I have always been a pretty optimistic person: the “glass is half-full” and all of that. I set my goals high and if I don’t achieve them, it’s just a learning experience. Plenty of people have told me that setting such high goals, staying positive and having a silver lining to all negative things is harmful. Aren’t I just setting myself up for failure and disappointment?
Dana Lightman, Ph.D., has found that optimism increases sales, productivity, and accountability. If you have confidence and self-awareness, having an optimistic attitude will allow you to recognize and redirect unproductive reactions. No one wants a “Debbie Downer†in the office; negativity fosters negative attitudes in others, why not have a positive work environment and improve your customer service?
If you are a manager, teach yourself to be optimistic if you aren’t already. Having a negative and pessimistic attitude can put a huge damper on your work-force. Imagine everyday your boss comes in, sees an issue and “flips out†about it. They just know it’s going to fail and there’s no solution. That doesn’t make anyone feel good about the work they’re doing. If you use every “negative incident†and use it as a learning experience and put a “glass-half-full†spin to it, everyone benefits and hopefully learns from the issue. Ms. Lightman said, “By teaching and fostering optimism in the workplace, you help your employees tap into and use their full potential as you unleash your own capacity for success.†I couldn’t think of a better way to say it.
Why do or do you not think a positive environment is good for work? Does it improve customer service?