At work, embracing optimism means viewing challenges as chances to grow and keeping a positive outlook for the future. For managers and leaders, it's important to strike a balance between optimism and pessimism. Too much optimism can lead to ignoring risks and having unrealistic expectations. A well-balanced attitude involves accepting uncertainty, setting achievable goals, and recognizing both the positive and negative aspects in situations. This balanced approach is critical for effective decision-making and keeping your team motivated, aiming for realistic results while staying hopeful.
Going Beyond Surface-Level Positivity
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We often hear advice about focusing on the positive and finding learning opportunities in tough times. This reflects a widespread belief that positive thinking can shape our reality, suggesting that affirmations and visualizing success can boost well-being and help us achieve our goals.
But, is this focus on optimism really backed by evidence? This article delves into what optimism means and how it can impact your work life.
What Does Optimism Look Like?
Optimism has two main aspects. First, an optimistic mindset is characterized by an “expectation” of favorable outcomes in one’s future. This dimension is about the “future” wherein there is a belief that good things are likely to happen and that things will work out well eventually.
Second, an optimistic mindset is characterized by a “reaction” to the present wherein there is a tendency to approach immediate setbacks, challenges, and difficult circumstances with a sense of hope and confidence. This dimension is more about the present and involves looking at a setback as often temporary and manageable in terms of its potential for offering personal growth.
If you're optimistic, you might often think that good things are coming, that setbacks lead to positive outcomes, and that today's difficulties are stepping stones to a brighter tomorrow.
Is Optimism Part of Your Personality or Just a Mindset?
Psychologically, optimism can be a stable part of your personality, meaning you consistently approach situations with a positive outlook. That is, people can have an optimistic personality trait that manifests as pre-dispositions to apply the “optimist” mindset to present and future.
At the same time, optimism can also be a “state” of being – a conscious attitude one can adopt irrespective of whether it is a part of your personality or not. This is when individuals can choose to shift their beliefs, thoughts and feelings about the present and future away from unfavourable pessimism to being more “optimistic” in the now for a specific situation.
Benefits of Being Optimistic
Research links optimism to greater satisfaction in life, better physical and mental health, and overall well-being. For example, optimistic cancer patients often show more resilience during treatment and better recovery.
Optimism has been found to be a source of psychological capital- a resource that increases self-efficacy and resilience and improves interpersonal relationships.
Optimists see positive possibilities in their reality and seek to recognize and transform such opportunities into positive outcomes. Optimists have been found to approach goals with more resourcefulness and persistence and show fewer signs of anxiety and stress in goal pursuits. In essence, there are many positive known benefits of optimism
The Downside of Excessive Optimism
So far, we have discussed the benefits of having or adopting an optimistic mindset. .While optimism has many benefits, over-optimism can be problematic. Recent research has begun to explore the dark side of over-optimism.
When individuals are biased towards excessive optimism, they tend to adopt and engage in unwarranted risky behaviors, which can result in adverse outcomes. As an overly optimistic individual, you might find it challenging to identify and evaluate potential risks, increasing your likelihood of failure. Optimists can downplay negative information and facts during decision-making, thereby reducing their preparedness and proactive management of risks.
Optimism also impacts how you interpret the causes of events in your life and others. People with an overly optimistic mindset tend to attribute positive events to internal, stable, and global causes, while adverse events are seen as external, temporary, and specific. This habit can make optimists incorrectly feel that they have more control and influence over situations than may be true. Over-optimism can lead to unrealistically high expectations and an overt sense of control, leading to higher disappointment and frustration and poor coping in the face of uncontrollable or unavoidable threats and challenges.
Another unintended consequence of over-optimism is what is called” toxic positivity.” This manifests when overly optimistic people seek quick solutions to challenges by over-valuing positive emotions while disregarding all negative feelings and thoughts. Negative emotions and thoughts are essential in human life, as they arise and manifest when an appraisal of a threat or an expectation of risk exists. When overly optimistic people ignore such negative thoughts and feelings in themselves and others – they engage in unhealthy repression for themselves while invalidating the lived experiences of others.
Even negative emotions (like fear, guilt, and anxiety) need attention and processing. When optimism restricts your ability to become aware and consciously process such negative thoughts, emotions, and feelings, you are robbing yourself of the process of engaging with reality. When such ignoring and pushing away is imposed on others by optimistic individuals, others may feel guilty and ashamed of their negative emotions, leading to even more worry and anxiety.
Toxic Positivity: The Extreme of Over-Optimism: Excessive optimism can lead to 'toxic positivity,' where people focus only on positive emotions and ignore negative feelings. This can be harmful as negative emotions are important indicators of potential threats or risks. Ignoring these feelings can prevent realistic engagement with life's challenges and invalidate others' experiences.
Finding the Balance Between Optimism and Pessimism
When one thinks of an optimist, we tend to compare with the opposite of being a pessimist. A pessimist leans towards negative expectations and outlook on life. Optimists are more prone to hope and believe in future improvement, while pessimists are likely to feel hopelessness, skepticism, a sense of unchangeability, and despair. Somewhere in between lies a whole host of other attitudes – from being ambivalent, neutral, and cautious to having a more realistic and balanced acknowledgment of possibilities about the future.
Research shows that those of us who can tolerate and even embrace uncertainty and ambiguity while firmly believing in our abilities to learn, grow, and remain motivated to achieve goals – tend to have a more balanced outlook that is neither overly optimistic nor excessively pessimistic.
The key to having a balanced outlook wherein you reap the benefits of optimism without facing the dangers of over-optimism or pessimism – is to remember the boundaries of agency and to focus on specific and realistic goals and the discrete pathways to achieve them. To find this balance, the first step is to acknowledge the difficulties and challenges and accept the fear, anxiety, and disappointment that may accompany them. Suppressing negative emotions and merely forcing a positive mindset will likely tip you to the unbalanced risks of over-optimism. Once you have acknowledged the felt emotions, the next step is to correctly attribute the cause for the present challenge. It is key to realize that some causes may be within one’s control (internal locus of control) and some aspects may be beyond our control (externally determined). Once this attribution process is adequately explored and challenged through evidence and counter-evidence, one can apply the positive mindset of optimism to deal with the next steps. After accepting negative emotions and analyzing the causes of the difficulty, one becomes ready to use realistic optimism, where you identify goals and leverage hope and a positive outlook while having a clear-eyed assessment of challenges and risks.
A balanced outlook is neither overly optimistic nor too pessimistic. It involves embracing uncertainty while believing in one's ability to learn and grow. To achieve this balance, acknowledge challenges and the accompanying negative emotions, then realistically assess what's within and beyond your control. This paves the way for applying optimistic thinking in a more grounded and practical manner.
Leadership and Optimism
Leaders should be cautious of the pitfalls of over-optimism, like underestimating risks. They should respect and address negative emotions in themselves and others, fostering a healthy, productive workplace. Authentic workplace optimism isn't just about being positive; it's about recognizing emotions, understanding the reasons behind challenges, and inspiring hope and belief in overcoming obstacles.
Conclusion
Optimism at work is about more than just a cheerful attitude. It's about understanding emotions, correctly attributing the causes of challenges and inspiring hope and confidence for the future. By balancing optimism with a realistic worldview, you can reach your potential and positively influence those around you.
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