Why should I try to be optimistic at work?

Given the current economic crisis, optimistic leadership in our corporations is essential for a company to thrive and compete in our global economy. Every corporation must take the emerging brain science on optimism seriously. Just as you can infect a corporation with contagious stress, you can nurture a business environment with optimism.

Optimism can be a learned skill. Whether you are in a position of leadership or working with peers as a coworker, you can model behavior that teaches no matter what happens within your corporation or business setting, or in the global economy, every obstacle becomes an opportunity.

An extremely troublesome area of human relations management in the workplace is the tremendous increase in the levels of bullying and aggression. This makes it a challenge to create an optimistic work environment. Research tells us that positive, encouraging work environments are healthier, create less employee turnover, decrease absenteeism, and are more productive. Complaints of bullying must be taken seriously, as that kind of aggressive behavior will lower the morale of a workplace and affect productivity. Optimism cannot flourish where problems are not addressed.