Providing Hope For Everyday Living

One strong motivator for any human being is the desire to win. To seek a positive outcome at every opportunity. And hope is the optimistic attitude that drives this expectation.

I walked by a boy who was munching away at a delicious doughnut topped with glossy chocolate goodness. I’d skipped breakfast that morning, and his doughnut only amplified my hunger. My next thought was to head back to the doughnut stand and get-me-a-doughnut. But then I spotted him throw his paper napkin into an adjacent flowerbed.

Immediately, I saw an opportunity to invest in the boy’s character. It was an opening to help this youngster and guide him towards taking more responsibility in life. My hope that he would turn out a responsible person was greater than my hunger.

I stooped down to his level and gently asked him to pick up the paper napkin. But that was not all. Together, we  figured out what to do with the napkin. Our joint solution was to hunt for a trash can. It also gave me a few more minutes to have a conversation with him.

This encounter led me to a reflection of hope and leadership. That leadership not only responds to a need. It goes further to provide hope for others. Hope is a leader’s ability to Honor the Opportunity to spur People on to Excellence. Hope is at the core of leadership as it cultivates an optimistic attitude of mind. This attitude is based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.

So, how can a leader honor the opportunity to spur people on to excellence. Here are he four steps…

1. Honor triggers respect

To honor is to regard others with high respect. It means to fulfill an obligation or keep an agreement. In the example shared above, my obligation was a desire to guide the boy to the right action. This was regardless I felt or whichever excuse that crept into my mind. It may come at great personal cost. Aristotle said that “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.”

A leader always keeps his word and sticks to their mission and values. Honor believes the world would be a better place if each of us knew and nurtured our own — and each other’s — greatest strengths.

2. Opportunity to gift

Leaders gift others with presence of mind, time and space. This opportunity is a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. If you are too busy building the big vision, when will you be able to work with your team to realize that vision?

“Leadership develops daily, not in a day,” notes John C. Maxwell. This means that leaders must be alert to the opportunities around them. The most amazing gift a leader can give is time. It may take just a few minute. But those you lead will benefit from the cumulative presence you gift them with. In the long-run, your gift works like compound interest. Your investment grows every day.

3. People matter

For people to follow a leader, they must feel your trust and know that you are adding value to them. They must have faith in your leadership. If they can’t feel your heart and see your intentions, you’ve lost them.

I never berated the boy about throwing the napkin into the flowers. Instead, I asked him: “Are you enjoying eating your doughnut?” He responded with an enthusiastic nod. “Do you think the flowers like to eat paper?” He looked at the paper napkin he had dropped and shook his head side to side. “What do you think we should do?” I asked him. “Throw it in the right place,” he responded. Together, we went to look for the trash can. He had a smile on his face…

4. Excellence is key

A hopeful attitude is nothing without a growing and deep knowledge of leadership. As Colin Powell, , said: “Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.” It means that you are in a state of continuous learning and re-calibration; not only to better your leadership, but also to build other leaders around you. You can’t teach what you don’t know or lead to where you have never been (physically or mentally).

Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit of taking care of the minute matters too. It is those continuous small steps that win your journey to a thousand miles. And along the way, you begin to inspire others to excellence.

Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” ~Laini Taylor

Q: How has hope motivated you to get out of your comfort zone? You can leave a comment by clicking here.