Connect and Look Forward
With so much daily news of wavering markets, and the R-word — recession — rearing its ugly head, it may be difficult for business leaders to remain positive and display that confidence to others throughout the organization. With that in mind, HOW Online decided to ask leaders, “How do you keep your sense of optimism — and convey it to employees and co-workers — when so much bad news is out there now?”
Mats Lederhausen is the founder & CEO of BE-CAUSE in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., which focuses on building businesses with a purpose bigger than their product, and a HOW Online contributor.
“I think this is an extremely important question. Optimism is perhaps the single most important leadership characteristic. We can quibble about the exact word. Is it optimism? Hope? Faith? Belief? Conviction? Whatever it is, we know it when we see, feel and hear it. It is impossible to lead without a clear sense of where you are going and the necessary confidence that you have what is needed to get there. Without it, you simply cannot lead.
Clearly, it is more difficult to be optimistic when much of what you believed in before is being challenged. Other people’s uncertainty is as contagious as other people’s confidence. It is almost impossible not to get infected by the “negativity” virus spreading all over.
So what’s the antidote? What’s the vaccine?
I look at the character of leadership almost like I look at a tree: Big, strong and tall trees have big, strong and deep roots. The more the wind blows, the stronger the roots. The same is true with great leadership. The character of leadership is inextricably linked to the depth of belief, the level of commitment to fundamental principles of why you are doing what you are doing. Some call it strategy. Some call it idea. Some call it vision. I call it purpose.
Without a clear, compelling and relevant idea for your organization, it is impossible to develop organizational optimism — at least in times of great uncertainty. Exactly like when you are trying to balance yourself, you need to fix your gaze on a point far away. Otherwise you will fall. The same is true with ships trying to navigate stormy waters. They need a beacon of light far away — a purpose for a company or a person acts the same way. It helps harmonize, synchronize and stabilize your activities and direct them more effectively to the desired outcome. Purpose is the mother of optimism.“
Craig Newmark is an Internet entrepreneur best known for being the founder of the Web site Craigslist.com, which is based in San Francisco.
“At Craigslist, we’re seeing a lot of people struggling, but we also see a lot of people helping each other out, giving each other a break. That suggests we’ll survive this downturn and be a more unified people as a result.
Personally, I see people working with each other more and more, and that translates to the kind of networked, grassroots democracy envisioned by the founders. That means better governance and a better economy.
We need to remind people that tough times like these are when we all need to practice treating others like we want to be treated, and coming together to support each other. Together, we can get through any crisis.”
Andy Savitz is a senior consultant and partner at Sustainable Business Strategies in Boston, Mass., and author of “The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too” (Jossey-Bass).
“I know of only one sure-fire way to stay optimistic in the face of the world’s environmental and social problems, and that is to hug and kiss your children or your grandchildren. No matter how dire, I know that conditions will improve because we love our children and want them to experience the wilderness, to see an elephant or cheetah up close. We want them to breathe deeply of the clean, cold, air of our youth and be able to look up and see the Milky Way like we once did.
When I see or read of starving, homeless, illiterate or sick children, I can’t help but think of my own, and then my despair gives way to hope as determination rises within my bones and summons me to a new day.”
Kenny Moore is the director of human resources and the corporate ombudsman for electricity and natural gas distributor National Grid in New York City, and is the author of “The CEO and the Monk: One Company’s Journey and Profit” (John Wiley and Sons).
“For the past 20 years, I’ve been working as an executive in a New York City Fortune 500 company. Prior to that, I spent 15 years in a monastic community as a Catholic priest. Actually, both jobs have proven to be quite similar — except the ‘incentive plans’ vary greatly.
[Famed CBS broadcast news] journalist Eric Sevareid once said that he was a pessimist about tomorrow but an optimist about the day after tomorrow. I feel the same way about all the dirty dealings that have been going on in business. I don’t expect corporate malfeasance to end anytime in the near future. The workplace is a mirror of life. Like it or not, evil is part of the human condition and will always exist in the world. Besides, if immorality were to suddenly come to an abrupt halt, much of life’s drama would be lost, and organized religion would be out of a job. And as anxious world leaders keep reminding us, losing jobs is never good for the economy.
What’s required is to show up, live out our lives in a decent fashion and be a source of hope to others. And we don’t even need to be really good at it, since there doesn’t seem to be a lot of competition. As the ancient Greeks remind us: ‘In the land of the blind, the Cyclops rules.’ ”
Cheryl Heller is CEO of Heller Communication Design, a brand strategy and creative consultancy in New York City that is active in ethics and social responsibility.
“Challenging times are always an opportunity for innovation. I find that giving every team member and associate a chance to contribute ideas is the best way to not only remain optimistic, but to build strength and commitment.
These are the times when companies should take risks — much easier to do than when everything is going well and there’s less incentive to change. Creative people are by nature optimistic. We get up in the morning knowing that every day we can create change. That is what we help our clients build into their cultures, and inculcate into our own.”
Last 5 posts by HOW Online
• What Color is the Triple Bottom Line? - July 29th, 2010
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• New Zealand Review: Poor Governance - July 29th, 2010
• Sustainability: Back to the Future - July 28th, 2010
• Becoming the Good Company - July 28th, 2010
