The Hopeful Leader

Times are tough.  Companies have had cutbacks, layoffs, cost containment measures.  For most companies, sales are down, budgets are tight, and morale???  Well, let’s just say, it’s been better.

Now, more than ever, it’s critical for leaders to deliver more than just results.  Now, they need to deliver hope – to inspire their teams, create an environment for change and motivate others to achieve success. 

Let’s face it, recent history hasn’t quite been a picture of hope.  Beginning with the Enron fiasco, the media has delivered story after story of leadership that is, quite frankly, squashing hope and stepping on lots of people’s dreams and futures in the process.

Hope Can Only Come from a Trusted Leader

In order to deliver hope, leaders must first be able to engage their teams.  And in order to engage their teams, they must first prove that they are worthy of trust; worthy to be followed.  Leaders must be skilled, of course.  But more importantly, they must show integrity.  They must speak candidly and truthfully, do what they say they are going to do, and lead by going there first.  They have to earn the trust of their team before their team will even “buy into” their hopeful message.  Integrity is foundational to trust.  Without it, leadership cannot be effective.

“I look for three things in hiring people.  The first is personal integrity, the second is intelligence and the third is a high energy level.  But if you don’t have the first one, the second two don’t matter.”  ~ Warren Buffet, CEO Berkshire-Hathaway

To Share Hope, You Must First Have Hope…and Confidence

Leaders must leverage the skills and talents of their teams to generate the best plans for optimal results.  Once they put those plans on the table for everyone to see, they better be ready to confidently back them.  Remember, if leaders have established trust, they will get followers…so they must truly believe in where they’re going.  Napolean Bonaparte is quoted as saying “A leader is a dealer in hope.”  I agree that it is a critical element of successful leadership.

You can draw a similar analogy to when you’re a passenger in a car, going someplace you’ve never been before.  You might ask the driver, “Do you know how to get there?”  Consider how the driver’s response immediately impacts your attitude.  If they tell you with confidence that they know the route to take, you’ll relax and enjoy the ride.  If they tell you with some uncertainty that they “think” they know where they’re going, will you be able to relax as much?  Probably not.  It’s more likely that you’ll periodically check where you are, look at your watch, possibly even suggest that it’s a good idea to ask for directions.  Bottom line, if your leader has given you no cause for concern, you’re less likely to have concern.  Likewise, if they are strong, confident and optimistic, your ability to be hopeful for positive results increases.

Lead with Enthusiasm

Leaders with hopeful followers only have one thing left to do…that is to lead!  They must share the vision and plan.  They should combine their skills and experiences, bring out the best in their team and work toward that end-result.  Leaders should enthusiastically rally the team and show them how this effort will challenge them, grow them and bring impactful results, individually and holistically. 

Leadership is not a magnetic personality – that can just as well be a glib tongue.  It is not “making friends and influencing people” – that is flattery.  Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.  ~ Peter F. Drucker

This doesn’t imply that you should take a “Pollyanna” approach.  In fact, keeping high standards and holding teams accountable to maintaining those standards are essential elements of leadership.  The key is to maintain that accountability with enthusiasm and a positive approach, one that is engaging and motivating – versus a mandatory beat-down approach.

To lead enthusiastically, leaders need to be the first one to jump in the pool.  Where they go first, they will more likely gain followers.  They need to show their commitment, their hope, their strong belief that the team can be successful… in essence, they need to the head cheerleader.  Some leaders may be uncomfortable in this place, but it’s necessary to inspire and motivate everyone to a common goal, and it’s ultimately the leader’s job to do this.  By sharing the vision, inspiring and engaging the team, and cheering along the way, leaders can bring forth a more hopeful culture in their teams.  And with hope, people will naturally set their sights toward higher ground.

Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.  ~Lin Yutang

Are you a hopeful leader?  Have you been led by someone who demonstrates this?  How did it affect the team and results?  Share your stories here, so we can all continue to learn this art.

Erin Schreyer is President of Sagestone Partners, LLC.  She is passionate about excellent leadership and building into people and companies to help them achieve their greatest potential.  Erin can be reached at eschreyer@sagestone-partners.com and more information can be found at www.sagestone-partners.com.