Maintaining Workplace Team Positivity Throughout Each Day

As the week has proceeded, you’ve successfully navigated each and every obstacle that’s come your way. But we know that that can also be a draining experience–you might be feeling a bit less hopeful as the week draws to a close than you were at its start. Which is why today we’re offering up a reminder to keep your spirits up! Maintaining a sense of hope and optimism in the workplace will allow your positivity to further shine through, letting your upbeat demeanor serve as a beacon for positive professional attention. There are opportunities to be found even amongst situations that might initially strike you as challenges. So if the week throws more challenging tasks at you, that means you’re encountering even more opportunities for growth and development. To help keep you in a hopeful mindset, we’ve turned to the pros belows for surefire methods to keeping an ample supply of hope in your workplace toolkit.

We love this suggestion from Alexandra Levit at Quick Base: “Don’t Be So Hard on People. Everyone makes mistakes and fails at something from time to time. When co-workers do something wrong on the job, don’t blame or complain. Figure out what you can do to help them succeed. This will enable you to value their efforts to do better and they, in turn, will most likely value your help. And oftentimes, your boss will take notice.” This tip is great to keep in mind for when what’s getting you down is a workplace conflict or misunderstanding. Remember that everyone–both you and your colleagues–is only human. Just as challenging tasks given to you by your employer may feel like an obstacle while serving as a challenge, difficult workplace interactions also provide opportunities for growth, strengthening your interpersonal and communication skills. Be sure to also remember that everyone is on the same team. You and your coworkers are striving together towards common goals at your company. When mistakes happen, keep an open mind, and give your teammates the benefit of the doubt. 

Harvey Deutschendorf at Fast Company also offers up a fabulous concrete method for maintaining a hopeful workplace: “Before going to sleep, consider what went well today. As soon as you wake up, start thinking about what you want to accomplish with the expectation that it will actually happen. We know that our subconscious minds will go over the last thoughts we had before going to sleep, influencing our dreams and even the things that start to preoccupy us the first thing in the morning. So spend a few minutes reviewing everything that went right for you that day–even the small stuff. What did you enjoy? What felt validating? This type of reflection can help you program positive thoughts and images into your minds for the night. You might even have a better sleep and awake more ready to face the day.” Ending your day on a positive note will help you start the day on a positive note! A great way to tackle this pro tip would be to write down your accomplishments. This kinesthetic act will help to even further encode all of your wins into your memory, as well as providing you with a list to look back at when you’re feeling down that will help fuel your future wins. Don’t feel embarrassed about including accomplishments that feel tiny; this list (whether in thought or written out form!) is for you, and you know yourself best. Something that may feel like a small step in the moment may also turn out to be giant once you’ve gained further context and experience. Taking a moment to do this before you go to sleep can help chart an optimistic course for the whole next day that follows.

In uncertain times, know that you’re not going through any challenges your workplace might throw your way all by yourself. You’re part of a team at work, your own workplace community. Remember that everyone is doing their best, and that it’s okay to ask your teammates for assistance with tasks if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Allowing your colleagues room for their mistakes, and treating them with compassion, will help pave the way for them to respond in kind when you encounter any similar difficulties. This will help boost overall workplace morale! Having a more hopeful, positive professional atmosphere will allow each and every one of you to show up to work as your best self, allowing your list of individual wins to grow each and every day. So make sure you’re keeping track of your successes. And make sure to join us again tomorrow, as we finish up the week with our Feel Good Friday: Hope edition.

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