Recipe for Optimism
"The quality of being full of hope and emphasizing the good parts of a situation, or a belief that something good will happen". (Cambridge Dictionary)
I thought I might write what I thought the ingredients are for delivering collective optimism.
Zero Ego - Leave your ego at the door, kindness and humility, quite simply, rule!
Respect - Listen to people’s points of view and be prepared to compromise, try it, it feels good! It’s not a sign of weakness and amazingly people very often have better ideas than you, so get behind them, support and encourage.
Fun and Laughter - This is really the biggest threat for a leader. You really risk not being taken seriously...... Really? No absolutely not! If people can find it within themselves to laugh in the face of death, then what do we really have to worry about? Get laughing.....
Clarity of outcomes - You cannot be optimistic about an outcome if the endeavour is not specific enough or unclear.
Nothing kills off hope and optimism quite like the opposite of these points. This is not a white paper, it is just my view. If you’d like to agree and expand (or disagree) then please feel free to comment.
Programme Manager at Aviva
5 年I fully agree Colin and I remember the good times we had working together at Orange
Principal Consultant at C3IA Solutions Ltd
5 年Insightful Colin, as always. I think most people condition themselves to get what they expect in life .. rarely what they want. So, IMHO a key challenge (not just for leaders .. for everyone) is each day to expect more and to treat your work colleagues as equals, regardless of how hierarchic that organisation may be. Above all listen to them very carefully .. Display the benefits of a wirearchy by behaving in an inclusive way. Oh! Yes, and do make time to have some fun! This is after all not a dress rehearsal for any of us. ???#youcanifyouthinkyoucan
Service Operations | People leader | Process champion
5 年I can report that you are an exemplary practitioner of all 4 elements!
Transformation Leadership | IT Service Operations & Management | Outsourcing | Global Workplace and End User Experience
5 年Straight to the point Colin but so true