Can you achieve success in your leadership even when living in a time of threat, uncertainty and high levels of demand, not experienced before in our lifetime?
During this ongoing time of uncertainty which insists we act and think differently every single day, we need to have the tools to rise up and cope with the strain.
To be a successful Authentic Leader, you need to have Psychological capital. As presented last week, this includes: Hope, Efficacy, Resilience and Optimism.
When we are able to look to the future and have confidence in a successful outcome (Hope), we engage our optimism. When we have high levels of optimism, we will be resilient and demonstrate high levels of self-efficacy. With these four pillars operating together, we will boldly go where no traditional leader has gone before!
One must be courageous and launch into the unknown, to discover their aptitude to unleash the H.E.R.O. within.
As we travel through the current global situation, it’s often easier to have a negative viewpoint: We don’t know when the end point will occur. We are unsure of our current safety. We are stretched beyond capacity with changed work and family demands. There is constant doubt about future career and financial stability. Life just seems to get more challenging each week.
We know that having an optimistic approach to life serves us better, yet being pessimistic is often much easier.
When we approach all of life with optimism, we totally believe and expect that things will go well. Even when some of the situations are confronting, we believe we will get a positive result no matter what. There is something to learn, gain or celebrate within each situation.
To clarify this – the outcome may not be what we want or expect, however we can learn many great lessons, gain valuable insights and discover significant realisations along the way; if we allow ourselves to be optimistic.
The key is to be open and absorb the lesson from the situation. We need to first recognise our response (physical, mental and emotional), and then step aside from the subjective, emotional heaviness of the situation. When we do this, we can then move into an optimistic approach and find the valuable takeaway within the situation.
It may be that you are thankful and grateful for something you have previously missed. That you recognise a kindness or a gift you receive from someone. You can develop an appreciation for life, for the people in your life, and expand your thinking towards a bigger picture approach.
To move into this optimistic approach, we are required to see things as temporary, local and changeable (Martin Seligman).
Temporary – it will go away, there is an end-point. It is not permanent in its current form. Even though the end of the restrictions are unknown, we know from history that events are never the same as they are right here and now, forever.
Local – it is localised to a part of your life. This does not consume all of me, or all of my life. I can still talk with my workmates (even though the media is different). I can still eat and drink amazing food (even though it may be home prepared). I can still go outside and breathe fresh air (even though I may not be able to meet with groups of people).
Changeable – I may not be able to change the situation but I can change the way I think about it. Absolute powerful phrase of what we CAN control – ourselves, and our response.
When an individual has this optimistic approach to any situation, they are able to mobilise, engage and initiate their psychological strategies when adversity rises.
People who are genuinely optimistic are more effective and authentic in all of their roles, including leading themselves and others in whatever capacity they are in. When a leader expects the outcome to be positive and encourages others to embrace this philosophy, they become ‘all in’ and create an outstanding, resplendent environment for success.