Positive Outlook and The Office

The people who have the best outlook on life and most positive perspective are people who are optimistic -  recognizing the positive aspects of each day and treating them as a gift.  It is true that we all face days where it’s raining on our side of the street and everyone else seems to have a cloudless sky overhead.  Those are days that no one welcomes... but when we choose to look at our own situation with a sunny disposition, it really affects how we perform. 

Unfortunately, some days there may not be much to be optimistic about at work - but in most cases, waking up, putting on clean clothes, drinking hot coffee, having gas in your car, getting to work on time and getting a paycheck is more than enough to be thankful for - and the day hasn’t even begun.

It’s easy to get caught up in the things that are empty, that aren’t working out, the people we aren’t getting along with or the things that we simply don’t have but what does it achieve?  Well actually it does the opposite - it can really affect productivity in a negative way!

Casey Brandson, of AllenBrand Public Relations, once said, “ Whether managers are optimistic or pessimistic affects a company's bottom line.”  When we choose to be optimistic, even when it seems ridiculous, we actually give our environment a boost of hope. But can a  positive outlook really boost sales - well, perhaps it just may.

"Optimistic organizations are powerful and pessimistic organizations are helpless...To increase productivity and create an optimistic environment, managers must treat problems as temporary and compartmentalize negative experiences, Brandson said. Focus blame on situations, not people,” says Brandson. 

You see, it’s easy for us to become discouraged and consequently become disengaged from each other. When we become discouraged, it’s usually due to the fact that we have disconnected ourselves from our team.

And unfortunately, our wifi culture does not promote much face time. It's true that not much is brainstormed, budgeted, celebrated, or discussed in person anymore. We have such a broader scope of the world now but our inner circles are logged out.

Our performance level is really high but socializing is awkward. We don't have much time to socialize by the photocopier; that aspect got downsized with the advent of email. And not so much water cooler conversation - no, that got recalled with the BPI scare. And not so many smoke breaks - because, well that is lethal.  But really it’s not why or when we interact - it’s how!

Now, the best example I can think of is from the ever useful teaching tool “The Office.” People watch this TV show and laugh hard because we all know a character or two that seems oddly familiar to our own workplace. Did you ever notice how Angela from Accounting is in charge of the party planning committee, but none of the parties are ever successful? The reason being -her attitude is pitiful - she is curt, judgmental, and isn’t what you’d call a team player.

As hilarious as Angela's character is, it’s easy for all of us to at times run our mouths inappropriately or judge others according to our own standards. We must remind ourselves it is possible to learn from people that bug us. When we give others a chance, we are really just understanding a bit more of their story - everybody’s got one! When companies invest in their employees personally - it cross pollinates into the everyday office culture and creates an atmosphere of motivated performance.