Opinion

The Role of Optimism

July 2018
in Leadership

Joy Inspires
Ann Fastiggi
Leader, Hospitality
Optimists make strong leaders since they are open to and Leisure
innovation, demonstrate big picture thinking, inspire RSR Partners
employees and deal with adversity with a positive Darleen DeRosa
attitude. Intel cofounder Robert Noyce once said that Managing Partner
OnPoint Consulting
optimism is “an essential ingredient of innovation. How
else can the individual welcome change over security,
adventure over staying in safe places?”
In a 2015 blog for Huffington Post, Trilby Johnson wrote,
“Money follows joy. Joy does not follow money.” In the
Hospitality industry, employees are taught the tenants of
customer service and achieving or exceeding guest
satisfaction. That is not easily done without a positive
attitude and a smile. When you think of the industry’s
most inspiring stories around guest service, you think of

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 Is Your Potential Leader an Optimist?
Market Overview 2018
stories like the one Horst Schultze, founder of Ritz-Carlton, told
about one of the night bellmen in his current company, The Capella
Hotel Group, who accompanied a guest with appendicitis to the
hospital and stayed with him all night. Yes, that takes a caring soul
“Being joyful and an empathetic leader, but when you think about those who
requires feeling stand out, they are almost always joyful, warm and optimistic.
connected to
other people in Joy is a state of mind. “Being joyful requires feeling connected to
life, with nature, other people in life, with nature, by appreciating the arts, and it
by appreciating requires an acceptance of life, as it is, in the present. Some believe
the arts, and it that joy is a conscious commitment to be happy, to have a sense of
requires an contentment for the moment, despite life’s challenges,” states
acceptance of Cheryl McDonald, PsyD.
life, as it is, in
It is a long-held belief people prefer leaders who have a happy,
the present.
joyful and optimistic attitude. It requires so much less energy than
Some believe
being around someone who is negative or pessimistic. When we
that joy is a
look at some of the best leaders, people like John Fitzgerald
conscious
Kennedy, Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King come to mind,
commitment to
and business leaders like Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos
be happy, to
also rise to the top of most lists.
have a sense of
contentment This extends to leaders like Chris Nassetta at the helm of Hilton. He
for the moment, loves to say “yes!” Those who are closest to him know this is just
despite life’s who he is. He genuinely enjoys being in front of guests, employees
challenges.” and his close-knit team.

- Cheryl McDonald, In November 2016, Arne Sorenson wrote about the passing of his
PsyD 89-year old mother whose “optimistic spirit” shaped who he is
today. He tells the story of her life challenges growing up in the
Great Depression and the optimism many in her generation had.
She overcame a lot and raised one of the most thoughtful and
successful leaders in today’s day. Now at the top of the largest
hotel company in the world, the pressure is intense for people like
Arne to marry optimism with realism and to face life with gratitude
and joy. Or is it? Is it hard to choose to be joyful?

When looking for potential leaders, either internally or externally,

organizations would benefit from using assessment tools to look
for positive traits such as optimism, resilience and empathy. Using
assessment tools provides robust data to guide selection and
succession decisions and helps ensure candidates are a good
cultural fit.
 Opinion

Authors

Ann Fastiggi Darleen DeRosa

Leader, Hospitality and Leisure Managing Partner
RSR Partners OnPoint Consulting
+1 (203) 618-7065 +1 (203) 553-5128
afastiggi@rsrpartners.com dderosa@onpointconsultingllc.com

About Us

RSR Partners, an executive search and leadership consulting firm, is a leader in corporate
governance consulting, board director and senior-level recruiting, and strategic talent advisory.
The firm works selectively with clients who share our conviction that people are the only form of
sustainable competitive advantage. It measures its success based on the value great leadership
creates and the transformative impact it can have on all its clients.

Through its strategic partnership with OnPoint Consulting, a top organizational and leadership
development consulting firm, RSR Partners offers an integrated, but independent leadership
assessment platform, separating search and assessment to ensure clients are provided with
objective and unbiased advice. OnPoint Consulting’s open architecture approach to leadership
assessment is not limited by captive diagnostic tools, but rather a customized success profile
tailored to the unique leadership needs of each organization. The result is a comprehensive,
data-driven picture of the individuals who have potential to become an organization’s future
leaders.

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