“While ample research has documented the benefits of optimism at work, dozens of studies in the past several years have explored the flip side of the coin—how a moderate amount of pessimism can yield better performance.”
So says How Being a Worrywart Helps at Work, an article from the WSJ in which they liken pessimism to being in a ‘negative’ mood (and optimism to being a ‘positive’ mood). The following chart delineates the relative upsides and downsides:
The Implications are Clear
“Certain occupations, including actuarial science, accounting, engineering and computer science,” the article continues, “tend to be a better fit for people with a realistic, detail-focused mind-set, research shows. These jobs are also less likely to pose obstacles for those who are pessimistic or worried.”
Which begs the question: How aligned is YOUR prevailing mood with your current job’s roles and responsibilities?
Do you agree with these research findings? Let me know.
Post Script
I hope this post has helped you learn something about yourself. If so, please make a point to share your insight with others as a way to "lock in" your learning.While you're at it, I'd also appreciate you telling them about LeadershipTraction and the resources available, here, on-line, at www.leadershiptraction.com including:
• my other blog posts
• my leadership tutorial downloads
• my newsletter archives
• the curated content on my LeadershipTraction Facebook page
• and, of course, my book, Leadership Haiku
Thanks.
- bz
P.P.S. If you have a question or comment about this post, just let me know. I'll do my best to get back to you, straightaway.