Jim Clemmer's Leader Letter

Following is correspondence from Leader Letter reader, Ken Larson, in Calgary, Alberta. His insights and useful comments are in response to the article I wrote in last month's Leader Letter, entitled "Choosing My Perspective." (click here to read it).

Hi Jim,

Research on the The Positive Power of Negative Thinking by Julie K. Norem shows that there is a group of high achievers that are classed as traditional pessimists. However, these "pessimists" (by definition) use their pessimism to their benefit - they are strategic about it. Here's the deal...

• A strategic pessimist sees the negative in a situation, and then becomes motivated to make sure it doesn't happen.
  
• A strategic optimist sees the positive in a situation, then becomes motivated to make sure it does happen.
  
• Additional findings showed that when you try to convert a strategic pessimist to become more optimistic, they fail miserably. The opposite held true for strategic optimists trying the strategy of the strategic pessimists.
  

Interesting? I have found this helps greatly in my executive coaching as it doesn't really matter if one is optimistic or pessimistic, as long as they are "strategic" about it, and stick to what works for them. I have found a lot of executives are relieved to hear this news (that they aren't 'bad') and then realize that they don't have to change, they just have to become more aware of it, use what works for them, but also be willing to shift to the other side when necessary (when they go home to the family?). This has huge ramifications for handling all sorts of situations. For example, I really want the mechanic on the airliner I fly on to be a strategic pessimist - find all that could go wrong and make absolute sure that it doesn't happen.

Thoughts?

Ken

Hi Ken,

Thanks for your interesting research and perspective.

I can see the value of strategic pessimism in many organizational situations. I can also see the times when it would make sense for personal situations. But the big danger in this concept is that it gives permission to pessimists to continue their sour outlook on life. Overwhelming research shows this leads to disastrous physical and mental results, not to mention broken relationships and other side effects.

There's an important distinction to be made between life pessimism and situational pessimism. That's where Seligman's 3Ps (permanent, pervasive, and personal) of explanatory style are the most helpful. I certainly agree that I want the airplane mechanic (or pilot) to be strategically pessimistic.

Jim

Jim,

You are absolutely correct - strategic pessimists don't allow their negative outlook on life to affect them. It is much closer to situational pessimism than life pessimism as you suggest - but perhaps a step further, in that they tend to look at the down side purely for the potential benefits of knowing what could go wrong as a means of better assessing the situation AND motivating them to achieve in spite of these.

This lends itself to the notion that although we are all pre-disposed to a certain explanatory style, there is a great need in our present society to be able (and willing) to shift our outlook depending upon the situation, whether it be in life or business.

To me it all comes down to the element of perceived risk - when there is a lot, then a strategically pessimistic outlook will help (survival mechanism?) – as long as the emotions of the situation don't cloud our view and wear down our internal mechanisms (as the research shows to be true). This is both a talent as much as a skill.

I did my masters thesis on explanatory style. Believe me, the "Three P's" are etched into my brain for all eternity :) :) :).

I've long admired Carl Hiebert's photographic books, cherished his friendship, and been inspired by his triumph over personal tragedy (read an excerpt about Carl here) and selfless work in helping less fortunate people around the world. Carl is working on an inspiring new project to shine a well deserved spotlight on Canadians who are really making a difference. He needs help finding them. Visit his new web site at www.canadiansmakingadifference.com to learn more and nominate a deserving hero. You'll help Carl, bring recognition to a deserving hero, and contribute to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Third World countries.

"I am because we are."
- African proverb

"When you have conflict at the top, and it is handled dysfunctionally, it sends shock waves through the entire organization – not ripples, but shock waves. The senior team is, for better or for worse, the organization's model of what a high-performing team is. If your senior team operates in a dysfunctional manner not only does it cause disconnects and decision-making snafus, it also sets up a dysfunctional model for the organization to emulate and that's really the worst problem."
- Howard Guttman, author of When Goliaths Clash

"While the first words and actions of leaders are the most closely attended to, the scrutiny never really ends. Followers continue to pay close attention to even the most offhand remark, and the more effective the leader is, the more careful he or she must be, because followers may implement an idea that was little more than a passing thought."
- Warren Bennis, leadership researcher and author

"Customers who consider our servers rude should see the management."
- Sign in a restaurant

"Conventional wisdom's view of teamwork is dangerously misleading. Great managers do not believe that a productive team has camaraderie as its cornerstone and team members who can play all roles equally well. On the contrary, they define a productive team as one where each person knows which role he plays best and where he is cast in that role most of the time."
- Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, First, Break All The Rules: What The World's Greatest Managers Do Differently

"Frontline staff are natural mimics, they act like their management team despite all attempts to train them otherwise."
- Unknown

I would love to hear from you on any of the discussions raised in this issue of the Leader Letter...or any other matters concerning my work. Of course, I especially welcome conversations exploring how I might help you or your team/organization with a keynote presentation, management team retreat, or workshop.

Send me an e-mail at [email protected] or call me directly at (519) 748-5968.

I hope to connect with you again next month!

Jim