I often wonder about the link between optimism and success.
Last month I had lunch with a remarkable entrepreneur, Ms. Koo. She regaled me with stories of serendipitous life events – a funny, authentic and unassuming woman. What rang through each story was her persistent optimism in the face of extreme uncertainty. From the inner city streets in Los Angeles to small manufacturing towns of Ohio, she was quick on her feet, mentally and physically, with a flair for jumping in and figuring things out as they happened.
How does each of us view the world? The ‘half empty or half full’ full question…
There is much talk on “positive psychology” now – the science of positive experience and purposeful life.
In 2000, Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi published an article which built the framework for the scientific structure behind positive psychology.One of the questions they explored were the links between positive traits/optimism and positive experiences/happiness.
Positive psychology has roots with humanist and analytical psychologists. Many researchers headed down the same positive path, from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to Jung’s spirituality and soul searching in the late 1930’s and early ’40’s.
Well-being and happiness is important, but hardly the only elements needed for success.There’s more.
How about sheer determination?
I saw this trait when interviewing Asian women leaders. Similar to Ms. Koo, the leaders I interviewed shared stories about overcoming formidable barriers on the road to success. Determination falls within the trait theory of leadership. But trait theory has fallen out of favour in leadership selection.
Angela Duckworth, psychologist and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, explores “grit and the links to sustaining success.” She defines grit as sustained interest, effort, and focus, for long term goals.
Grit and determination are synonymous.
She believes grit and self-control are the keys to sustained success. I agree with Dr. Duckworth, and would say that grit or determination, coupled with persistent optimism, achieve the same results.
What drives this determined spirit? I don’t have the answers quite yet. But I believe if organisations place more emphasis on grit, self-control and persistent optimism, and less on “executive presence”, we just might find the leaders for the future.
