The new rugby league Super League season kicks off in just under a week and there is the usual excitement that abounds at the start of any sporting season.
What is it about this incorrigible optimism that tends to pervade even the most cynical of spectator?
We all possess the ability to be optimistic. Psychologists call it ‘affective forecasting’. Let me give you an example of how it works.
Have you ever been about to buy a new outfit and convinced yourself that buying it will change your life, elevate your status among your neighbours and make you more appealing to members of the opposite sex?
You believe that buying the new clothes will definitely bring you to a new level of contentment. You don’t anticipate that the effect will quickly start to wear off. If you did, you probably wouldn’t buy it, right?
We regularly overestimate the impact that purchases like this will have on our lives. It is the same for those of us involved in sports. Before a ball has been kicked, we all believe – deep down – that this is our year, with our respective aspirations in mind.
It proves that we are naturally optimistic. The key to success, however, is to harness this enthusiasm and use it at necessary intervals throughout the long season.
When I interviewed Sir Alex Ferguson for my book, Liquid Leadership, he suggested that optimism is one of the greatest attributes for a leader. He quoted Napoleon’s line, “A leader is a dealer in hope”, as a summary of this philosophy.
Getting players to identify the sources of their optimism, whether it is their own ability level, their track record of success or their renewed belief in the coaches or team-mates is important.
Kanters Law, identified by a Harvard professor, suggests that, during any project, there is a period where it will look like a disaster.
The Law will strike at some stage of a season, perhaps after a bad performance or an unexpected defeat, and using the natural optimism and sunny natures of players at this time of the season will prove vital when forced to plug the leaks which inevitably happen – which then could allow negativity and despair to seep in.
This is something that I’ve been working on with the Bradford Bulls in recent weeks, developing the squad’s ability to call upon their natural optimism at the inevitable points of a season where the side naturally go through a slump.
It’s something that affects all teams and individuals in any sport, but it’s how the very best, such as Manchester United, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, respond that helps to maintain their success.
Here are some examples from the wider world that prove the importance of optimism. Compare the reactions of two chairmen of US airlines in the turbulent days immediately after the attacks on 11th September 2001, when the airline industry went into meltdown.
American Airlines CEO Don Carty spoke to his employees about how the “business’s long and proud history would give a solid base for resolving our financial challenge”.
He reminded his people of their company’s long and distinguished history, including its gesture to give half of its fleet to the military in the Second World War to support the allies, and invited them to draw their own inspiration from it.
He then outlined a series of targets that the business had to achieve to continue operating. The trade unions described it as “an incredibly galvanising message”, and his was the only US airline not to file for bankruptcy.
In comparison, United Airlines CEO James Goodwin issued a letter at the same time to all of his employees warning them that “United Airlines is literally haemorrhaging money”, and he lectured that “clearly, if this bleeding continues, we will perish sometime next year”.
Following this letter, the stock price of the airline continued to fall by 25 percent before they were eventually forced to declare bankruptcy. Goodwin was sacked two weeks later.
It is easy to be cynical about this approach. Billy Connolly defined an optimist as “someone who gets chased up a tree by a lion but still enjoys the scenery”. Yet it is a quality that all the best players and coaches possess.
For all fans out there eagerly anticipating your new season, how about following Ian Dury and The Blockhead’s advice and capturing your own reasons to be cheerful?
To find out more about Damian Hughes, including his three best-selling books, please visit the Liquid Thinkers website at www.liquidthinker.com