Leadership is always a challenge, but this summer, leadership across our nation and world has become seemingly even more complex. With severe weather across the United States, continued conflict in the Middle East, random deaths caused by troubled people, fires in California, severe weather destroying homes and businesses, and much more, we've all had a lot to process. Some days, if feels like there is no hope.
Hope is an interesting notion, and most of us use this term loosely as something that 'might' helps things to be better. We hope for peace. We hope for clear, sunny, days. We hope for wellness and human thriving. Generally, we hope that things will be 'ok' for ourselves and others.
The leadership literature has a more targeted notion of hope, however. Scholar C. R. Snyder has researched the notion of hope for years. He even developed and validated a measure of "hope" in 1996, which provides a much clearer definition of hope.
Snyder's definition of hope and behaviors that are 'hopeful' include things like "If I should find myself in a jam, I could think of many ways to get out of it", and "there are lots of ways around any problem I am facing now", and "at time, I am meeting the goals I have set for myself". What is interesting is that Snyder's definition of 'hope' is 'state' based, meaning it is not something you are born with or just exists. Rather, hope is something that varies over time and one can develop hope in their life. In other words, we can all learn to be more hopeful.
I often think of Snyder's work as having the 'will and the way' or seeking to do something and then finding the way to do it. For example, I can want to make a million dollars, so I have the will to earn that much money. The trouble is that I have not yet figured out the 'way' to become a millionaire.
Alternatively, one might find a 'way' to accomplish something, but not have the 'will to do so. For instance, I might have the opportunity to train for a marathon by beginning a long-term training program, but trouble is, I am do not currently have the 'will to do so.
What does this all mean for us? It means that though the world is full of trouble, and likely always will be, we can still exist with hope at ground level. What do you hope for? Do you have both the will and way to pursue this hope, goal, or outcome? How much 'will', or energy/commitment/desire do you hold for this outcome? If your energy/commitment and desire is high, then how can you discover the 'way' to accomplish this outcome?
What do you want?
What is your will?
What is our way?
Breaking down hope into specific questions helps us to discern our truest desires and how to prioritize them in our lives. What hope for you.... what is your 'will and way?".
Snyder, C. R., Sympson, S. C., Ybasco, F. C., Borders, T. F., Babyak, M. A., & Higgins, R. L. (1996). Development and validation of the State Hope Scale. Journal of personality and social psychology, 70(2), 321.
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