The Optimistic Leader

Many successful ceos equate optimism with good leadership. So can you learn to see the glass as half full?

- Domini Stuart

In 2013 General Motors Holden broke the news that there was no long-term future for its Australian manufacturing facility and operations. Over the next four years a workforce of close to 4,000 employees would shrink to less than 1,000. And, for Jaydeep Solanki, that was just part of the story. As Head of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, he also had strong relationships with more than 80 companies that depended on Holden for their own survival. Yet he remained optimistic.

“I believe that, irrespective of the challenge you’re facing, an optimistic outlook can make the situation workable for the leader,” he says. “I also believe this attitude will be reflected in the team.”

In this case, Solanki’s optimism centred on his commitment to finding alternative ways for his employees and suppliers to earn a living.

“For a while I became less focused on growing sales and profits and more focused on helping our team to transition into a life outside of the automotive industry,” he says. “Our employees picked up on that and, in the final year of operation, we had the best-performing employee base in the General Motors plants worldwide.”