Earlier this week I wrote a post about seeing what we are looking for, and even talked about how the news plays into that process. (Read it now for some background for this post).
So now, just a few days later, comes a practical application of this principle.
News Story 1: The Dow drops almost 348 points in one day – but dipped almost 1000 points before rebounding at the close. If you watched the news, you got lots on this issue – mostly gloom and doom.
News Story 2: The U.S. economy added 290,000 jobs in April, the largest gain since March 2006 and more than Wall Street forecast. Read more from the Wall Street Journal here.
Both stories are true. Each, taken alone might give you a different perspective than if taken together, and Story 1 will get more play in the media than Story2.
Which story were you looking for, and which do you want to focus on?
As a leader you have an opportunity to help your team and organization see the balanced and positive view. The best leaders know they must help others see the positive situations (or the positive side of any given situation) because it isn’t necessarily what they are looking for or what the world is feeding them.
First you must look for the good, and second you must share it with others.
This is one of the most powerful – and overlooked – habits of the best leaders.
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