-confident and positive in all that you see and do. Before you can set an example for others to follow you must be solid in your beliefs, even if they change over time. The one belief that should persist no matter what ideological shifts you experience is this: I can be better, and together, we can be the best.

The emotional energy that that belief exudes will infuse the space and people around you, inspiring them to better themselves. They will choose positive thinking in the same way you chose positive thinking. When we do that we motivate the people around us through rewards, purpose, and meaning, and not through fear, rules, and incentives. People will incentivize themselves so long as they have a good reason.

What better reason to wake up every day, go to work, and give all of yourself if you not to secure a better you and the best us for the future.

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