When Hope IS a strategy

Great execution strategies are not built on hope. However, when it comes to leadership in critical times, empowering and eliciting hope is a powerful leadership strategy for remaining resilient when facing a stressful situation. 

When working with senior leaders in large organizations, a phrase that I inevitably hear is, "Hope is NOT a strategy!"  This is in response to someone providing a wishy washy update or sharing their sense of certainty about achieving a goal.

I've found myself on the receiving end of that response early in my career more than I'd like to admit. When I was leading large teams myself, I've proclaimed, "I hope" when referring to our strategy to achieve our ambitious goals. 

It's a fair and understandable response in those situations and "Hope is not a strategy!" is a useful aphorism when thinking about achievement and project execution. In this context, the use of the word seems to be a sense of wish or preference without any solid expectation. More importantly, a plan and commitment of resources to make it happen. 

Engaging hope IS a powerful leadership strategy. It is a powerful emotion and a key component in resiliency and recovery in stressful times. 

The concept and idea of having a vision is lauded in leadership training and for good reason. When a compelling vision is communicated, it elicits a sense of hope. This brings an awakening of possibility, a stirring in our spirit that while acknowledging the difficulty of the present moment, better days can and do lie ahead. 

As a leader, it's not about being inauthentically "optimistic" when it's not supported by fact and circumstance. (Thank you, Jim Collins,  for teaching us all about the importance of confronting the Brutal Facts in Good to Great.) It's about having the compassion to meet people where they are and then have the audacity to focus on and believe in a possible and feasible better future. 

Take an audit for yourself of your last week of communication. How have you helped acknowledge both reality for and the resourcefulness within yourself and your team?

Think of the week ahead and upcoming conversations and interaction. How  might you share your own vision for a better future and remind your team of times when they've handled difficult times in the past? Explore the qualities inside themselves that make them capable of rising to the challenge? 

To the sunny skies ahead...