Leaders should not dismiss hope

As we enter the summer cycle of business, we can have mixed feelings about the warmth of the summer sun and the demands on the business. For those in the northern part of the country, the sun and its rays bring an invigorated energy.  The spring rains have hopefully dissipated allowing access to the great outdoors to recharges our physical beings. All of this fresh energy lends itself to an increase in hope for better outcomes. It lifts the individuals’ spirits and thus rolls into their daily lives both while at work and at play.

As business leaders we need to help our team capture and focus this new energy in productive ways while not inadvertently dismissing it as superficial. Hope is a very misunderstood word.  Too often it is associated with a despairing situation of which one or many are pleading for a reversal of a potentially gloomy result.

Hope in the fuller context is the intrinsic aspect of wanting or desiring something with great anticipation for a positive outcome.  Yes, it applies when situations are looking gloomy, but it equally applies to expanding or taking whatever is going on to a much higher level of results.

Businesses are still navigating out of the challenges of the past couple of years, but there is still hope of even greater outcomes in the future.  There will always be various roadblocks and challenges, but we can either embrace them and learn best ways to convert them into improving our situation or we can take the path of least resistance and concede to the evils which knock on our doors daily.

As the leader of the business, the way you roll is the way the organization rolls.  Your actions and behaviors speak in so much volume that your staff may need headphones to block out what your body is pronouncing to them. If you are screaming of hope and turning challenges into opportunities, then they engage in your actions.  If you demonstrate overwhelming concern and appear disconnected or disjointed, then they too will follow your lead. This is not to authorize a fictitious façade of artificial hope but for you as the leader to be authentically positive and hopeful even when challenges may initially appear to be without resolution. 

I’m reminded of the Apollo 13 space mission where the disaster crippled the mission, and 3 lives were at stake to return them safely home.  One of the statements which always stood out for me when one of the NASA workers showed serious concern and was viewing real failure, it was rebutted with “this situation will be one of NASAs’ greatest efforts.”   That ray of continued hope rallied the team to be innovative, creative and resolve overwhelming challenges to accomplish the return of three astronauts safely back to earth.

Most all of our businesses are never going to deal with that level of complexity and stress but even our small challenges can appear to be massively overwhelming at the time.  When that happens, bring hope out of your toolbox to shine a new and more positive light on the future to bring better outcomes for the business, your team and you as a leader.

Struggling with rallying the team with your leadership approach.  Reach out and have a conversation with a Promise Guide today at either FL (407) 984-7246 or MI (313) 527-7945.

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