Radical Optimism: the book

Realistic optimism is the most effective way to get things done, at work and in life. Not toxic positivity. Not wishful thinking. And not the fashionable cynicism that sounds clever and builds nothing.

Most books on optimism fall into one of two traps. They either tell you to think positive and manifest your way to success, which the evidence quietly demolishes, or they're so busy being rigorous and pessimistic that they forget to leave you anywhere to stand.

This one's different. It treats optimism as a skill rather than a personality, one you can learn, practise and get measurably better at. It's grounded in behavioural science, brought to life with real stories, and packed with tools you can use the same afternoon you read them. It works at three levels: leading yourself, leading a team, and leading an organisation through change.

The four lenses

Everything in the book runs through four questions:

What you believe about what's possible.
What you choose to see.
What you expect of yourself and others.
And what you actually do about it.

Four levers. Each one learnable. Each one scales from you to your whole organisation

Help write the book that we all need

I'm writing it for a simple, slightly selfish reason: it's the book I need to read. I need the optimism. I need the tools, the reminders, the evidence that it's worth trying. I'm fairly sure I'm not the only one.

So here’s a chance for you to help write the book that you need to read too - see drafts before anyone else; vote on which tools earn their place. When an idea resonates with enough of you, it makes the final cut. You won't just read this book when it's done. You'll have helped build it.