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UNCOMPLICATE BUSINESS / SUNIL DIAS A Little Bit Of Negativity For Your Business

The writer explains about striving for a healthy balance between optimism and pessimism

Charles Darwin spent close to five years on the HMS Beagle. The ship circumnavigated the earth. Darwin’s job was to study the geology wherever they went. He did much more than that. He developed the core of the theory of evolution on the voyage. He collected samples, took copious notes and was a voracious reader on the voyage. With the enthusiasm shown, you would think Darwin loved the sea. He hated it. He was always seasick. yet, whenever the ship touched port, he would spend his time in strenuous exploration. We know the theory of evolution due to Darwin’s stubbornness. He refused to believe that he couldn’t complete the voyage. He stayed positive towards his work.

Organizations spend significant time and money in trying to keep employees positive. In a state where employees don’t have the word ‘impossible’ in their dictionary. Where employees always believe that they are on the cusp of a crucial breakthrough. They just need to keep at their task. And believe that they can do things that others think can’t be done. Is all the positivity-inducing effort worth it?

As we saw with Darwin, staying positive can be a big plus. It’s easier for an organization to keep innovating if every employee is positive. Everyone is confident in the business strategy. Everyone moves in the same direction. yet too much positivity can be a negative for your business. Especially if it is disconnected from reality. That can provide a false sense of security. Or worse, demoralise the workforce. Here are three indicators that your business is too positive:

Indicator #1: Employees never say No

If there’s too much positivity, saying ‘No’ isn’t looked kindly upon. No employee will dare say something is impossible. Or offer their frank views on why a solution proposed doesn’t make too much sense. The ability to be frank and forthright is critical in an organization. If an employee has to think too much before offering their frank opinion, there’s something wrong. As a leader, be on your guard if you find that nobody disagrees too much outwardly. And yet, nothing much seems to get done.

Indicator #2: There are too many taglines

The self-help industry is ever expanding. One favourite book genre is on how to become more positive. Often, leaders love passing on these messages to the rest of the organisation, as a way of motivating the team. The problem is that while most of these messages are good to hear, they often contradict each other. Or sometimes, don’t even mean too much. It’s likely an organisation is too positive if they’re using too many ‘be-positive’ taglines.

Indicator #3: Warped reality

If the positive vibes in an organization appear too good to be true, they are. In such organisations, everything has a positive spin. All employees keep saying positive things about the organization. yet, dig a bit further and you will find results don’t reflect this positivity. Coupled with that, the organizational culture is often not that great. Employees not talking to each other. Unhappy employees. If there are too many gaps between what’s being said and the reality, there’s too much positivity.

Should leaders be positive?

Many leaders don’t like displaying negativity. The thinking is that if they appear hesitant, the team won’t have enough belief. Right before Lehman Brothers collapsed, the CEO was quoted as saying that the company was firing on all cylinders! As a leader, being too optimistic can often be a downer for the team. For instance, say your team is struggling with a challenging task. you could be overly optimistic and keep telling them that they will be successful if they keep at it. yet, most employees prefer an acknowledgement of the difficulty of the task. And guidance from the leader on how to get it done. Instead, if all they get is a cliche on remaining optimistic, they’ll think the leader is out of touch with reality. As author Anne Baum says in a Fast Company article, “When leaders put on their cheerleading hats despite a reality that is poor, they seem like liars or worse, like they are delusional.” This doesn’t mean a leader should be pessimistic. Or doubt employee capability. Instead, it means that the leader acknowledges the possibility of failure. And that some things in the current circumstances are indeed impossible. Leader behaviour should reflect reality.

Closing thoughts

Being overly optimistic is setting yourself up for disappointment. Besides, faking positivity can be emotionally draining. That said, we can’t be fully authentic at work. A little embellishment is always required. If everyone shared their doubts out loud, we would never meet any targets. A negative organization with grumpy employees isn’t fun. Strive for a healthy balance between optimism and pessimism. As Richard Pine says, “The best chief executives know that too much optimism is a dangerous thing, that wise and productive leadership means striking a balance between optimists’ blue-sky view of the world and pessimists’ more clear-eyed assessment of any given situation”

The author runs iv-advisors, a consulting firm helping businesses become bigger and better. Email:sunildias@iv-advisors.com