SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: As we head into 2014, how are you feeling about the coming year?
- Very optimistic — it’s going to be a great year: 23.41%
- Cautiously optimistic — 2014 has potential but risks too: 59.3%
- Nervous — the risks seem to outweigh the opportunities ahead: 14.53%
- Terrified — 2014 is shaping up to be an awful year: 2.76%
Next year is looking promising… maybe. It’s good to see people looking forward to the coming year with a sign of optimism. It has been a rough few years and we all deserve a solid 2014. Your task as a leader is to convey your enthusiasm for the year while at the same time being realistic — people know when you’re just blowing sunshine. Find tangible exciting ideas people can get behind and celebrate progress quickly and early. The sooner you build momentum for your team, the better your year can be.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”