Why Fail Enthusiastically?

I love this quote. “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

Enthusiasm is fragile, especially at work. Think about all the jaded teams we have been on …

Sustained enthusiasm is the secret behind innovation. When teams are enthusiastic, they tend to embrace failures. They are more fearless, less self-concerned, more willing to take risks and experiment.

So what can bosses do to fuel enthusiasm?

How can we not become our teams’ “buzzkill?”

I am still working on it, and here are a few things that helped me become less of an office party pooper.

First, I had to learn how I became enthusiastic. Yep. I had to figure this out, and it took time. So it’s wise to turn this into a personal project, enthusiastically.

Second, I had to work on “ending on a high.” I tried to end a meeting, a chat, whatever on something positive. I had to do so in my own way. Can’t reliably get high? Start with learning how NOT to “end on a meh” then. Yes, there is definitely a element of “fake it till you make it” (or if you prefer “actions precede attitude”) in this approach.

Lastly, I got a notebook, wrote down the cues of how each of my teammates expressed enthusiasm, and whenever I spotted these cues, I mirrored them.

Don’t be a buzzkill and #bossbetter.