Richard Gerver's Optimism
Richard Gerver's Optimism
A Commentary by Victor Perton
“As a former educator my optimism comes from the potential I see in every new life, every young person, every student… somewhere in someone’s classroom is the child who may find a solution to lasting world peace, to cancer or to the global environmental crisis… they are there, waiting… the future is bright!”
That's what Richard Gerver kindly told me when I asked what makes him optimistic.
What makes you optimistic?
Reflecting on his Australian tour this week, Richard Gerver said, “I am so struck by the openness and optimism of the people I meet here. There is a warmth and humanity that is so contageous. Australia has always been a place of explorers and adventurers… it shows in the desire to move onward and to evolve. Thanks to the country’s deeply hashtag#spiritual roots, there is heart and soul here, a sense of belonging that I love.”
Positive Leaders
I asked Richard who the positive leaders were in his life. Richard told me, "The positive leaders in my life have been my mother, who sadly we lost this year, my wife and a child in my first class as a teacher, Gary, who taught me more about resilience, compassion and optimism than anyone before or since!"
I asked Richard to share his thinking on the connection between optimism and leadership in 2025. Richard said, "In times of such great change and uncertainty, our stability and grounding must come from humanity, and it is in our great leaders, at every level, that the example can be set and radiated."
