Optimism v pessimism in business
At Fellows and Associates from time to time we ask guest writers to contribute to our site. One such example is Ricky Derisz who gives his thoughts on positivity in business. If you would be interested in being published on our website please send an email to [email protected]. The opinions below are Ricky’s own and do not reflect those of Fellows and Associates.
Optimists and pessimists are both right. The former will predict the best case scenario, the latter the worst case scenario. But seeing as this viewpoint is on something which hasn’t actually happened yet, neither can be proven wrong. The 21st century ‘positive thinking’ brigade will have you believe any negative thought is insidious and should be avoided. Pessimists, on the other hand, see themselves as realists with a more rational worldview. But which mind-set is more beneficial in business?
It’s now widely recognised that the way we think effects the way we feel. One of the most effective treatments for depression and anxiety is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a form of therapy which focuses on untangling and reframing thoughts. But you don’t have to suffer from anxiety and depression to benefit from a different way of thinking. An ever increasing amount of corporations and governments are focusing on how the mind-set of employees can make a difference in the workplace. A parliamentary group has even been set up in British government to encourage workers to take time out to meditate. Not only does it reduce stress, it also enhances creativity and improves problem solving.
It does make sense that positivity will lead to success. The ability to better deal with difficult colleagues, a level headed approach to difficult problems as well as being more in tune with your emotional state will inevitably make the working environment more functional. It’s even backed up by research in the form of a recent study by the University of California, titled ‘Does Happiness Promote Career Success’. The study discovered that essentially happy workers perform much, much better than their unhappy peers.
However, the way we practice positivity is important. Staring in the mirror for hours repeating ‘I am a successful, happy and positive person’ won’t necessarily benefit you (and it’ll make you look a little crazy). I recently read an article on The Week about how traditional methods of ‘positive thinking’ don’t really get you anywhere. The article explains how a more effective technique comes in ‘three P’s’, which could define an important difference between optimists and pessimists. These three P’s are permanence, pervasiveness and whether it’s personal. Optimists tell themselves that bad things are only temporary, that they have a specific cause and it’s not their fault. Pessimists on the other hand tell themselves bad things last forever, they are universal and everything is their own fault.
The importance of understanding this difference between both ways of thinking is that we can also understand how to change it. The story we tell ourselves in our minds is not set in stone, and The Week’s article suggests you should argue with yourself in certain situations. Let’s say you have an important project, the deadline is looming and you feel you’ll never get it done. You may be telling yourself ‘I’m useless, I’ll never finish this and my colleagues will think I’m stupid’. Essentially, this self-criticism will only lead to putting more pressure on yourself as well as making you feel a bit rubbish. Instead, argue and tell yourself ‘this is more challenging than I’d imagined. However, I know I can do this and get it done, and when I do the sense of accomplishment will be fantastic!’ Taking this more optimistic approach to the situation will be more beneficial in the long run, and the more you practice, the quicker these kinds of thoughts will become habit.
With all that being said, success and positivity isn’t mutually exclusive. For example, if I want to buy shares in a company, I wouldn’t want my financial advisor to be the most blindly optimistic person in the world. ‘Oh yes Ricky, invest! In fact, give me every penny you have because I have a really good feeling about this stock…’ You can see the problem. Instead, a healthy dose of pessimism (or perhaps more accurately described as realism) in some situations is needed. The Huffington Post even suggest positive thinking can make you miserable at work, and that negativity is a natural part of working life. Not only can endless positivity mean people neglect issues in the workplace, but trying to force ourselves to be happy when deep down we aren’t can have a detrimental effect on our mood.
Maybe instead of looking at every situation either optimistically or pessimistically, the most effective way to succeed is to fall somewhere in between the two, depending on the context of course. I don’t doubt that positive thinking has huge benefits for business, but I don’t believe it should be universally applied either. Understanding the advantages to both perspectives and being able to apply them is perhaps the catalyst for moving forward with your career. Of course, you can’t just think yourself to success. However if your thoughts lead to action, it’ll certainly have a big part to play in achieving your goals.