How aggressive positivity drives business success

When pressure hits, decisive action, preparation and a positive mindset separate real leaders from the rest

I was 21 the summer of the accident. I was working on a farm and my boss and his family had gone to the lake. I was left with a list of chores that included clearing out a culvert on a dam that was being plugged by beavers.

I thought this would be the perfect task for a hot afternoon and headed to the dam.

I lifted the cover off the culvert, propped it up with a stick, got my rake out, lay on top with my head between the cover and the opening, and started pulling out the sticks and debris.

It was only a couple of minutes before the inevitable happened. My rake knocked out the stick propping up the cover and it slammed down with the force of the water in the dam, pinning my forehead against the steel edge of the culvert. I tried in vain to lift the heavy cover against the force of the water.

I like to think I’m pretty positive, but after yelling for help for a couple of minutes, I came to the realization that there was not much hope of anyone rescuing me.

Key lessons • When pressure hits, move — don’t freeze. Freezing is often more dangerous than making an imperfect decision. Step forward with intent. Adjust as you go. • Optimism without preparation is a liability. Belief matters, but hope is not a plan. Contingency thinking, risk management and financial discipline keep the lid from slamming down. • Compete hard, but never at the expense of integrity. Play to win. Renegotiate. Pivot. Push. Just don’t cut corners or damage relationships you’ll need tomorrow. • Bring your team along with you. Clear direction and honest debate turn pressure into performance. Positivity isn’t something you demand. It’s something you demonstrate.

My head was really starting to hurt and I was worried I was going to pass out. I understood that if I didn’t get out of this situation, things were only going to get worse.

I said a short prayer and then, with all my strength, I forced the log frame of the cover against the rushing water, lifted it off my head and stood up. Blood from my head wound was spraying everywhere.

That day taught me something I’ve carried into business ever since.

We’ve all experienced situations where it seems the forces of nature, the economy, technology or our own poor judgment have put us in a difficult position. We’re not sure we’re going to survive financially or even physically. A major customer leaves. A new competitor shows up using tools we don’t understand. The market shifts faster than we expected.

In leadership and business, because of our need to take risks, we’re likely to experience times where we have our backs to the wall.

I’ve come to describe the mindset needed in those moments as being aggressively positive.

Being aggressively positive means refusing to freeze when pressure mounts. It means believing a solution exists and committing to finding it.

Aggressive, in this context, is about playing to win. It means moving forward with intent, making decisions and dealing with change instead of denying it. It means doing what’s necessary—ethically—to achieve our goals. That might mean renegotiating terms, adjusting strategy, investing in new technology or pushing harder for that big contract or sale. It does not mean bullying people or cutting corners.

Positive means we believe we’re going to succeed in our endeavours. We cultivate a mindset that we’re going to get through the tough times; that we’re going to be able to drive our sales up, increase our profits, reach new customers and get our organization on track.

But positivity cannot be blind optimism. It means acknowledging problems clearly. It means building contingency plans instead of hoping things will “work themselves out.” It means managing risk before the lid slams down.

In order to be aggressively positive as an organization, we need to involve our team. Without buy-in from the people in our organization, we’ll never be able to achieve what’s necessary to survive tough times.

That also means creating an environment where people can speak up. We need constructive debate, not silent resentment. We need people willing to point out blind spots before they become crises. Dealing with negativity doesn’t mean silencing disagreement. It means countering destructive attitudes with clear direction and steady leadership while encouraging honest input.

We’ll face opposition and doubters inside and outside the organization. Unless we address that negativity directly and provide clear direction, it will be difficult to maintain the positivity necessary to succeed.

Aggressiveness without positivity can result in poor decisions. When we’re aggressive without the positive outlook also needed by our suppliers, customers and employees, we can come across as a bully. Bullying, as we know, doesn’t work well in the long run in our personal lives or our businesses.

Positivity without aggressiveness, on the other hand, can lead to wishful thinking and missed opportunities.

My accident could have been substantially worse had I not been both positive and aggressive in dealing with my situation. At the same time, I also learned something else: preparation matters.

A few extra minutes thinking through the risk and properly securing that cover might have prevented the entire ordeal.

Over the years in business, I’ve had to have the same aggressive positivity when faced with competition, economic downturns, rapid technological change and adversity. I’ve always tried to involve my team in developing solutions and celebrating successes. In hindsight, I probably should have celebrated more and better recognized those who contributed to the successes of some of my previous endeavours.

When we believe we’re going to succeed one way or another and don’t limit ourselves to relying on only one option, our chances of achieving results go up substantially.

Business and leadership can be difficult. The pressure can feel heavy. But when we put our minds to it, prepare wisely and bring our team on board in a positive manner, we give ourselves the best possible chance to lift the lid and move forward.

In the words of Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right!”

A positive mindset is essential. But it only works when it’s backed by preparation, adaptability and decisive action.

David Fuller is a Commercial and Business Realtor with a strong reputation as an award-winning business coach and author of Profit Yourself Healthy: For Small Business Owners Who Want to Earn More and Worry Less.