Are Your People Hopeless?

Many organizations have hit a growth barrier due to their employees operating out of a hopeless mindset; not because of the challenges or obstacles, but because they have lost hope in themselves. They are working from a place of lifeless duty rather than hopeful pursuit.

According to an intensive Gallup report released a few years ago, there are twice as many “actively disengaged” workers in the world as there are “engaged” workers who love their jobs. Gallup discovered that only 13% of workers feel connected to their jobs. That means that 87% of people have lost their inward drive to make things better. An organization can have all the money in the world yet still be operating with employees who are impoverished in their thinking. We as leaders must communicate the potential for greater impact, greater opportunities, and greater results to progress our teams forward. People have to first believe in the possibility of a better future in order to activate their motivation to work toward it. George Washington Carver said, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” When one believes something is possible, the mind goes to work figuring out every way to make it happen; but if one believes something is impossible, their mind immediately goes to work calculating the many reasons it cannot and will not happen. Show me someone with hope, and I will show you someone who will always have limitless possibilities ahead of them. 

Great leaders cultivate a captivating culture of hope into their organizations. One of the greatest military commanders in history, Napoleon Bonaparte stated that “A leader is a dealer in hope.” Unlike the monarchy ruling France during that time, Napoleon understood the importance of winning people over to himself. He knew his soldiers well and called them by name as he walked through the camps. It is said that Napoleon inspired his soldiers by spending time with them and rewarding their efforts. He believed morale made a significant impact in warfare.

Leaders are hope-dealers. They are continually inspiring people to be, do, and have more. When someone truly believes they can, nothing will convince them they can’t. Hope motivates the unlikeliest people to do the most unlikeliest things in the most unlikeliest ways. Hope-giving leaders make the future better than the past and keep the focus of their team looking ahead with the understanding that you can’t build for the future while living in the past. I have come to find that stagnant organizations spend their time repairing yesterday’s mistakes rather than preparing for tomorrow’s possibilities. No one will ever arrive at a greater destination if they are staring in the rearview mirror. If what happened in the past is bigger than what is seen for the future, hope will begin to fade away. When this happens, the belief in a better tomorrow goes with it. Talking about what lies behind, rather than what lies before, will never advance people forward. Indeed we can all learn from the past and appreciate it, but we cannot allow ourselves to get stuck there. Hopelessness cripples people, causing them to become paralyzed in their current circumstances.

Never let the past determine the future.