A Project Manager’s Responsible Optimism

The pessimism of Eeyore, the gloomy donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh, would make him an uninspiring project manager. But unchecked optimism isn’t good either—you come off as unrealistic. Here are some tips for achieving the balance of constructive optimism:

• Complement optimism with risk management. Balance your optimism with constructive risk discussions. Openly surface issues and the response actions you are taking. Create a risk management culture within your project. You can enhance stakeholder management with well placed optimism based on your experience and abilities. Taken too far, you may create concerns that you’ll overlook roadblocks.
• Support optimism with history. Strengthen the validity of your optimism by referencing past successes. Successes from your current organization are the most powerful. When your history comes from elsewhere, discuss the characteristics your current organization has in common with past environments. This bases your optimism in fact, versus only a cheerful attitude.
• Accept any pessimism you may encounter. But address that pessimism with open dialog to determine how to manage the situation. While pessimism can be draining, pessimistic viewpoints can raise valid risks. Don’t discard them without first evaluating their validity.
• Be yourself. You became a project manager because of your skills and abilities. You shouldn’t change what you do now! Be mindful of how your optimism or pessimism affects others. Using the tips suggested here, tweak your levels if necessary. However, don’t fake optimism. People see through this eventually, and it’ll do more harm than good.

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