Leading With Optimism

As designers, a certain amount of skepticism is inherent to our job. Otherwise, we would simply accept the status quo without challenge. Realizing positive change is what we get paid to do, after all.

But design is also a team sport. One lesson that I've learned the hard way (many times over) is that, when we approach others through a skeptical lens, we can inadvertently deflate them, even given our best intentions. The skeptic is a conversation ender, and conversations are a requirement of collaboration.

So, how can we balance these two competing needs of design?

I would argue that skepticism is best leveraged against the status quo. When an attempt is made to defend that which already exists, skepticism can be a fair and useful response. Siding with the status quo necessarily means forgoing change, and that is often how communities of people become marginalized. We can and should be skeptical of that.

When I say be skeptical, by the way, I don't mean be assholes. That's something different, though one can easily follow the other in the absense of tact. Again, speaking from experience.

The Case For Optimism Top

When confronted with new ideas or opinions different from our own, I believe that the best default is optimism. Leading with optimism signals strength of character. Optimism builds others up. It shows trust and respect and establishes bonds. These are all critical for successful collaboration, for realizing change, and for not being an asshole.

As designers, we do our best work by extending the good work of the other people around us. When we work with people that we genuinely feel good about, we find better solutions to bigger problems. The truth is, and this is the part that took me nearly a decade to realize; we can feel good about everyone we work with. What's stopping us?

Have you struggled to connect with someone you work with? Perhaps there's an opportunity to approach them more optimistically. Don't expect them to change their opinions on your account. You can lead that change. Most problems have more than one solution, and humility is a powerful drug.

To be clear, I am not advocating for careless or mindless optimism. Ideas can be bad regardless of how new or old they are, or where they come from. Sometimes, an idea that's good for one scenario is terrible in another. Leading with optimism doesn't negate the need for thoughtfulness.

On the contrary, leading with optimism is a great way to exercise thoughtfulness.