Why cautious optimism works, and how to get there

I like to think of myself as pragmatic person for the most part. Others may say that at best I am a little pessimistic with a deeply cynical sense of humor, and I am OK with that, too. I like to know the worst possible outcome of my actions first, then calculate how to survive if that happens. Then I always know that if the sky is falling, I'll make it to tomorrow. Crazy? Maybe a little, but I'm still here, and I am actually excited about something in my business these days ... and that, my friends, is saying something.

I have gotten to know all types of business owners over the years everything from surly to the eternal optimist, the operations-oriented to the super sales guy. No matter what their walk or talk is about, at one time or another, we've all shared the experience of cautious optimism. That's the period during the launch of something new like a job, a business, a new relationship etc, where it seems like a really good thing is about to happen, but you don't want to jinx it by getting too excited. It's almost like having a really good secret but you can't tell anyone or it will wreck everything ... So you sit and wait and hope that the secret stash of Christmas presents in the attic hasn't been eaten by rats.

It's agonizing: I'll be the first to say I am not a patient person with a lot of things. But here is what I have learned in last couple of months:

Being patient sometimes means not letting others rush you to your conclusion.

I've had software vendors, insurance agents and a host of other vendors pushing to close their deal when it didn't feel right. Waiting out the pitch allowed me to ask more questions, we began to have meaningful conversations about what worked best for me and we started to actually solve problems instead of just putting more tools on the shelf.

Having some trusted advisors has really builds my confidence. I have a forum of people that I meet with each month to discuss what I want to do and debate what I can actually do. They help me see my shortcomings and strengths. It's invaluable for a business owner to have smart people he or she can trust to talk about what's next and how can you pull it off ... safely.

Don't spend what you have not yet earned. It's so easy to whip up a spreadsheet with projected sales followed by big profits. Before you even put in all the operating expenses you're on eBay picking out furniture for your new vacation home. Be diligent in doing your calculations and then have someone check your work for missing numbers and wacky formulas that extrapolate data into never-never land. (P.S. I saw some great deals in the Caribbean, if you're looking).

Get the right tools. I remodeled a house once and put a lot of new tile in all the baths and kitchen, scoring and snapping tile until I had bloody fingers and no will to live. Then I discovered the rental tile saw. OMG! There are tools, and then there are the right tools for a job. Do I now have a garage full of rarely used but really cool power tools? Absolutely. But the jobs they do make the work do-able if not pleasurable. This same analogy applies to staff, software, phones, mechanical pencils or whatever you use to make your business run. My experience has been that investing in the right tools makes a world of difference in the finished product and the enjoyment of the job.

Optimism just like pessimism is contagious. I never really experienced the power of the former until I felt it in myself. As I became excited and actually began to believe in what we wanted to achieve, so did everyone in my office. We wrote a simple plan of what needed to be done and patiently we have executed one task after the other, building momentum along the way. It's hard for me to show excitement because I don't want to be disappointed, and I certainly don't want to disappoint anyone else. But I have now discovered that cautious optimism just might work for me.

Steve Conine is owner of Talent Framework and the Reno office of AccuStaff. Contact him at 322-5004 or conine@accustaff-reno.com.