Optimism as the key to leadership: between hope, realism and motivation
Expressing leadership today is not only about committing to achieve results but is also about that 'good reason' why I should want that thing to happen
4' min read
4' min read
Whenever I ponder the topic to be proposed in this column, which I am occasionally privileged to edit, the choice is not easy. I find that, especially at this time of changing epochs, many skills are needed to navigate the uncharted waters. However, today I am going to present you with a reflection on the role that optimism plays in the exercise of leadership, understood as the ability to manage ourselves first and then others or other 'things'.
Dispositional optimism - so described in psychology because it relates to acquired attitudes - consists of general expectation and a tendency to expect that the future will be full of favourable events, positive opportunities and successful outcomes (Scheier & Carver, 1985; Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994). It represents an important individual characteristic that can direct and direct our conduct in numerous life contexts. In fact, optimistic tendencies are important incentives to initiate and sustain appropriate forms of goal-oriented behaviour, leading one to believe that, despite difficulties, things 'will turn out for the best'.
In general, dispositional optimism also proves to be particularly beneficial when people are faced with adversity and particularly negative situations. This is because there are - according to numerous psycho-social studies - important causal relationships between optimistic expectations, the pursuit of medium to short-term personal goals, and subjective well-being. In particular, dispositional optimism plays a fundamental role in determining and directing our behaviour aimed at achieving small or large personal goals, influencing commitment, conflict levels, the tendency to adopt specific coping strategies and expectations of success. Optimistic expectations, therefore, play a relevant role in the successful pursuit of personal and collective goals and this process is transformed into positive energy, which in turn translates into subjective and group well-being. We can therefore say that optimism is something that is practised and realised in doing and achieving things.
We have, however, learnt that being too optimistic can be a danger. This attitude, in fact, can lead us not to adequately see what is happening outside our perimeter of control because we are - precisely - overstimulated and in the grip of dopamine excess and more. The tenacity and conviction of optimism can thus prove to be a boomerang where it is not tempered by realism and the ability to carefully read the fluidity of the context. In all of this, as the never-to-be-quoted Daniel Kahneman has taught us, sharing ideas and perspectives with others - especially in decision-making - is an essential needle in the scales for dosing optimism wisely. Nothing to take away from optimism, then, which, by the way, is also good for the health, reduces stress and, data in hand, seems to extend life. But what is that ingredient that even before becoming the goal of the 'what', generates the engine of the why and the how? That ingredient is hope. Hope is not the belief that something will go well, but the certainty that something I do and will do has meaning, regardless of how it will end.
At this time it can seem difficult to feel a sense of hope for the future. Amidst devastating conflicts, social divisions, economic uncertainty, surprises in political leadership, not to mention the growing challenge of tackling climate and energy change, it is easy to wonder:
