Here’s what leaders unintentionally get wrong about optimism and how it decreases their credibility.
Optimistic leaders acknowledge head-on challenges/issues and unpleasant emotions attached to situations they are navigating.
This sometimes feels counter intuitive.
True optimism is about displaying realistic confidence. It combines:
A clear view of what is going on. The problem we have.
Acknowledging the difficult challenges in our way AND the unpleasant emotions attached to them.
Belief and hope that we can figure it out together.
Most of us focus on #3.
But #2 is the secret sauce.
This is what we tend to skip when we want to pump up the team.
Why would I talk about the challenges/negative emotions if the objective is to be positive?
Because without the acknowledgement of what is difficult, your optimism may be perceived as forced. Not grounded in reality. Out of touch. Even if that's not actually true.
And leaders who emphasize positive framing without acknowledging risks are rated as less credible.
This often gets labelled as “Toxic Positivity”.
So next time, instead of shutting down the problem with something like: “Let’s not focus on issues, let’s focus on solutions.”
Try bringing people along with: “I know this is frustrating. Let’s work through it together, I’m confident we can figure out a path forward.”