Optimism Can Boost Your Bottom Line. Here’s How to Cultivate It
After a year in which cases of depression and anxiety spiked, plenty of professionals could use more optimism in their lives. But optimism isn’t just a way to battle the blues – it’s a philosophy that can grow your company.
Here are three ways optimism improves business outcomes – and how you can cultivate positive thinking throughout your organization and for yourself.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
1. Optimistic Leaders Engage and Inspire Employees
We know emotionally intelligent leaders inspire greater employee engagement.
But it’s easy to forget that emotional intelligence isn’t just about listening – it’s also about helping regulate work environments. For instance, if there's low team morale, an emotionally intelligent leader will recognize that this is likely hurting employees' engagement and productivity and address the feelings with their team.
An optimistic leader can go a step further, setting the tone of the workplace, helping reframe problems as exciting challenges, and sparking a change in team outlook.
This positivity has a tangible impact. A 2015 study showed that happy employees are 20 percent more productive than unhappy ones.
But how do you model optimism? There are a few ways:
Celebrate victories. In a 2021 white paper, 85 percent of employees reported that feeling recognized motivates them to work harder.
Focus on finding solutions. Sure, you won’t nail every creative brief. But don’t let that stop you – or your team – from trying to discover new ways of achieving success.
Promote a healthy work-life balance. Prioritize vacation time. Empower employees to take breaks throughout the day. If you work from nine to five, do your best to keep it that way.
Optimism isn’t about plastering a smile on your face forty hours a week. Optimistic leaders lead with a mindset that they and their teams will find ways to succeed – because why couldn’t they? This philosophy embeds itself into the office culture: for every problem, there is a solution – an incredibly optimistic outlook.
2. Optimistic Employees Don’t Just Persevere During Times of Adversity – They Excel
Along with helping employees stay engaged with their work, optimism also builds resilience, which in turn helps people effectively handle hardship.
And there’s certainly been no shortage of hardship in the past couple of years. The pandemic alone has significantly hurt people’s mental health. With anxiety and depression on the rise, it’s no surprise that employee burnout has followed suit.
Fortunately, an optimistic outlook can help today’s professionals. A 2019 report shows that optimistic employees are five times less likely to burn out.
But it’s difficult to approach work optimistically if you’re not taking enough time for yourself. So here are three ways you can do that:
Find a teletherapist to help you process emotions.
If you’re an extrovert, create opportunities to collaborate with colleagues.
Recognize your needs, whether it’s taking an impromptu half-day to rest or finding a private office space where you can focus.
Optimism doesn’t run on fumes. If you want to model positive thinking for others, it’s important to treat yourself with that same positive energy.
3. Optimism Forecasts Long-Term Success
Because optimistic employees are more engaged and resilient than pessimistic employees, they frequently experience greater levels of success.
Research backs this up, too. Not only are optimistic employees 40 percent more likely to earn a promotion due to higher levels of engagement, but a 2015 study showed that optimistic salespeople outsell their pessimistic counterparts by 56 percent.
As a leader, you want to retain these top performers – they’re instrumental in fostering an optimistic workplace, after all. So consider what your team wants.
Maybe it’s supplemental health plans. Maybe it’s more professional development opportunities. Heck, maybe it’s a dedicated office space.
Sure, remote work is great for flexibility, but a physical office with natural light and private rooms is proven to improve energy and focus. And if your optimistic employees have kids at home, this private office space with four walls and a door that locks might just start to sound like heaven.
Whatever you decide, the goal is to ensure your energy-givers don’t feel drained by their work environment or taken for granted. Rewarding their efforts demonstrates you recognize their value. But it also benefits your entire organization.
Optimism Is an Organizational Asset – Particularly in the Hybrid Landscape
Hybrid work has enabled professionals to work more flexibly than ever before. But there’s a drawback: 45 percent of remote workers report issues with staying motivated.
That’s why optimistic professionals who engage and inspire their colleagues are so important today. They can cut through the Zoom calls and slack messages and lift others up.
Cultivating an optimistic workplace could be the key to optimizing your hybrid work approach.
If you’re looking for ways to adopt a more optimistic mindset and foster your own optimistic workplace, book a tour and see how proworking can change your perspective for the better.
Main Photo by chaitanya pillala on Unsplash