If you surf the evening news or the cable news networks, one thing is certain: All news is bad news. If you create your perspective from television, you probably think the world is going to end tomorrow. This attitude of despair has crept into the workplace. The constant bombardment of negative messages, combined with a challenging economy, has not only the employees in a panic but some CEOs, as well.
While there may not be a “good news” channel on TV, you need to create the equivalent in your organization. You will be the anchor and will explain how there are no problems, just opportunities.
The CEO sets the tone for the office, and an attitude that’s focused on the glass being half-full is contagious. You have to put forth the energy to constantly be positive, because it’s too easy for people to focus on the negatives. A positive attitude can rally those around you, and conversely, a negative attitude can be destructive. Words have power — they can boost someone up or cut someone down. You have to create the vision that pushes people toward the positive and keeps them from fixating on the negative and constantly reinforce this message every opportunity you get.
Where they may see only bleak outcomes, you must see challenges that can be conquered. Not only must you identify the challenges, you also need to share the positive energy it will take to overcome them.
Walt Disney always saw the glass as half full. When he opened Disneyland in 1955, it was the world’s first theme park. It was a huge risk investing in something that had never been done before. A decade later, people thought he was even crazier when he bought up a bunch of swamp land outside of Orlando, Fla., to build Disney World. Where some people saw worthless land and risky business ventures, Disney saw places where families could go and have a good time.
Facing challenges with a positive attitude doesn’t mean you become overly optimistic. It just means you focus on the positive and build outward from that. One person can look at a business and see it as doomed to fail. Another person looking at the same business can see a great opportunity. It all depends on your attitude.
Within an organization, it’s important to have everyone working together. The saying about a little bad yeast spoiling the dough rings true when it comes to the people who work for you. The naysayers will spend their time complaining about their jobs and the bleak future of the company rather than working to do something about it. They become a cancer that spreads through the organization, crippling it. You have to take whatever steps necessary to rid yourself of these types of people; otherwise you’ll never make progress. Sometimes bringing in people with fresh perspectives is all it takes to get a department or an entire organization looking at things in new ways.
If you find yourself starting to fall victim to negative thinking, then you need to get a little perspective. Even with your troubles, you have it much better than most people in the world. It’s a privilege to be in a position of leadership, and you’ll always have a chance at another venture, even if your current one fails. Great leaders can go from boom to bust and then back again. You may have problems, but this is a country of second chances.
No matter what happens, you have to remind yourself to be positive and work toward solutions. If you see the glass as half full, those around you will start to do the same.
