Leading with Character: Be a Voice of Hope
I’m writing this blog during an unplanned overnight stay at the friendly little airport in Moline, IL. Yet again, my departing flight was delayed so long I couldn’t make the connecting flight home. It happens all too frequently, giving me a reputation as someone no one else wants to fly with! At first, I despaired at the thought of not getting back until a day later, and at what it would take to rebook everything. But my despair was quickly replaced by the hope that everything would work out. And it did.
I had traveled out for a Modern Woodmen of America board meeting. Modern Woodmen is an incredible fraternal financial services company devoted to our members. I’m proud of our strong core values and exceptional people. Despite it being late in the day, our dedicated travel planner extraordinaire, Natalie, was right there to rebook me and put me up in a room at a nice, clean motel near the terminal. Sure, it’s inconvenient, but approaching an adverse situation with a spirit of hope, not despair, makes a huge difference in a person’s attitude and the morale of those around them.
A Beacon of Hope
Recently, I was inspired by a phrase I heard attributed to Senator Tim Scott, from North Carolina, “Let’s lead with hope, not hate. With faith, not fear.” I gravitated toward that positive voice as a beacon of hope in what can seem to be a sea of negativity. The next Sunday at church our pastor, Rene Perez, urged the congregation to “Be a voice of hope.” I took getting a message about hope twice in one week as a signal to pay attention and to pass it on! So here are my thoughts on leading with hope.
Leading with Hope
Leading during turbulent times is hard. Change comes with uncertainty that can cause stress. It’s often unclear what the outcome will look like and what the impacts will be. Things might not go as planned, as with my cancelled flight. Day after day, accumulated stress can lead to despair, which can demoralize an entire team. So what can a leader do? Start with being a voice of hope. Here are some thoughts on how leaders at all levels, including followers, can help inspire others and lift up those around them by being a voice of hope:
- Be positive, enthusiastic, grateful; these are gifts you can share with others.
- Help your team focus on and unite around the mission and purpose.
- Challenge your team, or someone on it, to go to the next level.
- Recognize someone’s specific, impactful accomplishment in front of the entire team.
- You can’t control what others say or do, but you can control how you choose to respond to provocations—draw upon your personal agency and refuse to let someone or something else get you down.
- Don’t believe what you see on social media without validating with a credible source.
- Celebrate the small, daily wins instead of waiting for a big victory that may be a long way off.
Look in the mirror: What else can you do to be a voice of hope in the workplace? And, pass it on!
Please join me again next time for more on Leading with Character.
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