Unless this is the first thing you have read from me, you know my answer to that question. Harvey Mackay summarizes my feelings on this issue perfectly.
I believe your answer to this question is critical to the level of influence and success you will experience as a new leader, and in life, in general. To get you thinking about this, I'd like you to ask yourself the following questions
- Am I an optimist or a pessimist?
- Would people who know me well agree with my answer?
- Have I ever considered it to be a choice?
If you haven’t thought about whether you have a choice to be one way or the other, do so now and determine if you like the choice you have made. Then, if you would prefer a different choice, identify three situations where making that shift could make a difference in your life.
I am an optimist. It might be my nature, but it is also the choice that I make 95% of the time. However, rather than talking more about my choice to be an optimist, I want to talk about the challenge so many leaders bring up during coaching sessions: How do you change someone else's attitude to be more positive? While I don’t believe you can coach attitude, I do believe you can influence the choice others make.
Think about it this way. Have you ever tried to convince a pessimist to be more optimistic (or vice versa)? Likely you didn’t get very far, and the Mackay quote explains why. People will justify their attitude and “prove” they are right. So, my advice to you: Rather than trying to convince them to be one or the other, model the example you would like to see.
If your choice to be optimistic is getting you better results and causing you less stress and frustration, you will be a walking, talking example to your employees. Then, rather than trying to convince them you are right, convince them that they have a choice to change their attitudes, and ultimately their lives.
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