Perpetual Optimism

“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”

These words of Colin Powell’s should resonate throughout all organizations. Pessimists insist that cautious approaches to work provide safety and security, when nothing could be further from the truth. Pessimistic approaches to business processes include not fixing them because “they ain’t broke.” Nonsense.

Your competitors are out there brainstorming to come up with new ways to tackle problems you may have not even considered – and then pulling the trigger to launch new, innovative, even exciting ways to get work done. This optimistic approach means those who are working toward more effective, efficient and agile operations tackle each problem as an opportunity to remake their organizations, instead of stumbling blocks to be avoided. Pessimists shrink from their responsibility to push the envelope; optimists grow world-class companies.