One of the chapters in my book, Turning Potential Into Action: Eight Principles for Creating a Highly Engaged Work Place is titled The Power of Optimism. I won’t repeat the chapter here, but the gist is that an optimistic environment creates more energy in people and enables higher levels of performance.

I recently read an interesting article about the relationship between optimism and physical well being. A study conduced at the University of Kentucky tracked changes in optimism and the responses of immune systems among first year law students. They found that as students became more optimistic, they showed stronger flood of immune cells that combat foreign viruses and bacteria. When optimism dropped, so did cell-mediated immunity.

Previous studies mostly just compared optimists with pessimists, leaving the door open to other causes like genetics or personality to explain the differences in immune responses. This study showed immunity changed in the same person based on their level of optimism, thus reinforcing this strong link.

So how does all of this relate to running a business? There is overwhelming scientific evidence that people who work in a high pressure, negative environment underperform and have more health-related issues as compared to people who work in a positive, supportive environment. The dilemma faced by many executives, particularly in these tough economic times, is how to be optimistic and positive when so many things are negative.

The best example I know is Winston Churchill who had to keep the spirits and hopes alive in the British people in the face of relentless German bombing and the imminent threat of an invasion. In June, 1940 Churchill delivered a speech to Parliament immediately following the bombing of Paris and the evacuation from Dunkirk. The future looked dismal for England. I think the elements of his speech serve as a good model for leaders today to help create optimism and positive energy for the futureFirst, Churchill acknowledged the reality of the current situation. Some people think that optimism means to ignore or take an unrealistic view of the present. Optimism is not related to the past or present, but is a view of the future. Trying to paint a positive picture of a negative situation just undermines leader credibility. Good leaders give their people credit for being smart enough to recognize when things are tough. Remember the famous words of former President Bush when he said the fundamentals of the economy were sound just before the banking crisis hit.

Second, Churchill was personally convinced that Britain would be able to overcome what seemed to be an impossible situation. He wasn’t ready to give up and was prepared to fight until the end. Britain had been through tough times before and prevailed. This time would be no different. Optimists and pessimists see the current situation in opposite ways. Optimists believe current bad times are just temporary, while pessimists believe they are permanent. In order to build optimism, leaders need to put today’s situation in perspective against a longer term view. Business has gone through cycles before, maybe not a bad as the current one, yet they have survived and thrived by making good, long term decisions.

Third, Churchill had a vision and plan for overcoming the current situation. He convinced the British people that they would be victorious in the end. He was convinced that the Untied States would ultimately be drawn into the war, and that would turn the tide. In the meantime, it would take all of the resources and will power of the people to resist the German threat. The best way for leaders to create optimism in their organizations is to be able to articulate an understandable plan to overcome the current difficult times. What if Churchill had gone to Parliament and told them things were bad and he didn’t know how they were going to survive?

Fourth, Churchill involved everyone in executing the plan. He sought the commitment of each person to contribute to the war effort in some way. Each person had a meaningful role. One of the ways the pessimism gets a foothold in an organization is when people feel like what they are doing in meaningless and that they lack any control over circumstances. Each person needs to know how what they do contributes to the overall success of the company.

Involving people in problem solving is a great way to generate optimism and positive energy. Apollo 13 is the movie about the ill fated moon mission where there was an explosion of the fuel cells and the lives of the crew were in jeopardy. There were numerous challenges that had to be overcome to return the astronauts safely back to earth. What I remember most from the movie was how problem after problem was solved by getting the right people in the room and having them come up with a solution. The mission director didn’t try to do everything himself. He got the whole team involved.

And finally, Churchill was optimistic himself. It is impossible for a leader to create an optimistic and positive work environment if he or she is not optimistic and positive. The behavior and attitudes of people in an organization are strongly influenced by what people see in their leaders. I have had senior leaders complain about lack of team work in their organizations, yet when you observe the behavior of the senior leaders towards each other, it is often antagonistic and self serving.

Both optimism and pessimism are contagious. If unchecked, pessimism can become a debilitating disease within an organization. Once it takes hold, it can be as difficult to cure as any virus which affects the human body. Conversely, once optimism begins to spread, it can energize a company to unexpected levels of success.

Author Bio: Ryan Scholz works with leaders whose success is dependent on getting commitment and high performance from others. He is author of Turning Potential into Action: Eight Principles for Creating a Highly Engaged Work Place. For more information, visit his web site at www.lead-strat-assoc.com.

Category: Leadership
Keywords: optimism, power