Leaders (Like Hobbits) Inspire Hope
“Is everything sad going to come untrue?”
It’s rare we ever get into a truly hopeless situation. We are on the precipice of Mount Doom, surrounded by fire and smoke, and our only hope is rescue by giant flying eagles — which seems pretty far-fetched. That’s a rare moment in anyone’s experience.
But there are degrees of hopelessness that climb from the depths of the soul. For those with even a little imagination, asking the question, “What’s the worse that could happen?” is of little comfort.
It is a tricky thing to lead with hope. But the best leaders do.
That doesn’t mean we don’t face facts. From the earliest part of their journey, Sam and Frodo didn’t expect to leave Mount Doom alive. Inspiring hope is not sentimental optimism. But there is a moment when a leader’s commitment to the cause and her willingness to sacrifice to the point of pain (the actual meaning of the word “passion”) inspire something great. The Kings of the West storm the Black Gate in what would seem to be a futile effort but ends up as an exercise in hope and victory.
We can finish this thing.
Granted, most of our endeavors are not so dramatic. A product launch or a rebrand is not necessarily epic fantasy. But hope can still wain in the small things, which leads to bigger problems.
When leadership is not dispensing hope, even a job you love can turn into a pointless grind. I know. I’ve been there.
Sam and Frodo talked about their legacy on the way to the slopes of Mount Doom. What stories will they tell about us? Hope is a lynchpin. It’s the point of the stories we tell ourselves and our teams. Leaders who lead with hope have the right mindset, tell the right kind of stories, and ask the right kind of questions.
Hope motivates us to finish.
Hope inspires armies to attempt the impossible and succeed.
