The Cure to Founder Negativity

In a world that often feels like a rollercoaster of challenges and uncertainties, the quest for a positive mindset has turned into more than just a pop health trend; it's a necessity for mental resilience and well-being. Enter Learned Optimism, a groundbreaking psychology framework pioneered by Dr. Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Positive Psychology Center.

As startup founders, we frequently grapple with imposter syndrome and self-criticism, making this approach particularly relevant. It offers a roadmap to rewire your negative thought patterns and cultivate a more optimistic outlook on life, which is crucial for navigating the turbulence of being a founder.

‍What is Learned Optimism?

Unlike traditional optimism, which often implies a passive hope for the best, learned optimism is a proactive approach that involves training your mind to view setbacks and challenges in a more positive light. Seligman's research suggests that you can learn to be optimistic by changing your explanatory style, which encompasses how you explain the causes, consequences, and implications of events in your startup journey.

In essence, how we talk to ourselves as founders determines how we feel about what is happening around us in our startup world. The voice inside our heads spends most of the day critiquing us or judging our startup's progress - and we often assume that's just part of our entrepreneurial ego. But it isn't.

‍The Impact of Optimism

Before we break down how optimism actually works - and how you can make it work for you as a startup founder - it's important to point out how impactful it truly is. Optimism is no longer a hokey, fluffy concept reserved for people you deem oblivious or privileged or naive. The research is clear, optimism has a profound impact across multiple dimensions.

Every founder hates sales, but we know we have to get good at it.  Well, optimism can help significantly.  In a study looking at 10,000 MetLife salespeople, the optimists significantly outperformed their pessimistic counterparts by 20-40% (Shulman).

Amongst entrepreneurs, resourcefulness, hardiness (or the ability to endure), and optimism have been shown to be a good predictor of success (Ayala & Manzano).  Optimism specifically has an even greater impact with female entrepreneurs.

And best of all, optimism leads to better health outcomes.  Being a founder is a grind and it can take a toll on our health.  But being an optimist during the journey will make a difference.  

‍The best part of all of this? Optimism can be learned. You can actually turn yourself into an optimist.

‍Explanatory Style: The Building Block of Learned Optimism

At the core of learned optimism lies the concept of explanatory style – the way we interpret and explain the events that unfold in our startup lives. Seligman identifies three crucial dimensions of explanatory style that significantly influence your overall startup mindset: permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization.

‍Permanence:

Permanence refers to the temporal aspect of our explanations. Optimistic founders tend to see negative startup events as temporary and believe that things can change for the better, while pessimists tell themselves that negative things will last forever (e.g., permanently).

Example (Optimist Founder): Faced with a VC rejection, an optimistic founder might think, "This is just a temporary setback, they weren’t aligned with our space. There are always more opportunities out there, and we can improve our pitch and strategy."

‍Example (Pessimist Founder): A pessimistic founder, on the other hand, might think, "We'll never secure funding. Unless we get a miracle, we'll always face rejection."

‍Pervasiveness:

Pervasiveness relates to the scope or extent of the impact we attribute to a startup event. Optimists see setbacks as specific to a particular situation rather than all-encompassing.

‍Example (Optimist Founder): After receiving negative customer feedback, an optimistic founder might say, "We stumbled on this feature, but that's bound to happen. We're learning and will do better next time."

‍Example (Pessimist Founder): A pessimistic founder might generalize the criticism, thinking, "Our product is terrible. We can't get anything right, and customers will never buy from us again."

‍Personalization:

Personalization involves attributing the cause of startup events to internal or external factors. Optimists externalize negative events, recognizing external factors as contributors, rather than blaming themselves.

‍Example (Optimist Founder): If a partnership falls through, an optimist founder might think, "Market conditions played a role, and they had their internal challenges - it's not all on us."

‍Example (Pessimist Founder): A pessimist founder may internalize the blame, saying, "It's all our fault; we're incompetent, and no one wants to work with us."

‍Take Control of Your Inner Voice

Learned optimism is not about denying the existence of challenges or difficulties in your startup journey. Instead, it's a powerful tool that empowers founders to navigate the complexities of the entrepreneurial world with a positive and resilient mindset. 

By understanding and applying the principles of explanatory style – permanence, pervasiveness, and personalization – you can reshape your thought patterns and build a foundation for lasting optimism. It starts with cultivating awareness of how you are talking to yourself - so you are well on your way!

Changing your mindset is not easy, but training yourself to be optimistic can unlock your purpose and energy for your startup journey. As founders, it's a valuable asset in our entrepreneurial adventure, enabling us to tackle challenges with resilience and creativity. 

If this resonates with you and you want to become an optimistic founder that lasts, check out how we can help and our other recommended reads here.

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