Amanda has a background in the telecom industry. She started in Australia and worked her way around the world – Paris, Carolinas in the USA, Petaluma in California, San Francisco Bay area and then back to Paris.
As COVID hit, Amanda left the corporate world and started her own company focused on helping clients with transformation and change. She is also an advisor on the board for the Centre for Optimism. In the Nice Cote d'Azur, Amanda is the Professional Women's Association leader.
Optimism is the belief that things will work out in the end. Suppose it doesn't work out it is not necessarily the end. There are several types of optimists.
Amanda considers herself to be a natural optimist. However, she is also a realistic optimist. Unrealistic levels of optimism can be pretty toxic to organisations.
At each stage of a transformation process, optimism has a role to play. However, it needs to be realistic. The risks need to be ascertained and communicated. If things are not going well, that also needs to be shared. What is going well and what is not. The optimistic piece is “how can I make it work?
e.g. The Professional Women’s Organisation was able to pivot quickly to an online forum when the COVID pandemic hit. Many associations were not able to do this and have ceased to exist.
People are not easily fooled. Therefore, during a crisis, be open and honest with everyone. What is going well, and what could be improved? What is the plan, and how can we fix the problem in a realistic manner.
e.g. Hewlitt Packard was an early adopter of the management or leadership by walking around.
From a leadership perspective, the modern organisation is much flatter than in the past. This means the leader’s role has changed a lot. Listening skills and consultation are paramount before making decisions and moving forward.
What makes you optimistic today? This question opens up a different conversation.
Some responses start positive, but then a “but” is inserted, and the actual situation comes to the surface. It can be a brake on the positive outlook.
In the San Francisco Bay area, there are a lot of huge technology companies.
How important is it to have an explorer mindset? It is belief and belonging.
Psychological safety at work is very important. Engagement in large companies is very low. Optimism and psychological safety can make a material difference to the engagement employees will have in an organisation.
Optimistic people are more engaged.
An optimistic culture requires people to feel comfortable presenting their own ideas, progress, and to supported. There needs to be a level of trust on both sides and across the organisation.
