Are you an Optimistic Leader?

Paul Fieldhouse writes:

So this month we will look at what is considered by many to be one of the most transparent behaviours seen in a great Leader, Optimism.

And it's not just being optimistic when things are good but more importantly, when there are challenges to face, that absolute belief that we will win through.

An example of how we lead a conversation and mood! You arrive at work on a wet , miserable, cold, dank and dark Monday morning, you see the first person and they greet you with the traditional “how are you?”

Sadly our response all too often will be “not too bad”, how many negatives could we fit in to one short sentence?

Then we say “oh its cold wet and miserable and I got the Monday morning Blues” what response have we invited, along the lines “yeah I know, it’s pretty horrible out side, lets get the day over with” using the low voice tones and lack of passion.

Of course, Optimism in a leadership sense goes much deeper, however lets start to crawl before we run, and sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.

So what can we do to improve our Optimism?

Firstly practice putting a positive slant on everything, and no, you don’t need to be a happy clappy sort over night, just start with awareness of your current language and slowly introduce change.

Although I do have a challenge, one I gave some time ago in an earlier article, tomorrow when you rise and for one full day, when greeted you will reply to the “How are you” with “I am amazing!”, now you must do this for a full day, not just for one or two greetings!

I will guarantee you an outcome – I won’t give the answer here but for those brave enough to take the challenge on then please email me with your experience;

For many of our leadership activities we need to practice, practice, practice until it becomes second nature!

The old style view on leadership is the carrot and stick, our view and that of many in the modern world is the emotional capital (EI) stance.

As Galileo Galilei said;
“You cannot teach a man anything, You can only help him discover it within himself”