I was reflecting on the leadership forum I attended last week where the subject matter was on how to deal with difficult personalities. One of the things that came up in the discussion was a group of people called the 'negatives'. Negatives are people who tend to be opposed to most things in general and tend to approach life from this standpoint.

1. I was reflecting on the leadership forum I attended last week where the subject matter was on how to
deal with difficult personalities. One of the things that came up in the discussion was a group of people
called the 'negatives'. Negatives are people who tend to be opposed to most things in general and tend
to approach life from this standpoint. This got me thinking about the role that negativity can play in
derailing potentially successful leaders. It’s all too often evident in the risk averse culture of many
organizations but I truly believe that everybody, including leaders, should take steps to actively harness
positive thoughts and try their utmost to remain positive. Having a positive mindset is one of the most
valued qualities of effective leaders.
Neuroscientists believe that a negative mind is one that is not prepared to take risks in life. A negative
person is less flexible, unwilling to turn his hand to new things and not ready to learn. It is only possible
for a leader to influence others positively if they have an open and growth-based mindset. The main
issue is that evolution has programmed our brains in such a way that we tend to foresee and focus on
potentially threatening issues with a view to avoiding them. On the surface, this is perfectly reasonable -
it is survival after all - but it may also have a detrimental effect in the workplace. The failure to finish a
task, inability to handle feedback in an effective way and the failure to make good impressions are some
of the typical examples of this mindset.

2. As human beings, reinforcing memories of our prior ‘mistakes’ with negative commentary is what
enables us to react and sense potential issues, danger or even harm in the future. On the surface, this is
all well and good. However, if we were to allow these negative memories to take centre stage in our
lives, we would be totally different people. Unfortunately, I feel that most people tend to focus more on
the negative than the positive.
Personally, I believe the way we perceive risk is partly to blame for our behavior. Throughout my career,
I have always believed that leaders, by recognizing and genuinely appreciating the work of others, help
them (the leaders and recipient) to deliver a better result. This way, we build their confidence, status
and capability as well as urge them to continue to develop and learn. People are also then far more
likely to tell their colleagues about what they have achieved than what they have failed to accomplish. A
virtuous circle.
Providing feedback is one method in encouraging risk-averse people to take measured risks. When
delivered well, feedback can put you into a positive mindset and influence how you choose to behave.
People who look for problems often find them. I believe that by concentrating on our mistakes, we
confirm our negative bias and strengthen it. We are responsible for inculcating this way of thinking.
According to neuroscience, humans focus their attention on things that define their perception and
reality. Reality is something that is dictated by the things that get our attention as humans. Having a
positive mindset therefore is one of the desirable leadership qualities.
An interesting question has always been that if given a chance, what would your primary focus be, and
how would your decisions, influence on others and general behavior change if you had the chance to
refocus your attention on all things positive?