OPTIMISM: The Fuel

Optimism is a must have for folks doing bold process work. It is important for both self-motivation and to keep others enthused.

I’m naturally optimistic, and have found that the most effective innovators I have met all tend to be optimistic.

But, if we are doing really bold work, there will inevitably be times when we have doubts about whether things will work out. These situations are unavoidable and inherent to doing difficult work. We have to be able to deal with these doubts and move past them.

The worst case would be quitting prematurely on a great project, because of problems that are resolvable, but cause enthusiasm to wane. We need to avoid these situations, because we will be leaving gains “on the table” and not taking them.

So, why do people give up on improvement efforts?

There are six reasons, according to the book “Mojo” written by Marshall Goldsmith…

#1…It takes longer than we thought.

#2…It’s more difficult than we thought.

#3…We have other things to do.

#4…We don’t get the expected reward.

#5…We declare victory too soon.

#6…We have to do it forever.

The above list makes sense, and it reminds us of the discipline needed to do these bold projects. If we are disciplined in our project execution, the items on the above list should not derail us from our ultimate objective.

A smart approach is to be thinking about this list as we start projects, and keep it in mind as we move through projects. This will enable us to get at the root cause of our decreased optimism, so we can deal with it head-on.

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My main learning from this is that the reasons people quit early are predictable and known, as outlined above. The encouraging aspect of this is that we can be on guard for these things and think rationally about them. This list can help us refuel our optimism in the tough times!

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CHALLENGE TO READERS

Please think about the difficult times when your resolve has been tested on bold process projects…

• Does the above list ring true to you? Have you ended up quitting great projects prematurely? Can that be avoided in the future?

• Who are the “Process Optimists” in your organization? Has their optimism and perseverance been leveraged to help drive difficult projects forward?

I’d like to know what you have learned about keeping Mojo and optimism high during tough times. Please call me (508-410-8081) so we can compare notes and learnings.

If you send us an email, we will get back to you promptly, thanks.

All the Best,

Marty

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