Optimism isn’t about ignoring problems or pretending everything will work out. It’s about acknowledging challenges while believing that your actions can still make a difference. Psychologist and researcher Michelle Gielan says leaders can cultivate that mindset in themselves and their teams and argues that, when they do, it creates a powerful performance advantage. Drawing on an 11-year dataset of more than 25,000 business professionals, she shares research linking optimism to higher productivity, sales, engagement, and lower burnout. She explains how leaders can use techniques like “power leads” to help teams focus on progress and possibility without losing sight of difficult realities. Gielan wrote the book Resilient Optimism: The Science of Sustaining a Positive Mindset in Tough Times and the HBR article “How Leaders Counter Pessimism in Trying Times.“
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Linus Arauz operates 10 points of sale across two large airports and has responsibilities that extend to nearly 100 food and non-food retail locations across several airport programs. Some of those locations have no staff at all. Travelers simply walk up and take whatever they want off the shelf—a sandwich, a bottle of water. They’re supposed to pay, but no one is there to ensure that they do.
