Optimism - Hope and optimism are essential leadership skills
- frankquattromani
- Oct 16, 2023
- 2 min read
And you can achieve that by developing a positive psychology.
A leader is a dealer in hope.
said Napoleon Bonaparte.
And today I want to talk about hope and its close companion optimism. I call them close companions because hope means to cherish a desire with anticipation while optimism means to anticipate the best possible outcome. Together they ensure you are motivated enough to achieve the desired outcomes successfully.
Hope shows the way out of the woods
It has been difficult since the pandemic hit, for both leaders and those they lead. And during difficult times, people look up to their leaders to provide hope and guidance.
A leader that deals in hope and optimism has the capacity to look beyond the obstacles and anticipate success. A successful leader not just enables their teams to imagine this future together but also believe it is in their hands to achieve it.
Any group of people is always made up of both pessimists and optimists. A leader who inspires hope becomes the unifying force. As John Maxwell said,
The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.
How to instill hope
Hope is an intangible thing – a feeling and a state of mind. But as a leader you can do tangible things to instill hope during challenging times. It is based in what C R Snyder, father of Hope Theory, said:
Hope is defined as the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals, and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways.
The agency he talks about here is self-belief. A few suggestions:
Discuss with your team how the new challenges will affect prior goals.
Work with your team to set revised goals that are more achievable in the “new normal.“
Brainstorm multiple ways of reaching those goals. When the times are tough you should be willing to change your path towards achieving the goals.
Talk to everyone individually and then as a team. Try to understand their fears and apprehensions.
Motivate your team to heighten their sense of self belief.
Don’t get so optimistic that you fail to anticipate new challenges that may come up.
Be compassionate and empathetic.
Balanced optimism is the way to do it
Optimism is essential but it must be rooted in reality. People can see through when the leader is being overly optimistic without an element of truth to their claims of a better future.
That is why it is essential to acknowledge that pessimism has its advantages as well. Like some amount of stress is necessary for peak performance, injecting a bit of pessimism in the discussion drives teams to be better prepared for challenges.
Final thoughts
The pandemic has tested leadership skills at every level. What has been your experience as a leader responsible for steering your team through difficult times? How were you able to instill hope and optimism in your team?
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