“You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can be grateful that thorn bushes have roses.” – Tom Wilson
It seems to be fashionable these days to be as negative as possible. Finding something wrong in every situation and then complaining about it has become something of an art form. It’s almost like we’ve all decided in advance that somehow, we’re being treated unfairly, or that nothing ever goes our way, and it’s our job to figure out how and then make sure everybody else knows too.
It’s worse when that constant seeking of what’s wrong and complaining about it comes from leaders. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be in leadership roles set a tone, whether we want to or not. If we’re always trying to figure out how everything is terrible, or how everything is working against us, the people we lead will do the same.
I obviously don’t mean that we should ignore things that can be improved within our own organizations. Leaders always need to be looking for opportunities to grow and to improve things that need improving. Striving for that continuous improvement is one of the most important things we do as leaders.
I’m also not talking about being stupidly optimistic. Sometimes, there are things in our world that we don’t control that work against us. We think we have a path to whatever success we want and then the path disappears. We will never succeed individually or as an organization without being brutally honest about reality.
All of that, though, is different than the kind of soul-crushing negativity that infects too many leaders these days. I have too many conversations with leaders where, when the conversation is over, I wonder why they bother continuing as an organization at all. Based on their attitude, they should just close things down immediately and find something else to do with their time.
Don’t be one of those leaders. Understand reality and the real challenges and opportunities that exist. Then be unfailingly optimistic that you have the ability to successfully navigate them. Don’t talk about barriers as though it’s hopeless, or unfair, or that there’s nothing you can do unless someone else makes a change.
You’re the one that needs to make the change, and you’re the only one who can. The good news is that you have the ability to do it. Start by focusing on what’s right and go from there. Good luck.
