Optimism emerges from faith in yourself and in the people who work for you. It's not about saying things are good when they're not, and it's not about conveying some blind faith that "things will work out." It's about believing in your and others' abilities.

At its essence, good leadership isn't about being indispensable; it's about helping others be prepared to possibly step into your shoes -- giving them access to your own decision making, identifying the skills they need to develop and helping them improve, and, as I've had to do, sometimes being honest with them about why they're not ready for the next step up.