WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Optimism pays

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work where location and ours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is that optimism

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<v Speaker 1>pays literally, believing the best about people can lead to

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<v Speaker 1>new opportunities and that can increase your income. So what's

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<v Speaker 1>your general view of human nature? Do you think your

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<v Speaker 1>colleagues and collaborators are, for the most part, on your

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<v Speaker 1>side when you go to job interviews? Do you assume

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<v Speaker 1>the interview panel wants you to succeed? These seem like

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<v Speaker 1>abstract questions, but they might not be. Some interesting research,

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<v Speaker 1>including one study published in the Journal of Personality and

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<v Speaker 1>Social Psychology in looking at income over time, suggests that

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<v Speaker 1>holding cynical leiefs about others can negatively affect financial well being.

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<v Speaker 1>The exact mechanism for this is unclear, but there are

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<v Speaker 1>a few different possibilities. Maybe people who are less optimistic

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<v Speaker 1>about human nature are less willing to rely on or

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<v Speaker 1>trust others, and therefore have a harder time finding economic

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<v Speaker 1>and occupational success in our highly social world. More cynical

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<v Speaker 1>workers also tend to assume that others have hidden negative motives.

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<v Speaker 1>When they reach out with job offers or with offers

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<v Speaker 1>to collaborate, they may be less likely to ask for

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<v Speaker 1>help when they need it, which can undermine their career success.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, where we all fall on the spectrum between

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<v Speaker 1>optimism and pessimism may be situational. It's also affected by

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<v Speaker 1>our genetics and our life experiences. In particular, negative experiences

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<v Speaker 1>in past economic hardship can strengthen cynical beliefs and make

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<v Speaker 1>us less likely to reach out to others, creating a

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<v Speaker 1>vicious cycle. And let's not be naive. There are some

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<v Speaker 1>work situations where it may not make sense to have

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<v Speaker 1>an optimistic and trusting view of those around you. But

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<v Speaker 1>keeping all of this in mind, there are still upsides

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<v Speaker 1>to optimism. It's pretty exhausting to assume that everyone is

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<v Speaker 1>out to get you. Believing good things can happen makes

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<v Speaker 1>you willing to take risks and follow up on potential opportunities,

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<v Speaker 1>even if they don't all work out, some will. There

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<v Speaker 1>are a few things we can do to become more

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<v Speaker 1>optimistic and less cynical on a day to day basis.

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<v Speaker 1>One idea is to try building trusting relationships with at

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<v Speaker 1>least one or two people, not the whole world, but

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<v Speaker 1>I'm guessing you can find a small number of trustworthy

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<v Speaker 1>souls if you're used to flying solo and don't have

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<v Speaker 1>any built in coworkers. Think about your professional network and

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<v Speaker 1>try to find one or two people in your field

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<v Speaker 1>that you'd like to get to know better. This could

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<v Speaker 1>be a junior person you'd like to serve as a mentor,

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<v Speaker 1>here for a more senior person whose career you'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to copy, or someone who's in a similar position to you.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't have to become best friends, but you two

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<v Speaker 1>want someone whose advice you can trust. You want to

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<v Speaker 1>believe that this person has your best interests in mind.

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<v Speaker 1>These efforts can lead to a positive feedback loop where

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<v Speaker 1>you see that people can be trusted, and this can

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<v Speaker 1>go a long way in helping you to have an

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<v Speaker 1>overall more positive view of human nature and the working world.

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<v Speaker 1>And second, remind yourself of situations where things turned out okay.

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<v Speaker 1>Your neighbor walked over your misdirected packages, a contractor voluntarily

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<v Speaker 1>gave you a discount. Your aunt had a good experience

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<v Speaker 1>buying a used car. I am not saying that these

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<v Speaker 1>things always happen. But when you find yourself saying people

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<v Speaker 1>can't be trusted or everyone is just out for themselves,

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<v Speaker 1>you want to hear a little voice saying, but what

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<v Speaker 1>about Over time, This little contrarian voice can help you

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<v Speaker 1>look at an email from an old colleague about his

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<v Speaker 1>new company and think, well, maybe he's not hiring someone

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<v Speaker 1>just so he can jump ship. Maybe it's worth checking out.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New

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<v Speaker 1>Corner Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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