EVER THE OPTIMIST

I remember a funny encounter from ages ago: I was cycling around the spit at Ōhope and came across a guy fishing in the harbour. As I passed, I asked, ‘caught anything?’ And he replied: “not yet”. That, I thought, is the very essence of optimism. He didn’t say “No, but I will!” he wasn’t blind, and he knew there was a ‘maybe’. I think I’m an optimist in the same way. I believe all will turn out well in the end, even if it’s not going that way yet. 

I thought of that tonight when my wife and I were watching the show ‘Beef’, which she really likes but that I’ve steadily lost interest in. And the same thing happened with Breaking Bad, which my wife and son delighted in, but which I couldn’t finish. It’s not the gore (love The Sopranos), or the idiotic characters (too many shows to mention). But both Beef and Breaking Bad gave me the same reaction: At the end of the episode you’re left dreading what will happen next. I just can’t get into a show where the plot takes a steady descent into hell, because I want my TV shows to have a bit of optimism, otherwise I can’t take joy in watching it. 

I know this is a personal taste about a subjective art form. I completely accept that some people delight in watching bleak films, or sweating through painfully spicey food, and all I’m saying is it’s simply not for me. 

It caused me to think about (aside from taking delight in diversity) is how these aversions of mine play out in life and leadership.  

Recently we’ve been grappling with a classic growth problem: great P&L, no cash. Our advisory board did the right thing and reminded us of our duties as directors etc, and we’ve already taken some significant and painful steps to reduce spend. 

It was a good discussion. And the reason we were able to have a good discussion was because I realised, I had to accept my aversions, get my optimism in check, and contemplate what I’d do in an unravelling of Breaking Bad proportions. After all, fortune favours the well prepared. In the end, we came away with a confidence (grounded in reality) that there are likely more good outcomes than bad ones. None of them are certainties, but the way things are going, they’re just more likely. 

And then I think back to my Ohope fisherman friend, who had less reason to be optimistic. It’s a safe assumption that he wasn’t a local because everyone knows the only thing you catch fishing off that wharf is the odd stingray which gives you a momentary thrill before snapping your line. 

Here’s the distinction: a sunny disposition and a general sense of optimism is a good thing, but when it comes to big decisions, be an informed optimist. Accept, but don’t be defeated by, the lack of good things happening now. Bear in mind the realistic ways that your situation can turn around, but don’t just assume it will. Think hard about what you can do to shape that. 

And by the way, the day after that tough conversation, we received an opportunity for a cash injection two months before we had forecast. I call that grounds for optimism.  

And then there was the time the All Blacks won the World Cup in 2011 with a heart-stopping, single point win in the final moments of the game. My brother immediately texted me: “never in doubt”. That’s not optimism, that’s just being a smart-ass.