On October 1st we launched a new executive microsite called FindYourNerve.com. In that day’s post, I explained that the rationale for the site was that at some point we need to get past what’s happening outside the walls of our organizations and address what we can actually control, and it all begins with our personal mindsets.

With that in mind, the results of our first weekly FindYourNerve.com poll are quite interesting. They show that business leaders’ views of the future are split right down the middle, with about half choosing to be optimistic (and making decisions accordingly) and half continuing in fearful uncertainty (or worse). The results are fitting, I think, since every good economic story we read in the press seems to be balanced by a bad one these days.

Of course, no one really knows what’s going to happen, but the way we choose to believe events may unfold can become self-fulfilling. As I’ve been traveling around the country on my book tour I’ve met a great many people with a variety of outlooks and perspectives. On two separate occasions within a single 24-hour period last week, I ran across people in the magazine business who cited emails from their bosses representing both ends of the spectrum.

One said that she and her staff received an email that was unfocused and full of fear from the one person who should instead have provided a steady hand. She said it really discouraged her and certainly didn’t help her remain in the frame of mind she needed to succeed. The other told me about an email he received from his boss full of encouragement, instruction, and a healthy perspective on the real challenges he and his team were facing. As a result, he was motivated to continue persevering.

I’m not suggesting that anybody should adopt a Pollyannaish view of the future, ignoring the possibilities of a continued slump and putting our companies at risk. But I do believe that how we view the difficulties we face affects how the people around us view them as well, which has a real impact on the results of our efforts.

I encourage you to keep visiting FindYourNerve.com each day to get a brief bit of encouragement from the contributor of the day. And pass it along to your friends and colleagues. A little optimism can go a long way.