Do You Instill Hope in Others?
Hope is not only necessary for personal happiness and well-being, it's good for business too. In fact, I would argue it's essential. Writing about the necessity of hope in the workplace, Nancy Fredericks says, "Hope is the emotional engine which generates profitability for organizations! Can you imagine a management team without Hope? After all, who would follow a group when they say, 'We'll lead you to doom-and-disaster, with no Hope of job security or salary increases?'"
In an interview with the Gallup Organization, Shane Lopez, Ph.D., assistant professor of counseling psychology at the University of Kansas explains, "Managers have great potential for positive psychological capital in every person they work with and every idea they generate. They're not necessarily given the budget or the staffing or the time they need, but they do have an infinite resource -- hopeful thinking -- in every one of their employees and fellow managers. Hope theory basically takes this capacity and unleashes it. Hope is part of authentic leadership; it's an element of psychological capital and part and parcel of everything we do."
How do you instill hope in others? I would suggest at least three things.
Instill hope by looking forward
The belief that things can change for the better and that we have the ability to work to improve our circumstances is a powerful force. Be the kind of leader who keeps people focused on a shared goal that draws them into a hopeful future.
Instill hope by looking inward
Anyone who leads others must first lead themselves. You instill hope in those you lead by being aware of yourself, your strengths as well as your weaknesses. The world may be moving toward increasing automation but people still follow leaders. Instill hope by investing in your own growth.
Instill hope by looking outward
Great leaders invest in developi
ng the potential of others. Unless you are the only person in your company or organization, you also depend on others for your enterprise to succeed. Instill hope in the people you lead by investing in their personal and professional development.
