Are You Showing Enough Enthusiasm?

by Tony Alessandra | 2 minute read

You generally wear your positivity on the “inside.” However, your enthusiasm is how you show it to the world – by your face, your voice, and your gestures. Sometimes we feel enthusiastic about our ideas, but we are afraid to show it. But, I think the people who influence us the most, are those who are able to express on the outside what they are feeling on the inside.

A friend of mine remembers touring a client’s office and seeing “cute” signs with negative messages plastered everywhere: “It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys,” “Even a bad day on vacation is better than a good day at work,” and the like. Every message that every employee saw every day was negative. No wonder, my friend later concluded, morale there was so low.

Most people like to be around those who radiate joy and interest, whether at work or at play. Added bonus – enthusiasm is infectious! It spreads. Unfortunately, so does the lack of it. The choice is yours.

We have probably all worked with people who were negative about the job, the firm, their colleagues, the environment, the world itself, and then were further upset when — surprise! — they did not get the big promotion. They chose to be problems, not problem-solvers. So, was it any wonder that the boss would pick someone who was more positive and enthusiastic?

The response you receive from the world is in large measure a reflection of your own attitude. From the beginning to the end of every meeting with another person, you are on stage: You are being evaluated by that other person, consciously or subconsciously. While I am not suggesting you put on a phony happy-face, I am reminding you to be aware that your every word, gesture, expression, and impression is being watched — especially in initial encounters — and will either help or hinder you in fostering honest, open, and trusting communications.

If your overall approach is cheerful, hopeful, and tolerant of differences, you send out a positive message. On the other hand, if you are critical, pessimistic, and intolerant of anything unfamiliar, you convey a negative outlook. Guess which attitude gets better results when you are trying to influence people?

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Tony Alessandra

Dr. Tony Alessandra has a street-wise, college-smart perspective on business, having been raised in the housing projects of NYC to eventually realizing success as a graduate professor of marketing, internet entrepreneur, business author, and hall-of-fame keynote speaker. He earned a BBA from Notre Dame, a MBA from the Univ. of Connecticut and his PhD in marketing from Georgia State University (1976). Known as “Dr. Tony” he’s authored 30+ books and 100+ audio/video programs. He was inducted into the NSA Speakers Hall of Fame (1985) and Top Sales World’s Hall of Fame (2010). Meetings & Conventions Magazine has called him “one of America’s most electrifying speakers”. Dr. Tony is also the Founder/CVO of Assessments 24×7. Assessments 24×7 is a global leader of online DISC assessments, delivered from easy-to-use online accounts popular with business coaches and Fortune 500 trainers around the world.