The Science Behind Hopeful Leadership
Readtime: 3 minutes
The bedrock of exceptional leadership isn’t power or authority – it’s the ability to inspire hope.
In this article, I break down how you can leverage hope to be a more inspirational leader.
Hope is more than just a comforting thought.
It ignites passion, transforms belief into action, and cements loyalty.
It involves rallying your team around a vision of a brighter tomorrow and empowering them to be the architects of that future.
It isn’t fluffy optimism.
It’s the strategy behind every great leader.
Let’s dive in.
1. The formula for hope
Hope is not about wishful thinking; it's about having a strategic approach towards achieving a better future.
Shane J. Lopez, Ph.D was the world’s leading authority on the science of hope. In his 2014 book, Making Hope Happen, he explained that to have hope, you need three things – Goals, Agency and Pathways.
Goals – An exciting future. Goals are the targets of hope. They can range from very short-term objectives to long-term aspirations. They provide both direction and end-points. And for hope to work, they should be meaningful and valuable.
Agency – A belief in the ability to initiate and sustain actions, to make those goals a reality. Agency is fuelled by energy and confidence.
Pathways – The routes or strategies to get there and to overcome obstacles. They need to be plausible and adapted as needed.
2. Why hope matters for leadership
Leadership is fundamentally about inspiring hope for a better future.
A leader must provide a vision of a positive future that people can buy-in to. The leader must instil a belief that it is desirable and achievable. And they must lay out specific plans to get there.
How can you do this?
Communicate a Vision (Goals): Regularly share your vision for the future, one that aligns with the values and aspirations of your team.
Empower Your Team (Agency): Allow employees to make decisions about what they do, fostering a sense of ownership.
Set out a Plan (Pathways): Outline a strategy for achieving the Vision, navigating challenges, and flexing the strategy when circumstances change.
Authentic leadership is key here. Embody the hope you want to instil. Share your individual goals, and the paths you're taking, that contribute to the overall Vision and pathways. Let your team see your excitement for, and your belief in, the future.
3. Be part of the 69%
Gallup asked employees whether their leader at work made them feel enthusiastic about the future.
Of those who agreed, 69% were engaged in their work.
Of those who disagreed, only 1% were engaged.
The implications are clear – enthusiasm about the future, or hope, is a significant driver of employee engagement.
4. Embrace Emotional Contagion
Emotional Contagion is the spreading of moods among people. It is a key element of how hope becomes pervasive in an organisation’s culture.
Positive emotions, like hope, increase cooperation, decrease conflict, and boost performance.
Just as a single person’s enthusiasm can uplift the mood of an entire room, a leader's hopeful attitude can radiate throughout the organisation.
Leaders can harness this power by consciously exhibiting positive emotions, regularly sharing success stories, and celebrating milestones.
That’s it!
In Summary
Hopeful leaders are not mere dreamers; they are the proactive changemakers of our world.
As a leader, your role is to harness the transformative power of hope.
Congratulations, you now know:
Hope's three-part framework: Goals, Agency, and Pathways.
How to inspire hope as a leader.
The link between inspiring hope and employee engagement.
How Emotional Contagion can amplify hope within an organisation's culture.
On a personal note
I’ve always been an optimistic person, which has helped me to be quite hopeful about the future.
However, until I read up about Shane J. Lopez’s work, I had been thinking that optimism and hope were pretty much the same thing.
I now recognise the distinction – with optimism being an expectation that good things will generally happen, and hope being more tangible. Hope builds on optimism by actively working towards that better future.
I now think of hope as ‘the will and the way’ of optimism. This new understanding has enabled me to be much more confident in a better future, in various aspects of my life – my business, health and fitness, and relationships.
One quote to get you going
“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."
– Joseph Addison
I would love to hear your thoughts. If you've seen the power of hope at work in your organisation or have thoughts on building a hopeful culture, it would be great to hear from you. Please email me at coaching@mostynwilson.com.
Follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to my Newsletter for more ideas to help you become even more successful.
P.S. Here’s how we can work together:
1. For Companies
I can help you with three things:
Increasing productivity and reducing burnout risk (yes – at the same time)
Responding to and improving employee survey feedback scores
Senior leader coaching (through Pelham Street)
2. For Individuals
Want to start being happier and more fulfilled at work?
Maybe you want to earn more money, and have more free time as well?
Work with me one-on-one and get access to the same techniques, materials, and coaching that I use with some of the biggest companies in the world – all uniquely tailored to be powerfully effective just for you.
Simply click here now to find out more, with no obligation.