By: Malcolm Nicholson (United Kingdom)
Optimism
ˈɒptɪmɪz(ə)m/
noun. hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something.
Optimistic leaders – don’t you just hate them? You know, the type of person who always sees the best in a near impossible or difficult situation and constantly views life through rose tinted glasses, never admitting the potential pitfalls in anything. The type of person who always says “the answer is yes, what’s the question?” After all, isn’t it always better to expect the worst, then whatever the outcome is you won’t be disappointed? Well, apparently not. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The real benefit of always seeing the best outcome in a difficult situation is that it has a positive influence on many things in your life ranging from your health to choice of career and ultimately your success and the success of your business.
Let’s take a couple of examples from people I have coached. When responding to a job specification, the pessimist only ever sees what’s written in front of them – must have led a major organisation, must have experience in driving turnaround situations, must be educated to ‘degree level etc, and probably not even bother responding if they haven’t got all of the skills required. (Apparently there is a strong tendency for females to see the gaps as well). Whereas an optimist will think, “I may have had my own business for the past 5 years, but I’ve worked as part of a team, with my suppliers, clients etc. I have good IT skills, they may be self taught but I can learn anything and I’m educated to degree standard, I just didn’t take the exams. I can do this job!”
Source: iCN Issue 11 (Executive Coaching); pages 09-12
About Malcolm Nicholson
Malcolm Nicholson is the owner and Coaching Director for Aspecture, and has worked successfully with a wide range of senior business people for over 15 years, enabling them to improve business results through transformational changes. To find out how he can help your organization contact him at malcolmnicholson@aspecture.com or on +44 1932 267597.
