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Is there such a thing as too positive?

Governance | Tesse Akpeki | 17 Aug 2012

Positivity is often cited as a key leadership skill, but Tesse Akpeki explores how too much optimism can lead to messy leadership.

The Olympic medallist credited hope, team work and hard work for their success. As Great Britain basks in the inspiration of being third on the medal charts I recall the words of Winston Churchill: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

I have always been an optimist. Things will always be better. There is always reason for hope, no matter what I tell myself. The clouds are here, the storms are raging, the rain is pelting down, and yet I believe that the sun will break through and this keeps me going through the downs of life. Applied to leadership, a positive outlook is deemed to be a good thing. But is it always?

According to recent research, leaders who become excessively positive can ward off reality. This perspective has been termed by the author, David Collinson as “Prozac leadership”. Drawing on the metaphor of ‘Prozac’, Collinson suggests that leaders’ excessive positivity is often characterized by a reluctance to consider alternative voice. 

Optimism tends to resemble a well-intended but addictive drug: It promotes artificial happiness and discourages critical reflection, leaving organisations ill-equipped to deal with setbacks and unexpected problems. “Prozac leaders” can wind up believing their own narrative that everything is going well. As a consequence, they ask fewer and fewer questions and become deaf to feedback that is “off-message,” leaving them, and their organisations, dangerously insulated from economic and social realities.

Senior managers can remain in the dark about levels of risk involved; a reflection of “their excessive optimism and distance. The Cassandra effect may prevail as followers may be discouraged from raising problems or admitting mistakes and may respond through various forms of resistance such as disengagement, foot dragging or absenteeism.

“Regardless of whether Prozac leadership is fuelled by wishful thinking, naivety, hubris or more deliberately manipulative motives (or a combination of these),” the author writes, “subordinates can perceive “Prozac leaders” to be contradictory, remote and unwilling to consult, and may dismiss their excessive optimism as insincere and manipulative.”

Bottom Line
Leaders can become excessively positive, making them reluctant to listen to alternative viewpoints. This so-called Prozac leadership can ultimately results in resistance.  This abstract sounds the alarm to the impact of excessive positivity in leadership dynamics.

A critical analysis of Prozac leadership calls for balance –  robust leaders who plan ahead with optimism, keep the eyes on the prize with a lens on current reality.  The rounded leader who takes an informed view of what is actually going on, acknowledge blind spots, learn the lessons from the past without being steeped in nostalgia.  Diverse perspectives are welcomed and whistleblowing is encouraged. Swinging from optimism to becoming Victor Mildew will bring a different set of challenges.

For more information: Prozac Leadership and the Limits of Positive Thinking

Author: David Collinson (Lancaster University Management School, UK)

Who's Who: Tesse Akpeki