MANAGEMENT TIPS

RECALIBRATE YOUR MINDSET

Your brain is wired to notice what’s going wrong.Under stress, that tendency can narrow your attention and make progress harder to see. Recalibrating your mindset means deliberately giving your brain more evidence of what’s working. A few simple habits can help.

INTERRUPT THE NEGATIVITY BIAS - 

Build a short practice into your day that makes you scan for positive information and what’s going well. At the end of the day, for example, spend two minutes writing down three or four highlights.

CURATE EVIDENCE YOU CAN RETURN TO - 

Save meaningful messages, accomplishments, photos, or other reminders of positive experiences in one place. When stress starts dominating your perspective, revisit that collection to remind yourself of progress you may be overlooking.

ASK OTHERS WHAT'S GOING WELL - 

Make positive information part of your conversations. Ask colleagues to share a small win, or create a space where your team can regularly recognize progress. This gives you another source of evidence that good things are happening, even during difficult periods.

Excerpt from HBR on management - Michelle Gielan’s new book, Resilient Optimism: The Science of Sustaining a Positive Mindset in Tough Times (HBR Press)

Resilient optimism is a mindset built through intentional, repeatable behaviors that help you stay grounded in reality while continuing to believe your actions matter. Rather than simply trying to “think positive,” you can build habits that make you steadier and more effective under pressure.