Be a Non-Irritating Optimist

Worry, worry, everywhere

Workplaces in developed economies continue to be relatively comfortable, with many, if not all, people enjoying at least some security, community, and growth.

Still, whilst most see how they are fortunate, managers and team members alike feel the weight of troubled world. It is unfair to expect everyone just to ‘get on with it’ when facing such uncertainty.

Society at large

The geopolitical stage is in turmoil: daily, we read of nations at war and the human tragedy this brings. As for countries that are today at peace, both rhetoric and policy are moving in unsettling directions.

Rivalries that once animated parliamentary debate are now tearing apart communities. Social media is cramming people into tiny boxes then smashing one against the other, fomenting discord and causing violence.

In the workplace

Executives are pushed around by fashions in technology that before long will strip their companies of value. Managers are under pressure, on edge, because economic conditions now mean robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Across departments, people worry that artificial intelligence (AI) may take their jobs or usher in a culture of cold mechanisation. Some pay packets hardly cover the cost of living. People exhaust themselves simply running from the storm.

Anxiety leaves teams with less space for imagination and less capacity to endure the emotional rollercoaster of change. In turn, this blocks shifts that will improve the situation. A vicious circle emerges.

At home

Parents worry that their own children might be the next victims of AI chatbots. The smartphone has made an insomniac of many adults. Everyone is too distracted to hold a proper conversation. Relationships are drained of energy.

Whether individuals verbalise it or not, chaos in the outside world unseats inner lives and causes personal strain. All in all, life and work feel tiring for many, many people.

Make sense of optimism

Worry, worry, everywhere,
Nor any time to think.

(Sorry!)

As I noted last time, we can use our informal power at work to create positive (and negative) experiences. One resource we might bring, especially relevant today, is optimism, which may offer a counterweight to all the strain.

How can we make sense of such a complex notion as optimism?

Agency

Many people feel powerless in that they are struggling, if not to keep up with, then to find their place in a fast-changing world. A robust sense of agency encourages self-worth and makes one feel better.

Optimism comes when team members talk through situations they can control; this also allows everyone to avoid banging their heads on a brick wall. Beyond words, teams must then show themselves they can shape their own future.

Gratitude

Calls to consider what we should be grateful for may evoke platitudes of ‘There is always someone worse off than you’. But, when people take stock of the good things, they usually do feel encouraged.

The notion of ‘gratitude’ emphasises personal values that are being met. This kind of optimism surpasses more superficial (yet possibly still relevant) thoughts such as ‘We are thankful that we have flexible working’.

Headway

To experience progress fosters a sense of optimism in almost everyone. This may be ticking items off a daily to-do list (more satisfying when done on paper), sending a final draft of a new idea, or completing a team project.

If people feel gloomy or tired, they appreciate even more the small wins, which are easier to secure than ambitions to change the world. To give a sense of progress, strategic work may be broken down into meaningful chunks.

Attitude

Both optimism and pessimism are infectious. Colleagues who are influential, by dint of role or charisma, set the mood of the workplace. Such figures must think beyond tasks and outcomes to be mindful of their impact on people and culture.

When others say something cannot be done, here is a chance to strive for novel solutions; to point out stars in the sky; and to unearth issues for clear perspective and fruitful dialogue.

Conviction

A somewhat ‘harder’ manifestation of optimism is conviction, a confidence that the future will turn out well. When team members feel the conviction of another, they more readily trust what is said.

Still, conviction is a double-edged sword: fail and trust is quickly lost. To avoid unsettling people, it is important to make bets that are inspiring and yet which also stand a fair chance of paying a dividend.

Support

Colleagues who put their heads down and ‘just get on with it’ may miss complexity, cause ill feeling, or risk burnout. The more attuned everyone is to problems, the more team members may bond and work in cooperation.

But such exposure means that people will need support, which is not a sign of weakness. The right resources bring psychological safety and allow a candid examination of how best to navigate choppy waters.

No, every problem is not an opportunity!

Some optimism is good. Too much makes matters worse.

First, all this tub-thumping about agency, gratitude, and headway, mixed with a ‘can-do’ attitude and seasoned with conviction and belief in the saviour of support, can be most irritating, especially when others are not ‘feeling it’.

Second, unbridled optimism makes people feel others do not care about their anxieties. Whilst a way past emotional and practical challenges can usually be found, one must recognise that worries are real and to be accounted for.

Third, to be genuine matters. Fake optimism simply underscores how desperate everyone’s plight is (even when it is not), and makes people feel worse. On some days it is advisable to let things be and simply go for a walk.