It All Starts with Hope

Hope

One of my clients loves to say, "Hope is not a strategy." I think he's right.

But without hope there's not much of a reason to try the strategy at all. That's why I believe that people who want to lead have to become people who want to instill hope.

• Why commit to a new initiative unless there's a genuine sense of hopefulness in the leader's voice?

• Why stay with a struggling project or a struggling organization if no one shows you a plan that offers hope?

• Why change jobs if your new boss doesn't paint a picture that, according to your wants, is more hopeful than your current situation?

Hope and Business?

My own hope for the coming year is that I'll be able to work more with clients who want to start speaking in a voice that touches the hearts of the people around them. Changing people's thinking isn't easy. In fact, David Maister was talking about just that earlier today. Maybe we've been spending too much time focused on the mind and not enough on the heart.

Everyone who works in a business already knows the importance of getting results, managing assets, and creating profit. No one needs to be convinced. Yet it's easy to speak in those terms and believe that we're being leaders. But we're not. Not until we say and do something that touches--then moves--the hearts, minds, and actions of the people around us.

What do you think?

Comments

[Ellen Weber]

Thanks for the great post Steve, you build a brilliant case for drawing the heart into things of the mind for more complete results! Inspired:-) In fact, that is one of the reasons I love to operate from multiple intelligences - because the new framework allows one to integrate heart, mind and soul in many areas. It also gives a nice rationale to make the stands you suggest so well here! happy 2007 Steve!

[Steve Roeler]

Ellen, your comments are deeply appreciated.

I am becoming more convinced than ever that the genuine focus of my work in the coming years is to be increasingly intentional about making the heart, mind, spirit connections visible to clients. While my work has been about 90% corporate, the underlying nature of an engagement ultimately rests on those factors. Otherwise, there would have been no internal struggle that would prompt a call to a consultant/coach to begin with.

Regards,

Steve