How’s your optimism?
We all experience those glass half empty moments – despairing when we can’t see a solution to a sticky situation, things are going downhill, we can’t turn things around, it’s too difficult to fix, we’ve tried but…, my boss/spouse/child is going to be disappointed in me – and many more – we don’t need to highlight them all!
At ICC, we employ a ‘glass half full’ level of optimism to every hurdle we encounter and we work with our clients to encourage the same mindset. It may not work every time but it always helps to improve despairing scenarios.
Here are the techniques we use most regularly:
- Talk it through: a colleague, friend or family member will almost certainly approach the challenge in a different way and will help you see it from a alternative angle, opening up previously unconsidered solutions
- Be brave: phone the supplier / your boss / your spouse and be honest about the issue. Chances are you’ll figure out a solution together
- Don’t delay: often, our instincts are to avoid a problem and hope it goes away, it rarely works like that. Act (or admit defeat!) quickly so that it doesn’t keep you awake at night
- Put it in perspective: this might feel huge for you, but is it such a big deal for anyone else? What will it look like in 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years? And don’t sweat the small stuff
- Think creatively: outside the box thinking can be difficult when stuck in a seemingly big rut, but small creative steps may just help you get up the sides and out of trouble
- Ask questions: there’s always more information available and some simple questions can help to weed out the answers. They might just end up with more than one option!
- Recap and learn: we occasionally find ourselves putting some of life’s challenges in the ‘I learnt from that’ file. Think about what led you there, what you might do differently in future and what learnings you have taken away
We truly believe that our energy, our mindset and our outlook on life helps us to build really powerful relationships with our clients. Come on in and join the ICC community to find your glass half full level of optimism. We’re off for a full glass of our favourite tipple in the sunshine!
