Before the World Cup soccer games even start, U.S. men’s head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann has apparently relegated his team to loser status, in what has been termed a “brutally honest and realistic assessment of their chances.” According to Coach Klinsmann, “We cannot win the World Cup because we are not at that level yet.”

Really? Really?! The 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic ice hockey team wasn’t considered by many to be at that level either, but I’m fairly sure their coach, Herb Brooks didn’t point that out to them, and the “Miracle on Ice”  happened. That team was a long shot as well, but they won anyhow. Why? Because they prepared to win, they believed they could win (nobody in the same uniform was telling them otherwise), and because they let their play and the scoreboard, not the oddsmakers, determine the outcome.

Whether in sports, life, or, more relevant to this forum – business and the workspace, one of the essential characteristics of good leaders is that they are optimists, period. They don’t get up in the morning, consult the handicap sheets, and then determine whether they’re going to be optimistic that day. They know that they are going to give their best effort, they expect the same from those around them, and believe that as a result, good things will happen. You get what you expect to get. What are YOU expecting?