Optimism – your super power – the why and the how Victor Perton

In our 20th October Special Online Event we heard from Victor Perton, Chief Optimism Officer at the Melbourne-based Centre for Optimism. Victor began by outlining his interesting ‘graduate pathway’ from economics and law degrees, to joining The Bar in his early twenties followed by positions in politics, including election to Victoria’s State Parliament, and government with periods in opposition and in government as a Minister across a variety of portfolios, including manufacturing, economic development, technology, regulatory reform, data protection and privacy, multimedia, conservation, environment, innovation and education. Leaving politics and government due to a change in culture, Victor returned to the law before being appointed by then Victorian Premier John Brumby as the Victorian Government Commissioner to the Americas, based in San Francisco. This role involved bringing foreign investment to Victoria, protecting existing employment-producing investment interests (e.g., Ford, General Motors, Alcoa) and promoting exports of Victorian produce and products. In his dealings with hundreds of senior executives and board members across the United States he noted their consistent view of Australians as reliable, trustworthy and positive with a ‘can-do’, ‘nothing is impossible’ attitude. On returning to Australia from the San Francisco of ‘flowers’ and positivity, Victor noticed a significant change in Australia towards pessimism. Rather than adopting this pervading and prevailing malaise, he set up instead The Australian Leadership Project to “celebrate, understand and improve Australian leadership”. Under this Project, his interview research involving hundreds of executives led to a characterisation of ‘Aussie’ leaders as egalitarian, with self-effacing humour, and open - ‘you will never die without knowing what an Aussie thinks!’. It also formed the basis for his book entitled The Case for Optimism: The Optimist’s Voices which received the comment from Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister, that “Good things happen when good people get together in common cause ... this is excellent, thought provoking material to share in conversations”. Balking at the question oft asked of leaders: ‘What keeps you awake at night?’, Victor suggests asking instead ‘What makes you optimistic?’. His ‘Case for Optimism’ is suggested also from studies around the world in different populations. There appears to be a strong correlation between good health and optimism. One longevity study in Sardinia, Italy by Dr Dilip Jeste and psychologist Anna Scelzo (published in International Psychogeriatrics, 2017) found, for example, that those aged 90 years and above were ‘positive, optimistic and hopeful’ notwithstanding having been through many traumatic events in their lives. At the other end of the age spectrum, research by Harvard University Professor Laura Kubzansky in a population of relatively young and healthy US Army active-duty soldiers found that those who tested highest for optimism at the start of the study had a 22 per cent lower risk of developing hypertension during three-and-a-half years of follow-up than those who scored the lowest. Optimistic people appear to sleep better. Medical University of Vienna epidemiologists found that

the probability of suffering from sleep disorders and/or insomnia was around 70 per cent lower for optimistic as opposed to pessimistic study participants. As explained by Jakob Weitzer, one of the authors in the 2020 Journal of Sleep Research article, other studies have shown that optimists exercise more, smoke less, eat more healthily, have better coping strategies and experience less stress in challenging situations. All these factors would also contribute to this improved sleep for optimists. An optimistic partner also helps. Recent 2020 research from Michigan State University suggests that those who are optimistic contribute to the health of their partners, decreasing their risk of such age-related conditions as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and cognitive decline as they grow old together, probably because they are encouraging healthier lifestyles. In the workplace, ‘infectiously optimistic’ leaders are key to unlocking optimism in their team members and developing strategy that will lead to success and growth. Victor pointed, for example, to Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, who views optimism as a core principle of good leadership. A March 2020 survey entitled Strategy and Optimism: Through the Pandemic and on to a Brighter Future of 440 professionals saw 90 per cent answering ‘Yes’ to the question “Do you believe that the purpose and objectives of strategy should be optimistic in nature?”. Mr Perton then moved to some key habits of optimists: (1) smiling; (2) laughing; (3) changing the greeting from ‘How are you?’ to ‘What’s the best thing that’s happening to you?’ and (4) meditating. He then invited the forum participants to reflect on what makes them optimistic and to share these reflections. Example answers included: • the quality of young people and their attitude that ‘things will get better’; • having the ability and self-control to

‘remember to be an optimist’ – noting that we here, in Australia, are in the best place at the best time, living longer and being better educated – to not worry about the things that are not within our control and to limit exposure to constant, repetitive and negative media; • exercise and sleep; • tuning into good and sound journalism; • the not-for-profit sector, particularly towards international aid and development; • having the right reference points and relativity, distinguishing ‘first world’ from real and intractable problems; • the joy and pride of children and grandchildren; • research and innovation; and • building on ‘congenital optimism’ by learning more about the acquisition and strengthening of optimism skills. In conclusion, Victor referred to a message from Julian of Norwich, a fourteenth century author who wrote the earliest surviving book in the English language to be written by a woman: All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. See www.centreforoptimism.com for more details about the Centre for Optimism founded in 2019 and now with over 3,500 members from 65 countries. See www.victorperton.com/aussie-leadership.html for more information on the Australian Leadership Project with over 1,400 members who are global leaders.