Tech Manager—Realistic Optimism
I am an optimistic guy. I look for positive outcomes, even in negative events. Even my blood type indicates my outlook – B Positive. It is said that the optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says the glass is half empty. But, as the joke goes, the Engineer says the glass is obviously the wrong size (har har). I am analytically minded with reason and logic playing a big role in my thinking. I tend to think things through before planning and rethinking as the plan unfolds. I take a realistic view in my decision-making process. I practice realistic optimism.
Realistic Optimism is defined by Andrzej Smiech of the Forbes Coaches Council as, “The ability to balance out negative and positive things in situations, circumstances and people. It is the courage to explore opportunities, where others are blocked by risk and failure, with the belief that the future will be better than the past.” This provides a good framework for this article.
At the Ends of the Bell Curve
Being overly optimistic overlooks the reality of a situation and has rose colored glasses on. It ignores reality, warning signs and moves ahead without caring about naysayers and negative feedback. Over optimism thinks that the best outcome will always happen and that the odds are always stacked in their favor. It does not weigh past outcomes and what might happen that will derail the achievement of a goal.
Being overly pessimistic does not see any light at the end of the tunnel and everything looks gloomy. It does not have much hope for good things to happen. It has a negative slant on every possible outcome. Over pessimism lets the negative thoughts creep in and prevents advancement. It is defeated even before it has begun.
Realistic Optimism
Somewhere in the middle of the bell curve is an approach that sees things for what they are and considers possible negatives, but then marches forward seeking and expecting good things to come. It is a better place to be when you balance the fear of failing with the hope of better things and come away with a plan that balances the two so that you can move forward. It is the ability to maintain a positive outlook, but not deny reality. It considers the reality of each situation and weighs possible outcomes to choose the best way to achieve a goal.
Maybe the best way to stay on track is to put up some guard rails. When you veer into either of the ‘overly’ edges, you can bounce back to the middle.
Rail One: Challenge Your Thinking
Look for evidence (not just feelings) that your outcomes may fail- or succeed. Define what your confidence is based on. Define what your misgivings are telling you. Are they realistic? Could it really be that good or bad? Constantly look for proof that your thinking is correct by seeing what is happening around you, not just in your head. Most people think that good things are more likely than bad things, but you need to avoid allowing your thinking to swerve into an extreme.
Rail Two: Manage Expectations
What is the best and worst that can happen? Take a serious moment to see if you can really envision the outcome that you think will happen. Can you really get everyone to follow every standard all the time? Can your system really have 100% uptime? Those are noble goals, but not guaranteed. And when you don’t achieve your 100% goal, you tend to press harder on people and things. That is annoying. Do you have to lock things down for everyone because you think the worst might happen? That is limiting to most people. And it is all because your expectations are not grounded in reality. Your goal can be lofty, but your expectations should be reality based.
Back in 2022 I wrote about how you can move past potholes by analyzing outcomes as possible, plausible, probable and finally predictable. When you put outcomes in these buckets, it helps you calculate risk and reward and then make a good choice on goals and expectations.
Rail Three: Plan for the Best, Prepare for the Worst
Wait, there are only two guardrails on the roads I drive… but there are more in my mind. Always plan as if you will achieve what you set out to do. Include in your thinking available recourses. The ones that you control are predictable, but the ones you do not control are not. You probably don’t have total control over time, money or people. Get input about the availability of things you need, before you need them.
Always prepare for the worst things happening. Money can be refocused away from your initiatives. People can be reassigned. Time passes much quicker than we think, and delays will happen. In your mind and in your plan have some buffer for all of these. You can avoid troubles if you have already thought through the contingency plans.
Rail Four: Get Wise Counsel
I get someone to look over my shoulder. I write down my plan and explain it to someone I respect. You may do this multiple times sharing it with someone who is generally optimistic and someone who is pessimistic. This can help you shave off the extreme edges and reevaluate your thinking.
The goal of realistic optimism is to not have all positive thoughts or all negative thoughts. It should be a balance of positive thinking and some negative thinking. You need more positive than negative to even start a project, but too much positive and you might be living in a dream world. Too much negative and you might be driven by fear of failure. Keeping looking on the bright side… after the rain, there will be sunshine.
