The word ‘hope’ seems an odd thing when speaking in a business context. But it is hope or optimism or the ability to see the future in a certain way that allows us to reach the next level.

A few weeks ago I was reading through a Harvard Business Review in my stack of ‘too read’. In the February 2007 issue Ideas with Impact, number 7 is ‘The Leader from Hope’. The final paragraph sums it up:

Our study of effective executives has uncovered many ways in which their decisions, words, and actions make the people they lead more hopeful. Collectively, these practices are the basis of a leadership tool kit for building and sustaining hope. But the most important change comes when a leader is simply more mindful of this vital part of her or his mission. Much can be accomplished in a reflective pause to ask, "Is what I am about to do or say likely to be destructive or accretive of hope?" It is useful to notice how people express a sense that things might change for the better: They often say of some key actor, "He gives me hope" or "She gives me hope." If you are an executive trying to lead an organization through change, know that hope can be a potent force in your favor. And it’s yours to give.

One could definitely take this in a greater context, at work, at home, with friends. Hope is ours to give.