What the happy warrior in your office knows about getting ahead

They’re the happy warriors in your office, and make no mistake: The “warrior" half of the moniker is just as important as the “happy" part.

“I want to win," says Danielle Korins, chief human resources officer of an artificial-intelligence company in Connecticut and a self-described happy warrior. “I want to get things done and make money."

These cheery colleagues weren’t all born this way. While others try to impress the boss by working late or developing hard-to-find skills, this army of relentless optimists is determined to outwork everyone else and smile while doing it.

It signals loudly to the upper ranks that they haven’t fallen prey to negativity and burnout. And they say it’s working.

The phrase is coming up a lot lately. I’ve noticed people using “happy warrior" as an unofficial job title on LinkedIn. You have surely seen it attached to Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz, who seems to have inherited the label from fellow Minnesotan Hubert Humphrey, elected vice president 60 years ago.

No party has a claim on the slogan. Ronald Reagan urged conservatives to be happy warriors full of “good cheer and stout hearts" in a 1985 speech.

The mindset is meant to project friendliness and toughness at the same time. The term is at least a couple of centuries old, the subject of a William Wordsworth poem, “Character of the Happy Warrior."

Korins, 52, says she’s no personality hire or chief happiness officer—not that there’s anything wrong with those roles. It’s just that she and others who wear the happy-warrior label say they bring intensity to work along with good vibes.

She tells me she has no work-life balance, and likes it that way. She says being a happy warrior means giving people the benefit of the doubt if she feels slighted and not taking disappointments personally, so that a sour mood doesn’t hinder her job performance.

“People waste so much time feeling hurt or thinking that someone else has a negative agenda," she says. “Happiness is a decision."

Grin and get ahead

In a survey published in Harvard Business Review this month, hiring managers listed a negative attitude—demonstrated by criticizing former colleagues or employers—as a top red flag for job candidates. The poll’s conclusion: “Hiring managers want to see that you can handle challenges professionally and move forward with a positive attitude."

That’s a big ask when so many of us are mentally checked-out. Less than one-third of U.S. workers feel engaged in their jobs, according to Gallup, near an all-time low since the firm started tracking in 2000.

“Work can be a roller coaster, but the people who keep bringing energy usually get more assignments and chances to grow in the organization," says Ed O’Boyle, who leads Gallup’s research and consulting practices.

Nick Tan, a senior analyst at a New York software company, credits his happy-warrior persona for the three promotions he’s earned in eight years with his employer. He started as a temp worker and now boasts a tenure that is long by tech-industry standards.

“So many people jump ship every two years for a pay bump and a fancier title," he says. “The harder thing to do is to commit to a project or an enterprise for a long time."

Now that many tech companies are slowing hiring or laying off employees, it isn’t so easy to flee to greener pastures. Tan, 33, says he knows people who are struggling to press forward in jobs they don’t love because they are accustomed to bailing at the first sign of trouble.

Happiness as a weapon

Kenneth Ely’s grandmother—like mine and probably yours, too—preached killing enemies with kindness. He’s carried that advice into his career as a civil litigator, an adversarial profession if there ever was one.

Many factors go into a settlement, but Ely, 44, says being affable can help his client and opposing counsel warm to the idea of making a deal. He views his cheery attitude as a weapon that makes achieving good results easier.

For Ely, the Wordsworth poem is a touchstone, especially a passage that describes a happy warrior as someone “who, if he rise to station of command, rises by open means; and there will stand on honorable terms."

“It’s like a mirror image of the Machiavellian approach to business, where you do the cutthroat thing and the only principle is success," Ely says. “Wordsworth’s words vibe with me a little better. They’re a reminder to bring your best self to work."

Mary Varghese Presti’s philosophy is “your vibe attracts your tribe." Her happy-warrior stance within Microsoft, where she’s a vice president in the health division, has helped her form alliances.

One of her latest efforts is an artificial-intelligence tool to help nurses take notes about patients faster. She has to convince colleagues that an AI tool can win converts among nurses who may be reluctant to change old, handwritten habits.

Some of her peers find data persuasive, while others rely on intuition. That’s where Presti’s ability to share firsthand experience from her previous job as a pediatric nurse comes in handy. She practices what she calls “optimistic fortitude," tailoring her arguments to her audience and deploying personal charm throughout.

“People want to work with people they like," she says. “We’ve all worked with the bull in a china shop. It doesn’t work."

Write to Callum Borchers at callum.borchers@wsj.com