P33: The Hopeful Pivot: Why Grounded Optimism Is a Leadership Superpower

Welcome to Just One Pivot, a focused pause to spark your next move. This week, we’re talking about optimism: the resilient, eyes-wide-open kind. It’s not easy, but it’s powerful. And it might just be your best strategy yet.

Greetings Dear Change-Maker,

I’m not sure if you’re feeling like one this week, but this much I know: the world needs you to protect your optimism more than ever—and I’m not talking about the fluffy, naïve kind. I’m talking about…

• The kind that is good for your brain and helps you think more clearly and act wisely under pressure.

• The kind that reduces reactivity and helps you stay grounded in high-stress situations.

• The kind that helps you reframe problems, generate more options, and recover faster from setbacks.

Beware: Optimism Fatigue Looks Like Cynicism

I still remember sitting across from a respected leader who said, with complete certainty, “I’m done. People don’t change,” as she explained why she was ending a longtime, trusting, and mutually supportive relationship.

When given the opportunity to review evidence that her perception might be off, she refused. She was convinced she had the right story, and nothing would change her mind.

This stayed with me for a long time. I kept wondering why people who’ve always prided themselves on caring deeply sometimes cross the line between empathy and optimism into cynicism. I learned that there’s usually a bigger story beneath it.

And I want to pause and talk about that today. Because whether you’re in the business of building programs, products, or people, you need to protect and nurture what I call Pivotal Optimism—for the sake of the meaningful work you’re doing and the world we’re all trying to build together.

Pivot Point

Pivotal Optimism isn’t blind hope. It’s not toxic positivity. And it’s not denial disguised as faith. It’s a form of realism grounded in two things:

• A belief in human potential for goodness

• A commitment to truth and evidence

The Mental Shift

In Hope for Cynics, neuroscientist Jamil Zaki offers a compelling framework for understanding how our beliefs about people and evidence (data) shape our worldview. He describes four distinct mindsets.

First, there are the cynics, who lack faith in both people and evidence. They see the world through a lens of deep skepticism, doubting others’ intentions and distrusting even credible information.

Then come the naïve trusters, those who believe in the goodness of people but tend to ignore or overlook inconvenient facts.

On the opposite end are the suspicious skeptics, who put their trust in data but find it difficult to believe in people—often assuming the worst in human motives regardless of the evidence.

But the sweet spot, according to Zaki, belongs to the hopeful skeptics—those who manage to hold both belief in human potential and a strong commitment to truth. This is the mindset that balances discernment with hope, and it’s where Pivotal Optimism lives.

What I hope you’ll walk away with is the belief that optimism is worth preserving and protecting. More specifically, Pivotal Optimism—not blind hope, but hope with eyes wide open. The kind that is rooted in reality, fueled by discernment, and focused on what’s possible.

A Hopeful Pivot Is a Choice

Optimism doesn’t just live in theory. It shows up in real people who choose to see beyond what is, and act from what could be.

It looks like Nelson Mandela, who walked out of prison after 27 years of unjust imprisonment without vengeance in his heart.

It looks like Malala Yousafzai, who emerged from a coma after being shot in the head by the Taliban for daring to go to school at 15.

It looks like Gene Kranz, the aerospace engineer who led Mission Control when Apollo 13 veered into crisis. With lives hanging in the balance, he chose to believe that failure was not an option.

It looks like Clementine Churchill, who stood firm when her husband Winston was consumed by self-doubt, rage, or despair. She anchored him with fierce honesty and unwavering resolve, reminding him who he was and what was at stake.

And it can look like you. And me.

Chances are, none of them stumbled into optimism by accident. And neither will we. But we can choose it. We can practice it. We can use it to rise and move ourselves and others towards a better future.

Refuel First. Then Pivot.

In my research on empathy decline in healthcare, one truth stands out: burnout erodes both empathy, hope, and optimism. When you're depleted, even the most hopeful mindset fades.

For me, the signal is clear: when I start being short with people or defaulting to cynicism, it’s a sure sign I’m exhausted. If that’s where you are, don’t force a pivot. Start with rest. Sometimes the most strategic move is to pause, restore, and return stronger.

When you’re rested and ready, use these questions to help you move forward.

• Is there one place you’ve grown cynical that might actually be calling for hope?

• What’s one story you’ve been telling yourself that needs a hopeful rewrite?

• What would it look like to give someone—or yourself—the benefit of the doubt this week?

Remember, you are a change-maker. Take care of you because we need you whole.

Until next time,

P.S. If you’re new here—welcome! I’m so glad you’ve joined The Just One Pivot community. Whether you signed up recently or someone forwarded this to you, I’d love to keep you in the loop. You can subscribe to get your own copy here.

A few of updates:

• You can read a more comprehensive version of this issue here.
  

• I’m celebrating the 10th Anniversary of my book, Bridge Builders by bringing its timely message to as many groups as I can. Send me a note if you have one I can help inspire.

• If you’re ready to remember your stories, and learn how to tell them in ways that inspire trust, optimism, and real change—add your name to the list to be among the first to hear what’s coming next.

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