Can optimistic enthusiasm become reality?

The calendar says Spring is here. I’m optimistically enthusiastic that flowers will come out soon. Spring is a new opportunity for growth in all the natural world. In fact, my daffodils and tulips are starting to show their leaves. True, temperatures outside are still below freezing at night. But I’m optimistic Spring will triumph over Winter.

What about you and your organization? How do you respond to new opportunities?

When your company launches new things, tries out new initiatives, brainstorms new approaches, the internal response (or reaction) to these ventures is a cultural choice, one that can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If your organization is risk avoidant and pessimistic, then every new idea is a threat. It represents more work, something that could go wrong, a chance for disaster. Your people will work to protect the status quo to be sure that they won't get blamed for anything that challenges the system. It’s really hard to launch anything new in such an organization.

Or let’s say you have a great opportunity as a family to move abroad where you have been offered a great leadership position. You are very enthusiastic about the possible move. But when you present it to your partner and children, all they can see is the difficulties of moving such great distance, living friends and family behind, and learning to navigate a new culture.

On the other hand, if your organization is filled with people who are rewarded for changing things up and generating innovative products and services, you just might discover that the outcomes they are dreaming of are in fact what happens. The enthusiasm that comes from believing that this one new product might just resonate with the market is precisely the ingredient that's required to make something succeed.

If your family decides to focus on the excitement and opportunity to learn new things, a new culture, and to travel, that dream job of yours could become a great opportunity for growth for the whole family.

So, what would it be for you? Will you focus on playing it safe and keeping things steady or will you risk innovation and new connections? True, by risking to come out before winter temperatures are totally out, my daffodils could find their flowers unable to blossom. But judging by past experiences I think that what will happen is that they will be the first blossoms I see announcing that Spring is truly here.

Optimistic enthusiasm CAN become reality!