The Case for Optimism

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Ian Coyle
August 8, 2025

In the last few years alone, local government leaders across the country have faced situations of turmoil. ARPA money drying up. Floods and fires and other natural disasters testing the resolve of responding staff. It is okay and appropriate to acknowledge emotional fatigue and burnout, which many in the profession feel.

For those in the field of public administration, it doesn’t take much to look around, watch the news, scroll a social media feed and so forth, and see more of these challenges around us. And yes, some of these are indeed daunting. Some are persistent. Many are more than a little annoying. Some, still, are disheartening and maybe even temporarily shocking. War(s), politics with both a small and a big p, divisive Boards and Councils. Partisanship divides, Federal funding changes and reorganizations, often triggering state and county impacts in the social service areas as well. Tumult abounds, or so it seems. There is a lot to get us down. But what value is pessimism? And to the contrary, what is the worth, reason and case for optimism?

A friend and stalwart of the local government management profession, Peter Crichton, recently published a part-memoir, part leadership tome, called Leading with my Glass Half Full. I love the title and, because I know of Peter and his work, I know that his decision to title the book with this thematic vision was genuine. He truly was a very positive, upbeat and optimistic leader. He writes that leadership in this vein is often just controlling one’s mindset. He writes:

“That ability to change one’s thinking is an essential leadership skill. I can tell you it is also one of the key skills for town, city and county managers and those aspiring to be managers. Because, without this ability, things can turn out quite differently. It also speaks to the complicated nature and at times messiness of managing a local government and how important it is for leaders to be able to change their thinking when presented with new and alternative facts.”

What optimistic leadership is not:

• Head in the sand and cluelessness. You must be aware, omnipresent and attentive to issues in the community.

• A feeling of nothing is ever wrong. We are not talking about rose coloured glasses.

• Failure to recognize systemic, persistent issues (blinders on). Optimism does not mean ignoring persistent structural inequities. In fact, it requires the courage to face them head-on with hope.

• Not addressing or avoiding bad apples. Personnel issues, persistently nagging issues and the like – they need to be dealt with.

• Not pollyannish naivete. Bad stuff can and will happen.

• Refusal to be a realist. Striking the balance between aspirational goals and practical on-the-ground truths.

What, then, is the case for optimism:

• Leading with positivity. Encouragement and celebrating small wins can energize the teams that you lead, the teams that do the good work of public service every day.

• Staying humble. Being open to learning and collaboration despite difficult circumstances.

• Radical candor. A more respected, trusted leader will be one who is comfortable combining honesty with optimism.

• A certain brightness and cheery disposition. Why would you prefer the alternative?

• Empathetic. Optimism comes from an understanding that progress takes time.

• Outside of oneself. The belief that we are in this together and it’s not all about me.

I can think about many recent and concrete examples in the profession where optimism made a difference. Community engagement efforts, personnel relations and staff morale, cross-sector partnerships in the realm of intergovernmental relations, economic development projects, grant-seeking initiatives and so forth.

I strongly believe that we get more with a positive mindset, optimism and that type of outlook than the doom and gloom of “this sucks” and here is another cut. Distress tolerance, a hallmark of the Mindful Public Management program I created and still teach to professionals across the country, starts with the radical acceptance of our situation. Dealing with the multitude of difficult circumstances that come our way as public administrators requires a strong mental health and emotional fitness routine. In my work, I share success stories where optimism and mindfulness intersect – being present, not catastrophizing and choosing purposeful action.

As public administrators, I encourage you to find “bright spots” in your day-to-day activities. Remember that optimism is a choice, a tool and a form of resilience. When in doubt, lean optimistic.

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