Fuel Your Company with Optimism

By Megan Martin

Most managers know there is a strong connection between a positive work environment, employee satisfaction and organizational productivity. But what many of them don’t know is how to shape their organization into an affirmative, inspiring place to work.

The answer? Create an environment fueled by optimism.

“Optimistic, engaged employees are more productive and hence can help their employers grow and make more money,” says Michelle Conlin in her Businessweek online article, “Is Optimism a Competitive Advantage?” “Put simply, workplace optimism, if nurtured properly, can be a competitive advantage.”

Heed these tips from experts to turn your company into an optimistic powerhouse:

1. Be an Optimistic Role Model

You’ve heard it before: The best way to lead is by example. “An optimistic attitude is an essential characteristic for a supervisor/manager to possess in order to attain goals, increase productivity, motivate employees and accept change. You are the employee's role model,” says Ken Fracaro in his Supervision article, “Optimism on a Rainy Day.”

Start by finding ways to focus on the positive. Point out employees’ strengths and talents. Every employee has them; sometimes it is just a matter of paying attention. Even if a project isn’t going well, highlight what the team is doing well as opposed to focusing on what’s going wrong.

“Your attitude towards employees will determine how they react to you,” says Fracaro. “If you are positive and helpful, they will reciprocate.”

Consider not only the way you think, but the way you speak. Beware of complaining. Even if it’s about something as simple as a newspaper headline or the weather, complaining can kill optimism on the spot.

“At your own business, who would you rather have by your side: the person who buys into the gloom or the one with the unshakable belief in the future? Be the person people want to join,” recommends Carmen Gallo in her Businessweek online article, “Optimism in a Recession.”

2. Encourage Employee Growth and Development

The 19th century thinker and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.”

This is true not only in our personal relationships, but in our work relationships as well. As a leader in your workplace, keeping others motivated hinges on your ability to inspire them to go beyond their comfort zones and do more than they imagined they could.

“Taking steps to encourage your employees to be the very best they can be will result in happier, more productive and loyal employees,” says Fracaro. “Encourage employees to learn new things, grow in self-confidence and adapt to change.”

Ask employees about their future goals and help them work toward them. If an employee has new skills she wants to focus on, find a way for her to expand what she does for your company. Encourage her to take outside classes or attend seminars. Not only will this inspire her, but it will raise the knowledge base of the organization.

3. Accept that Failure is Integral to Progress

The most effective leaders know that failure is part of the growth process. As an example, Gallo points to Google, a company that embraces the reality of failure. Google encourages its engineers to use as much as 20 percent of their time for brainstorming new ideas—knowing full well that most of these ideas will come to naught. However, the ideas that pan out have made Google the mammoth organization that it is today.

In his Supervison article, “Think Positive and Be a Winner,” TL Stanley quotes research done by Alison Stein Wellner & David Adox. This research suggests that optimists are especially adept at dealing with failure: "Several studies point to their key trait—resilience. Because they don't turn setbacks into catastrophes, optimists are better able to bounce back from emotional and physical stress than others."

Demonstrating and encouraging perseverance during times of adversity will help build a more optimistic work environment. If a project experiences difficulties, encourage employees to learn from their mistakes and move on.

“People fail because they give up too soon,” says Fracaro. “The optimistic person never gives up. S/he anticipates problems, setbacks and major failures but does not give up when they occur.”

4. Hire Optimists

Be sure to make optimism one of the key traits that you look for when recruiting new employees. Adding positive, dynamic thinkers to your team can invigorate the entire company.

“It is no accident great companies recruit and train the most dynamic thinkers in the world,” says Stanley. “Regardless of the organization, successful leaders know instinctively that in order to be on the cutting-edge, they must have numerous can-do employees. With superior leadership, these employees will band together and marshal their talents. When positive thinking and energy-packed employees collaborate, they create a vigorous force in organizational life.”

Optimism is contagious—even the firmest naysayers will turn a new leaf if surrounded by enough positivity. Optimists feed off of one another and can revolutionize the dynamic of a workplace. By encouraging positivity in your hiring and management practices, you can build an organization that is powered by optimism.

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