How do you help your employees be optimistic in such a challenging year?

[Jay Forte]

2009 looks tough, real tough. How are you and your organizations helping your employees stay positive and be optimistic? Do you think an attiude of optimism will help us weather the credit crisis and tough economic times, or will we need something more signficant?

Let's see if we can work together as engagement professionals to help define how to create an attitude of optimism at a bleak time...I know employees need it. Thoughts?

[Anja Schuetz]

Hi Jay,

one thing I would do is try and not talk about the crisis and tough times more than necessary in an organization, since "what you focus on expands" :) I really do believe that the crisis might not be as bad as it is being made by constantly covering it in the news, or it has been increased by the same fact, as people got scared when they kept hearing about it, were lead to make poor decisions and by that contributed to the crisis..

An attitude of optimism always helps, since optimistic people tend to see the opportunities in a challenge, rather than focus and moan only about the "problems" and dragging everyone else around them down with them. On one hand I think people are either optimistic or pessimistic and an optimist doesn't suddenly become a pessimist just because there is some bad news out there. I do agree, though, that it's good to make an extra effort to keep people positive (or help them to become positive) in a time when the "hard times" are constantly highlighted and emphasized.

How can we help employees stay positive? First of all, we have to make sure we are positive ourselves and a role model to them. Or we try to become more positive together with them. Have you heard about "A Complaint Free World" (www.acomplaintfreeworld.org)? It's a challenge to go 21 days without complaining. You get a purple bracelet (for free) and everytime a complaint slips out of your mouth you need to change wrists and start from scratch! It takes people months to complete the 21 days (if they don't give up beforehand). It is such a great "game" to do with a team. In fact many teams are already doing it. It creates a common goal and it has the nice side effect that everyone becomes a little more positive which even rubs off into people's private lives. Plus, you learn about yourself and become aware how often we actually complain per day, even if we think we are positive people.

And then, there is the "Good News Day" experiment, which you can read about on my newpeoplemanagement blog: http://newpeoplemanagement.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/the-good-news-d...
Though this might be for the more advanced...

If you decide to try those things out, keep us posted how they worked!
Anja :)

[Jay Forte]

Great comment. Thank you for sharing the perspective. I do find that what you create, you receive. And living/working with an optimistic or pessimistic attitude is a choice.

I will check out the complaint free world site - what a great idea.

Thanks again for you comments and will let you know how it is received.

Jay