No Room For Hope?
Last week at a business conference the opening speaker expressed his hopes for the day, with a side comment (and apology for using the word), “Hope, I know, doesn’t have a place in business.” I thought, “Hope? Why not hope?”
A boardroom without hope is a boardroom without true vision.
I’ve spoken with many executives who stumble with fully inviting hope into their boardrooms. Maybe it feels corny to talk that way so hope gets overshadowed by embarrassment and shame. Or maybe focusing on more concrete and practical ways forward facilitates a sense of safety and certainty.
With hope-starved visions that lie flat, half-formed, or maybe half-dead it’s no wonder our employees, and sometimes we as business owners, lack engagement.
I know the adage “Hope is not a strategy.” Or, as my friend’s dad used to say, “Wish in one hand and sh*t in the other and see which fills up first.” The president of a successful company, he was born into a poor family with a dozen siblings, raised in the hills of West Virginia, and knew that goals were achieved through hard work and focused action.
I agree. Those that work closely with me can attest to my doggedness for executable strategic plans, tangible actions, and measurable results. And, it is also my experience that where there is most engagement, hope underpins these efforts.
Hope is what ignites the flame. And like any fire that starts with tender kindling it needs skillful care and attention – and usually a well thought out plan – if it’s to burn long and hot and bright.
Exploring some hope-filled vision statements, here is one from an amazing non-profit, Kiva, who facilitates crowdfunding loans to under-served communities: “We envision a financially inclusive world where all people hold the power to improve their lives.”
While it’s easy to imagine a non-profit fueled by hope, check out the vision statements of these two well-known for-profit brands:
– New Belgium Brewing Company – “To manifest our love and talent by crafting our customers’ favorite brands and proving business can be a force for good.”
– Twitter – “To give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”
Hear the hope and aspiration ringing in these words!
Here’s the vision closest to my heart, because I wrote it, “To facilitate a world where every leader is consciously operating from a deeply authentic place with compassion and courage.” Again, full of hope.
And, why is this important? On our darkest days when we’ve lost that big contract, or our key manager just quit, or our team falls (or we fall) into a passionless grind it’s our hope-filled vision that can help us remember who we are, why we are here, and what we are longing to become. And if your vision doesn’t have the power to do this then maybe you’re aiming too small.
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Leadership Development Practices to help you engage with these concepts in your own leadership development journey:
Companions In The Fire Circle: This week when you sense a small flicker of hope in your bones as it relates to work you care about, sit for a few moments and tend to the flame. Get curious about what emotions join you in that fire circle (fear, excitement, embarrassment, elation, others?) How might those emotions impact how you engage with your hope?
