Seligman (1998) defined optimism as a cognitive process whereby positive outcomes and
expectations are internally originated, permanent, and prolific, negative events are externally
originated, fleeting, and situational. Tiger (1979) provided a further definition of optimism as "a
mood or attitude associated with an expectation about the social or material future--one which the
evaluator regards as socially desirable, to his [or her] advantage, or for his [or her] pleasure" (p.
18). Luthans and Avolio (2003) noted it is difficult to find an inspirational leader who made a
positive difference in their community who is not labeled as “optimistic.” According to McColl-Kennedy and Anderson (2002), “a large body of evidence supports the contention that optimistic
expectations of success play a significant role in the achievement of success” (p. 549).