February 3, 2003
The Ultimate Human Fuel |
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Hope is one of the most fascinating forces that
a leaders taps into. It is just amazing what can happen when a genuine
dose of optimism is provided at just the right moment.
You have probably seen and felt the power of hope
on many occasions. Have you ever been with other people who have
gotten to a point where they appear dead in the water, and suddenly
almost out of nowhere, along comes another option. I'll bet you
heard at least one of them actually utter the words, “there
might be hope after all,” as they again kick into gear with
renewed vigor. That small crack in the door, that additional chance
to finally be successful produces both an emotional and physiological
change. It provides a shot of courage and strength needed to fight
the battle yet another day.
Have you personally ever been in a situation like
that, when you were facing a tough challenge and were honestly not
sure if you could accomplish it? Did hope play a role in helping
you make progress? Or did a lack of hope cause you to finally give
up?
For teams, some of the most common and difficult
work they do is figuring out a way to resolve the really tough problems,
confronting them, and accepting that sometimes there are no easy
or obvious solutions. Typically, they thoroughly discuss the issues,
develop alternatives, and ultimately come up with action steps to
take. What is too often missing in the process is any expression
of hope that the team will be able to pull off what they might now
seem to believe is a rather impossible undertaking. Sometimes they
follow through on their commitments, sometimes they don’t.
The lack of follow through is seldom because of laziness or lack
of caring. It is usually because people do not believe their actions
will do much good. They lack hope.
Leaders provide hope. They challenge others to
look at tough circumstances in different ways, give them freedom
to take action, and express genuine faith and confidence in their
people’s ability to be successful. They inspire people to
accomplish great things by giving them a chance to see - and believe
- in success.
Be aware there can be a dark side to hope. Knowing
how powerful hope can be, a person can choose to manipulate others
by purposely expressing false hope after false hope. Too many hopes
that never pan out can only lead to frustration, despair and cynicism
about the future. Hope cannot be generated thoughtlessly.
Take a moment and reflect about your own circumstances.
Do you have hope for the future? Do you believe
things can truly change and be better, or do you think right now
there is really no good reason to have much hope? Which view are
you communicating to others?
Hope or hopelessness – which do you believe
contributes more to great accomplishments? In your role as a leader,
it is up to you to create a future that people find desirable and
believe is obtainable. And the more hope you give them about finding
ways to reach those future destinations, the more energy, creativity,
perseverance and passionate effort they will give in return.
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