7 Ways to be a Dealer in Hope

You and the people you influence cannot thrive apart from hope. Napoleon rightly said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”

Successful leaders inspire hope. 

Leadership is about the future – hope is a way of seeing the future.

The seven powers of hope:

1. Energy when facing disappointment.
2. Passion to try again when results fall short.
3. Drive to press through obstacles.
4. Resolve when resistance emerges.
5. Boldness during uncertainty.
6. Endurance when tempted to quit.
7. Stability when circumstances feel unstable.

You might, for example, wish to infuse your team with resolve.  Filling them with hope will fill them with resolve, and much more.

Hope is a way of thinking, not a vague sense of well-being.

You can have hope, even when feeling disappointed. After all, the power of hope is best seen when disappointment presses in.

7 ways to be a dealer in hope:

1. Give people something to believe in. Connect effort and sacrifice to the big picture. Soldiers fight for big things like God, country, family, and fellow soldiers. Belief precedes hope.
2. Be human with aspiration. Share challenges and weaknesses you’ve faced and worked through.
3. Show people how they’re making meaningful contribution. Be specific.
4. Narrow focus. Too many goals overwhelm and discourage. Passion makes some leaders take on too many challenges.
5. Believe in your teammate’s potential and capacity. Keep people working where they best succeed. How are you setting others up for success?
6. Share information. Hope is a way of thinking that requires information about challenges, opportunities, progress, and results. Research shows that leaders drastically under communicate.
7. Create and celebrate small wins. Every challenge is made smaller by a series of small wins.

Hope precedes vitality.

Don’t think for a moment that you can succeed apart from dealing in hope.

What might you do tomorrow to infuse others with hope?