Optimism? No alternative!
No matter how much effort it takes us right now, we must remain optimistic, because only with confidence can we shape the future.
These days, one could find many reasons to fall into pessimism. The U.S. elections, the likely implications for the environment, Ukraine, and the UN—the desperate situation in the Middle East—the anticipated market uncertainty brought on by isolationist policies… and so on and so forth.
As I type these lines on a Sunday afternoon in November, Zurich’s sky is a fitting autumn gray. Bonjour, Tristesse?! Have we—once again—reached a moment of collective despondency, like back at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? Or like when Donald Trump won his first election?
Hello, Sadness?
I don't really want to get political here, and those who welcome the current developments are free to do so. But I understand everyone who feels exactly the opposite. And I'd like to say to them in particular: We owe it to our colleagues, our customers, and ourselves to remain optimistic.
I don’t see optimism as a «gift,» as some kind of character trait you’re either born with or not. I see it as a skill, a quality that can be trained and cultivated—through conversations with friends, through spending time with family, and through the oft-cited but true adage, «This, too, shall pass.» Optimism as a discipline must become a «mindset.».
The way I think is the way I work
If we, as professional communicators, fail to achieve this, it will be reflected in our work. Advertising is a bet on the future; branding is a (often quite bold) reach toward «tomorrow»; marketing is the belief that life goes on, that people want to live (together)—and even enjoy life. Communication itself—through every conceivable channel—keeps companies on course like ships, even in storms of varying intensity. When the waves are already crashing against the bow on both sides, should you really be jerking the rudder back and forth just because you assume you’re going to run aground anyway?
I am firmly convinced that we cannot control the sea. But we are still the ones at the helm. And how optimistically we steer the ship determines where our journey ends.
The author is the CEO of Publicis Groupe Switzerland.
This column first appeared in the 11-12/2024 print edition of m&k.
