Leading with optimism is a choice we make
It’s not always easy to be a positive leader in the face of challenge and turmoil, but the impact of an optimistic outlook on business and society could be a game changer.
By Prof. Bernd Vogel
South Africa is a country with every reason to put its head in its hands right now, but it is not alone. While ongoing loadshedding, greylisting, corruption and economic stagnation at home are hard to swallow, the world at large is also in a state of uncertainly and flux. Despite these challenges, there are remarkable leaders in business and society who are still managing to stay positive.
This sort of leadership response does go against the grain. In a 2019 article in Harvard Business Review, Eileen Y Chou from the University of Virginia in the US explained why human psychology predisposes us to back vitriolic and negative leaders. “In actively criticizing, negating, or refuting another person or entity, naysayers could be perceived as acting independently, according to their own agency – a key determinant of power,” she wrote. “This, in turn, fuels the perception of naysayers’ power as being untethered from any social constraints or other people’s resources, making them seem all the more powerful.”
For some reason, when the going gets tough it’s often easier for us to shirk our responsibility as leaders to inspire, and rather leap into playing the blame game. This negative response ultimately chips away at the vision and direction which people expect, and need, from their leaders – especially when the terrain ahead is uncertain. Which is why those leaders who are resisting the temptation to lapse into negative rhetoric and instead seek answers and identify opportunities with empathy and resilience are worth celebrating – and listening to.
Leaders like Dr Dulcy Rakumakoe, a social entrepreneur and CEO of affordable healthcare supplier Quadcare, and Dr Mélani Prinsloo, an academic and the co-founder of the research and knowledge hub Infusion and tech start-up Helium, who shared a podium with me in March at the launch of the Henley Centre for Leadership Africa.
Dr Rakumakoe, an activist, change maker, medic and even part-time DJ, is someone guided by a firm desire to give back to her community. Since she wears so many hats, she says that she looks to surround herself with other positive people, seeking out partners and collaborators who share her vision of broadening access to healthcare. She takes inspiration from leaders across the spectrum, from community leaders to high-powered CEOs and especially from young entrepreneurs. Optimism is a choice that leaders can make, she says, commenting:
“Leadership is about seeing beyond what is currently happening and being able to imagine what the world will look like in the future… If we aren’t optimistic then it’s all doom and gloom.”