Why we need to spread Optimism in Agile Transformation ?

Agile demands more optimistic team members. Agile mindset is all about growth mindset.

In complex zone everything is emergent...

Agile is more suitable for complex zone where uncertainty and ambiguity are very high and play with ambiguity is the part of the team culture.We need to do many experiments to find solutions. Team members should be comfortable with ambiguity. We need to hire team members who has natural optimistic attitude.

what is that ? Natural Optimism?

“... the optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose,” Kahlil Gibran.

Sir Winston Churchill states ‘A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ What do you see?

Researchers have zeroed in on a possible genetic basis for optimism, self-esteem, and mastery (the belief that you have control over your own life and destiny). It’s rooted in the hormone oxytocin, also known as the love or cuddle hormone.

Earlier studies found evidence that particular variants, or alleles, of the OXTR gene might be linked to stress-related traits and other psychological characteristics. OXTR codes for the receptor for oxytocin, a hormone that contributes to positive emotion and social bonding.

An increase in oxytocin tends to lead to more social behavior, especially under stress and especially in females, earlier research has indicated.

Research by British psychologists suggests that people who carry the gene pay less attention to negative things going on around them and focus instead on the happier aspects of life. By doing so, they end up being more sociable and are generally in better shape psychologically.

Genetic tests on the participants showed that a tendency to ignore negative images and dwell on the positive ones was strongly linked to a variation in a gene that controls serotonin, the brain's main feelgood chemical.

Why do I need these team members?

• Optimism allows us to learn from failures, pick up the pieces and move on to something greater.
• Optimism, opens us up to new ideas, new experiences and new possibilities.
• Optimists had significantly better blood sugar and cholesterol levels, exercised more, and had healthier body mass indexes, and were less likely to smoke.
• Focusing on the positive, instead of the negative, improves mental well-being, which can motivate individuals to take better care of their bodies, as well.
• Optimism is contagious. Having an upbeat attitude can inspire everyone around us.
• Optimism helps us see new opportunities, learn from different situations, and keep moving.
• By nature, optimists don't sweat the small stuff.
• Optimists Are Better at Bouncing Back

How do I detect those team members?

Look for these characteristic during your discussion with the team members, give them scenarios and ask them to tell what they will do in such scenarios?

• Optimists bounce back from painful experiences faster than pessimists do.
• "They turn to something else when it is clear [their current track] won't work."
• "Optimists are more proactive about doing a variety of things that are health-promoting," 
• "There is some evidence that [optimists] are more forgiving," notes Carver. "Or perhaps [they] look on the best side of what they are being presented with." 
• "they're certainly less likely to dwell on the negative," 
• "Given the same stressor, they are less aversively reactive to it [than pessimists are]," 
• Lack of worry means optimists don't lie awake all night suffering from so-called "monkey brain" syndrome—they sleep a lot
• "One's disposition to experience gratitude is positively related to optimism." Optimists' glass-half-full mentality leads them to count their blessings and appreciate what they have
• optimists are grateful for the smallest things in life
• Whether it’s helping at the local soup kitchen or being available to people you know, Wachob says giving back is a habit optimistic people practice.
• “No matter what you’re going through, you need to be good to others and help when you can,” he says. “The spirit of altruism can make you feel optimistic about your own life.”
• “People often think they’re alone in their struggles, such as divorce, cancer, or financial problems,” he says. “When they hear about people who’ve experienced the same thing and came out on the sunny side, it can give them hope, and hope is the foundation of optimism.”
• Optimistic people don’t take the opinions of others too seriously when they don’t agree.

How do I develop optimism if I am less in Optimism?

Optimist: Person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness. –Mark Twain

• Optimism is a learned habit, and it is positively contagious.  
• Consider your goals and dreams. Imagine that everything works out for the best. 
• Think of ways that you can create a pleasurable experience tomorrow
• Spending as little as five minutes thinking and writing about a pleasant memory can improve your mood and optimism for the future
• Find the opportunity in every difficulty.
• Surround yourself with supportive friends who have positive outlooks.
• Give love, receive love, and invest in love.
• Prepare for the worst but hope for the best – the former makes you sensible, and the latter makes you an optimist.
•  Feed your optimism with positive reminders
• Acknowledge the things you can’t control and don’t become a victim. Stop thinking about what is happening to you, and start thinking about what you can do to make it better.
• Appreciate often and in small interval

Optimism Bias:

The optimism bias is defined as the difference between a person's expectation and the outcome that follows. If expectations are better than reality, the bias is optimistic; if reality is better than expected, the bias is pessimistic.

Overly positive assumptions can lead to disastrous miscalculations — make us less likely to get health checkups, apply sunscreen or open a savings account, and more likely to bet the farm on a bad investment. 

What action you are planning to take?Will you spread Optimism?

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