Some people have a positive frame of mind and apply it in many situations. They are good at reading reality and exploring the possible scenarios. Such people may then aim:
To focus on the opportunities and options … To take ownership of pursuing their chosen option … To do their best to deliver the desired outcomes.
Different people see the world in different ways. Some people see opportunities, some see only obstacles. Some see possibilities, some see only problems.
There are different reasons why people take these approaches. Sometimes these have to do with their background. Sometimes it depends on how they choose to view life.
Some people reach to a point in their lives where they choose to take the positive route. This involves them focusing on the following themes.
Opportunities
Everybody encounters both successes and setbacks in life. The attitude they take can influence both their own and other people’s futures. Let’s look at examples of people who focus on the opportunities in situations.
Person A – Focusing On Opportunities
During a mentoring session the CEO of a company outlined the following challenges. Here is a summary of what they described.
“The headline is that things are going well for the company. We made lots of changes during the Covid pandemic and those have helped us to be successful.
The changes involved going back to basics. We chose: a) to focus on what we did best; b) to focus the customers with whom we worked best; c) to create the best kind of working environment for our people.
“Since then we have managed to improve both our customer service and our profits. The internal morale score has also gone up. These are all good signs.
“But now there are several challenges. During the past month the following things have happened.
“First, the people from whom we rent the office have said that our ten-year lease is going to be cut to five years. We could try to fight this but I am not sure it is worth.
“We have a hybrid working system but many people still enjoy coming into the office. Some do this only a few days a week but we try to put on special events that provide inspiration for people.
“Second, two of our senior leaders have been headhunted. This is good for them but presents us with a challenge. I think we can turn this into an opportunity but would like to explore the possibilities.
“Third, one of our top clients is going to be taken over. They enjoy working with us and the service we provide. But it is likely that future decisions about their spend with us will be reviewed.
“My guess is that the company acquiring them will put the contract out to tender or bring in their own preferred supplier. It will then be up to us to choose how we respond.”
Looking ahead, we explored the opportunities in each situation. These included the following options.
The Work Place Move –
The Potential Opportunities Are:
To review whether we really need such a big work place … To save money … To use the move as a Trojan Horse for creating a new way of working … To move to an even better work place.
To explore with our staff what they do and don’t want in a work place … To involve our staff in helping to design the work place … To use the move to hold a series of launch events with our clients.
The Senior Leaders Moving On –
The Potential Opportunities Are:
To make positive changes to the leadership team … To have a core leadership team rather than one that has kept growing as we have taken over more companies … To give those leaders more autonomy to run their parts of the business.
To promote some of the positive people in our company … To use this as an opportunity to move some people into places where they are more able to play to their strengths … To continue to build our reputation as a company where people can develop and move on in their careers.
The Top Client Being Taken Over –
The Potential Opportunities Are:
To continue to deliver great service to the client … To connect with the key people in the acquiring company and show we understand their goals … To show how we would like to continue to help them to achieve success.
To plan how to potentially replace this client … To have a dedicated task force that will take urgent action to develop ways to make up for any potential loss of income … To devote even more time to the clients who love us and maybe get more repeat business.
Different people will obviously explore different options depending on the situation. Whatever options they produce, however, they may then go on to the next stage.
Ownership
Imagine that a person has considered the potential options for going forwards. They may then take ownership for pursuing their chosen option or a combination of options.
Different people will do this in different ways and much depends on the specific situation. The following section looks at the route taken by one person who faced a challenging issue.
Person B – Taking Ownership
For Pursuing Their Chosen Option
Everybody encounters both successes and setbacks in life. They attitude they take can influence both their own and other people’s futures.
Person B chose to reframe an illness as opportunity to pursue their chosen option. This sounds challenging but here is a summary of how they explained the situation.
“During one of my annual health checks I got warning signals about a possible cancer. This led to more tests and confirmation of the illness. At the time this was scary.
“Looking back, however, it provided a wake-up call. I would not wish the illness on anybody, but it helped my partner and I to focus on what is important in life.
“I recognise it is my responsibility to take care of my health. Bearing this in mind, I gathered information from reputable sources about the treatments available.
“This meant I was reasonably well-informed when meeting to discuss the ways forward. The consultant was excellent. They outlined the possible options, the chances of success and the possible side effects.
“My initial thought had been to go for the most radical option. It came with potential side effects, however, such as incontinence. This seemed too big a risk.
“Bearing this in mind, I chose to follow the route of radiotherapy. This stood a good chance of success. It also had the potential for limited side effects.
“So what was the opportunity? My partner and I talked about our aims – both as individuals and as a couple. This enabled us to clarify what we wanted to do in the rest of our lives.
“Looking back, the illness helped us to develop a sense of perspective. We now do more of the things we love and see each day as a bonus. We also have an increased appreciation of life.”
Person B was helped by medics who believed in the principle of body autonomy. There are many times when it is vital to listen to the opinion of specialists. But it still the person’s right to take ownership for their own decisions. Here is how this described by the British Medical Association.
In medical practice, autonomy is usually expressed as the right of competent adults to make informed decisions about their own medical care.
The principle underlies the requirement to seek the consent or informed agreement of the patient before any investigation or treatment takes place.
Looking back at your own life, can you think of a situation where: a) you explored the potential opportunities; b) you took ownership for pursuing your chosen option? You may have then focused on the next theme.
Outcomes
Different people explore different opportunities and pursue different options. Whatever the route they take, however, many do their best to achieve the desired outcomes. Let’s look at an organisation that supports people who take this approach.
Echoing Green – Supporting People Who Do
Their Best To Achieve The Desired Outcomes
Echoing Green supports people who pursue opportunities whilst others may focus only on obstacles. It was founded in 1987 by leaders of General Atlantic. Since then it has supported thousands of social entrepreneurs who have worked to improve life on the planet.
The name comes from William Blake’s poem Echoing Green. The poem combines the joy of life with the realisation that we are only here for a short time. We can nurture and care for the Earth so that others may enjoy it in the future.
Echoing Green therefore supports people who aim to encourage both present and future generations. Below are some excerpts from its website.
There are many ways to live life. Some people choose to have a positive frame of mind and apply it in many situations. They focus on the opportunities, pursue their chosen option and aim to deliver the desired outcomes.
Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? How can you do this in your own way? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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