| "The pessimist complains about the wind; the | | | | more? |
| optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts | | | | Have you ever sat back and thought how this |
| the sails." William Arthur Ward | | | | distinction between optimism versus reality could |
| I was reminded of this brilliant principle last week | | | | apply to your business/career or your life in |
| when I spoke to one of my business coaching | | | | general? Where in your life are you ignoring reality |
| clients. There can be no doubt that we are living in | | | | in favour of being optimistic and missing a crucial |
| interesting times.... the global financial crisis has | | | | opportunity to take action? |
| impacted overall spending and consumer | | | | Take for example my business coaching client |
| sentiment - and this has hurt many small | | | | that I mentioned above. She has an employee |
| businesses around the country. It's no good hoping | | | | who doesn't take responsibility for her actions, |
| that circumstances will change - in order to | | | | doesn't pay attention to details and is often |
| survive we all need to dig deep and find creative | | | | defensive and reluctant to take direction and |
| ways to work smarter not harder. | | | | feedback. This employee is negatively impacting |
| Jim Collins, in his book, "Good to Great," talks | | | | the entire work environment as everyone gets |
| about this very interesting paradox that he calls | | | | caught up in the drama of it all. My client doesn't |
| "The Stockdale Principle". According to Collins, "you | | | | want to let the employee go and is resisting doing |
| have to be realistic about your current situation | | | | what she knows that she must. She hopes that it |
| and yet, stay optimistic about the future". | | | | will somehow improve without any action on her |
| General Stockdale was the highest ranking | | | | part - she is now learning the distinction between |
| American prisoner of war in Hanoi, Vietnam. Over | | | | reality and optimism. When she sees the |
| the years he began to notice an interesting | | | | difference for what it is, then and only then, will |
| phenomenon - optimism could in fact be a liability. | | | | she become decisive and take action. |
| His fellow prisoners (who were the eternal | | | | Another area where it's easy to be blinded by |
| optimists) constantly set themselves up for | | | | optimism is in the financial arena. Do you have |
| disappointment. They set huge milestones - "we | | | | detailed financial reports, KPIs and cashflow |
| will be rescued by Christmas" - but those | | | | forecasts in place to drive your decision making |
| milestones came and went year after year and | | | | or are you simply relying on your optimism |
| with it... their will to live. | | | | instead of reality? Failure to effectively plan in this |
| Conversely, the prisoners who looked at the | | | | area (especially in these tough times) could lead to |
| painful day-to-day reality they were in and | | | | a cash crunch and the demise of your business. |
| channeled their energies to the right places | | | | Take a moment today to examine your |
| survived. This is not to say that the second group | | | | relationship to optimism, pessimism and realism. |
| were pessimists but rather realists that maintained | | | | Success belongs to those who operate from both |
| an unwavering faith in the end game, and a | | | | sides of the Stockdale Paradox. The key is |
| commitment to survive despite the brutal fact of | | | | balance - knowing when to accept reality and |
| their incarceration and torture over a period of | | | | take appropriate action AND never losing faith in |
| years. | | | | the end of the story. If you can walk this delicate |
| Here's how Stockdale put it in his own words: | | | | line of balance and responsibility, you increase your |
| "I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never | | | | odds of making good decisions and this will lead to |
| doubted not only that I would get out, but also | | | | your inevitable success and breakthrough results. |
| that I would prevail in the end and turn the | | | | In life, we will all experience setbacks, |
| experience into the defining event of my life, | | | | disappointments, loss and challenges. What |
| which, in retrospect, I would not trade." | | | | separates successful people from the rest is how |
| How many of us would look back on seven years | | | | you deal with those inevitable struggles. This is a |
| of detention - with regular torture, dismal living | | | | very important distinction and it is what divides |
| conditions and an uncertain future - as an | | | | the winners from the losers. You must never |
| experience we would not trade? Do you regard | | | | confuse faith that you will prevail in the end - |
| the greatest obstacles or challenges in your life as | | | | which is something that you can never afford to |
| the defining moment that shaped who you are | | | | lose sight of - with the discipline to confront the |
| today or do you choose to look at them as an | | | | brutal facts and reality of your current situation, |
| excuse or reason why you have not achieved | | | | whatever that might be. |