How Optimistic Are you?

When I studied to become certified in Emotional Intelligence, I was surprised to learn that optimism is considered a key skill associated with stress management. What does optimism have to do with the ability to manage stress? When we take a step back, it is easy to understand. Optimism is having a “positive outlook and resilience in the face of setbacks.”

When things are difficult, stressful, intense, or “going sideways”, having an optimistic attitude gives people hope, and sometimes, having hope is more important than anything else.

One of the senior leaders that I partner with as an executive coach struggles with being optimistic. While “Frank” is very confident, he is not at all positive or optimistic, and it weighs on his ability to connect with colleagues. He told me that he thinks he is seen as stand-offish, and even arrogant. When in a leadership role, it is especially important to be optimistic because team members want to feel inspired, they want to have hope.

As leaders, having an optimistic outlook is contagious. The article, The Best Leaders Have a Contagious Positive Energy, discusses how “numerous studies show that positive energizers produce substantially higher levels of engagement, lower turnover, and enhanced feelings of well-being among employees.” It matters.

Worth The Share

To build on the concept, this article, written by two professors, Emma Seppälä and Nicole McNichols, states that “Data from the field of social psychology demonstrates
that leaders who prioritize relationships with their employees and lead from a place of positivity and kindness simply do better.”

Here are their five specific tactics on how to build stronger relationships at work:

Transparency and Authenticity – being honest, vulnerable, and compassionate in our communication with othersInspiration – seeing the best in others, lifting them up, making others feel respected and valuedEmotional Intelligence – our emotions impact how we see ourselves, see others, handle stress, interact with others, and solve problemsSelf-Care – prioritizing our self-care is critical when tending to relationships with others, we need to build our own stress resilienceValues – research shows that leading with kindness, creating a positive workplace, and “approaching projects with the same sets of expectations and priorities” positively impact performance
To learn more, read The Power of Healthy Relationships at Work

#wisewords “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”

— Dali Lama

And Finally…

Why do optimists energize us? What is it about positive people that makes us want to spend time with them? How do they inspire us? At a workshop I facilitated the other day with fifteen senior leaders in Charleston, we talked about these topics and the comments were quite telling. Most freely admitted they were not optimists. One thing they did say loud and clear was that they wanted and needed their leaders to be optimists.

In this Forbes article by Carmine Gallo, he writes, “We can rewire our brains to be more optimistic. From keeping a gratitude journal to mentally reframing the events that happen in your life, psychologists are finding that changing how you see things changes what you see.”

Here’s to the optimists out there, and to those of us who are willing to do the work to become more optimistic. We will be better for it.