I Don’t Believe in Pessimists
It’s not that I don’t believe that those who have been labeled pessimists actually exist, obviously. Rather today as I contemplated it I’m re-convinced that the image and motivations we/I attribute to pessimists are largely incorrect.
I’m assuming that of course most people view pessimism in the same way I do. Wikipedia describes it in this way; “from the Latin pessimus (worst), is a painful state of mind which negatively colors the perception of life, especially with regard to future events”. For the purposes of this post I’ll therefore define a pessimist as someone who more often than not looks at the negative side of life and, it often seems, gains some fulfillment out of thinking this way. Optimists obviously can’t understand this perspective and often struggle and at times express frustration with how to work with this group of people, sometimes even looking down on them as lesser thinkers and uncreative.
As such I’d like to suggest a re-labeling or re-think. Rather than pessimists perhaps we can think of this group of people as protectionists. In may be the optimist in me but I don’t believe that, for the most part, people want the worst to happen or to think negatively all the time.
So why does this occur? Perhaps what is happening is not the desire for the bad to happen but that the individual is actually trying to protect themselves, society, friends from something. That something might be disappointment, the discomfort of change, avoiding a situation that makes them nervous, or a sense of mastery over the future.
So, if you’re an optimist working with colleagues or candidates who are protectionists perhaps it would be good to step back and ask yourself what it is that the person is trying to protect and what you could do to help them feel safe with the idea or change. Maybe the thing they are protecting is what needs to be kept from the old model as it obviously has some merit to someone.
If you are a protectionist, perhaps you could consider safe, step by step ways you can begin to extend your boundaries or thoughts to test out new ideas or the proposed changes. The methods or thoughts you are protecting probably were new at one stage as well.
As always I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments.
This Week’s Web Picks
Leadership with humility – As either a professional leader or a leader of candidates, this article evaluates the concept of a powerful leader.
Making presentations in the TED style – If you haven’t heard of TED you need to check it out. The presentations are interesting, to the point, thought provoking and inspiring. This article discusses the 10 commandments provided to presenters at this conference to keep this feel.
10 questions you should never be asked in an interview – A US based legal article. Doesn’t mean you won’t be asked so good answers are essential but a helpful summary.
Photo by Miriam Delirium
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