yes and yes

The principle comes from improv: Accept the reality in front of you (“yes”) and then build on it (“and”).

Resilient leaders don’t sugarcoat or stall. They acknowledge challenges: “The launch has failed” or “We lost a major client.” But they refuse to let the negative be the end of the sentence: “…and here’s how we gather feedback and relaunch smarter” or “…so starting this week we’re prioritizing connection and communication.” This recognizes the difficulty while redirecting people to solve problems, which helps foster more-flexible thinking.

Michelle Gielan

"How Leaders Counter Pessimism in Trying Times," Harvard Business Review. November–December 2026

commit to a regular reset

A leader who treats everything as urgent overwhelms everyone. Instead, commit to a regular reset that your team can witness. Once a week, review your own calendar and commitments and ask three questions: What can I step out of? What can I hand off with guidance instead of doing myself? What am I doing out of habit or guilt rather than impact? This kind of maintenance keeps you—and the standard your team sees you set—in a productive mode that holds pessimism at bay.

Michelle Gielan

"How Leaders Counter Pessimism in Trying Times," Harvard Business Review. November–December 2026

they felt valued

Attitudes are contagious. Through the brain’s mirroring systems, we automatically pick up and reproduce the emotional states of the people around us. Leaders, in particular, have the power to shift the mood of their teams, not by pretending everything is fine or manufacturing cheerfulness but through tone, body language, and small actions.

Even one specific expression of appreciation can move performance measurably. In a field experiment at UPenn, researchers had a manager thank one group of fundraisers for their work—a brief, genuine “We’re grateful for what you do”—but say nothing to a comparison group. Over the following week, the people who were thanked made about 50% more calls. What changed wasn’t their skill or their workload; it was that they felt valued. Small repeated signals from a leader helped the team spiral upward.

Michelle Gielan

"How Leaders Counter Pessimism in Trying Times," Harvard Business Review. November–December 2026

resilient optimism

You can’t cure pessimism with a motivational speech or a good-vibes-only demeanor. Research shows that when people feel they must fake positivity, it leads to higher burnout. Instead, you need to build a culture of what I call resilient optimism: the ability to see challenges clearly while believing that actions can still influence outcomes.

Michelle Gielan

"How Leaders Counter Pessimism in Trying Times," Harvard Business Review. November–December 2026

rigidly reductionist mechanical beast

For years, pockets of the U.S. military have been slowly taking decisions out of the hands of high-ranking commanders and entrusting them to teams of soldiers, who (armed with the concept of “commander’s intent”) are told what problems to solve—but not how to solve them. “The organization as a rigidly reductionist mechanical beast is an endangered species,” General Stanley McChrystal writes in his new book, Team of Teams. “The traditional heroic leader may not be far behind.” 

Jerry Useem

"Are Bosses Necessary?" The Atlantic. October 2015