Casting vision to hopeless people is like feeding cake to the dead. The greatest vision in the world is meaningless in the absence of hope.
It’s more important to build hope than it is to cast vision. Hope builds confidence. Confident people dare to act.
The Gift:
Fear rules where hope sleeps. Giving hope is the greatest gift leaders give.
Hope fuels first steps toward uncertain destinations. Hope enables letting go and pressing forward. Hopeful people persevere. Without hope, safety dominates our attitudes and controls our behaviors; the evil status quo wins.
Giving hope:
- Servanthood empowers hope building. The moment others believe you are in it for yourself is the moment you drain their hope.
- Consistency builds hope. Having favorites undermines hope. All the rules apply to all the people all the time.
- Celebrating failure invigorates hope. When Jack Welch blew up a manufacturing plant (no one was injured), his boss’s boss asked, “What did we learn?” Additionally, Peter Mcintyre wisely said, “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.”
- Clear performance metrics drive hope. Explain what you expect, clearly.
- Belief in them makes them hopeful. Your doubts about their competencies and abilities drain their hope. Put people in roles where you believe they can succeed.
- Feeling understood enriches hope. Few things are more powerful than feeling seen and appreciated by others.
- Feeling like we fit in protects hope. Avoid negative comparisons.
- Celebrating small wins affirms hope. Give complements without suggesting improvements.
- Letting go while extending support drives hope. Trust people to perform. Be there to support.
- Expressing passion brings vitality to hope. Determine the inner motivations of others and adapt.
More:
More than vision casting, instilling hope is the subtle secret to leadership success. Napoleon said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”
How can leaders instill hope?
Which of these ideas seem most useful? Why?
