Leadership is Hope.
A leader is a dealer in hope.” Napoleon Bonaparte
Some of the simplest quotes on leadership reveal the biggest truths.
We look to a leader to give us hope; hope that they will lead us through our difficulties and into a better future.
The best leaders do not hide reality from their followers but they are able to show them that despite the difficulties there is a way through.
Moses at the Red Sea, when the Israelites had nowhere to go – what did he give them but hope?
Why is hope so crucial? Because hope inspires us to the horizon, but hope isn’t something far off. To be a dealer in hope is to be a dealer in the here and now.
Hope is in the footsteps, whether you’re taking the stairs one, two or three at a time.
Hope is the thing that carries you on the journey and great leaders will incapacitate fear in their people by willing to walk through and on to the horizon.
Being a leader in hope isn’t about relentless enthusiasm or boundless optimism. A leader who applies hope to every situation brings perspective:
1. the reality of what is
2. the surety of a different possible future and what can be
3. the willingness to find the pathway there
4. the lessons and wisdom from the past.