On the national and international scene there is just no shortage of discouraging news. Whether it’s the home construction market, the banking fiasco or fuel prices, these all have significant ongoing and negatively multiplying impacts. In no area of our economy are these impacts felt more acutely than in the world of the entrepreneurial manager.

Previous columns have dealt with specific recommendations for steps that can be taken to counterbalance some of these noncontrollable events, but many are finding out that these mechanics need to be supplemented in one vital area.

Companies are composed of individuals, and individuals can achieve great things and endure great hardships provided there is one thing. It is probably the single-most important benefit that a leader can bring to his or her organization. I am, of course, alluding to a conviction of optimism, the belief that what is being done today will lead to better tomorrow, that the painful steps and sacrifices currently being undertaken will enable all of us to reap the financial rewards of the future.

Please do not confuse this with a sense of false bravado, a “putting on” of a happy face while the business world crumbles around you. What I am referring to is the very real inner core belief that actions taken today will succeed, supported with the energy and commitment to make sure that employees are aware of this belief.

Some entrepreneurial leaders sometimes forget that employees are adults, and as with most adults, there is an appreciation of honesty even when it is painful. Employees can see right through the thin veneer of plastic commitments based on faked optimism. But when a leader’s true belief in the goodness of the future is rock solid, then this positive attitude also is a multiplier, one which employees see and feel. Employees will feed off this energy, get behind programs of improvement, focus on those things they can control and make sure that they take care of customers.

For many entrepreneurial managers, this level of active communications, this positive and outgoing approach in dealing with macro noncontrollables can be quite uncomfortable. As witnessed by polls testifying to the aversion of public speaking, a significant number of folks are very reticent about engaging groups in talks. As most quickly find out, public speaking is seldom fatal, and the more you do, the less intimidating it becomes. From an interest perspective, what you have to say to your employees and how you say it will always fall on ears which are predisposed to a certain level of interest aka job security.

For some leaders, this role of positive multiplier is almost second nature. For many others, however, this will be a test, a challenge to step out into an area outside of their normal comfort zone. This takes energy. Consequently, this activity, too, must have a personal and realized purpose. If you can remind yourself that you are putting forth this Herculean effort because you take the welfare and security of your employees to heart, then you will be able to manage the effort. Just keep in mind that in all likelihood the only person who will probably recognize the degree of effort will be you. And that’s OK, too.

John F. Riddell Jr., director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth-Hamilton County, writes each Tuesday about entrepreneurs and their impact on companies and the marketplace. Submit comments to his attention by writing to Business Editor John Vass Jr., Chattanooga Times Free Press, P.O. Box 1447, Chattanooga, TN 37401-1447, or by e-mailing him at business@timesfreepress.com.

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