Building Moonshots

WAY 6Be an Optimist: Choosing to have an optimistic outlook is a visionary's most powerful tool.

About the Way

Optimism is the mental attitude to expect the best and see the best in all things, backed by a sense of hopefulness and confidence in favorable outcomes. Moonshot leaders and teams who adopt an optimist outlook will start from a more advantageous position than those coming from a dark place. A surprising example of optimism comes from Stellantis, a merger formed in 2021 between French automaker PSA Group and Italian‐American automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles that ostensibly creates the world's fourth largest automaker by volume. Stellantis issued a press release about a new Citroën car design in 2022, deliberately mentioning their own approach as optimistic with the headline “Radical, responsible and optimistic approach initiates audacious future intentions for the brand.”¹

Stellantis is aiming to become a major player in the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. Their “Dare 2030” plan outlines a goal of having EVs make up 100% of European sales and 50% of North American sales by 2030.² Although many Silicon Valley companies tout their latest widget as radical and audacious, seeing an optimistic view from a more established European corporation helps cement their stance as proactively and positively leading the future. This is particularly true in the automotive space, where power and freedom were the traditional car narratives in the American market.

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