How to Keep Hope Alive, and Why You Should, Even When Things Seem Hopeless

Last week, I was speaking with a new LinkedIn connection. It was a “getting to know you call” – the virtual reality of coffee at Starbucks. She shared that she had successfully defended her doctoral thesis last year. Her thesis focused on the science of human learning with particular emphasis on creativity. “What was the biggest surprise in your research?” I enquired. She shared that, overwhelmingly, she had found that the common denominator amongst creative people is hope.

The moment she said it, I realised that it makes sense. If you think there is no future, or if the future looks dismal, then there would be no reason to hope. Why and how would you create?

I have been pondering on this revelation since then and decided to use “hope” as the theme for my Sunday meditation session a few days later. I invited each participant to share what meditation means to them. Denise, an artist, shared: ”Hope is the surprise of what is possible”.

I immediately connected Denise’s response with my friend’s research. It suggests that hope is about possibilities that may as yet be unimagined, and that when we have hope, we are open and welcoming of the as yet to be known.

But, the group further wondered, what about hope when all evidence points to there being no reason for it? This pandemic is such a time, when the suffering, the despair, the uncertainty is pervasive and unending. We are all worn down, daily, emotionally, mentally, physically. How can one possibly be hopeful in this scenario? Perhaps hope is therefore an irrational choice – it makes no sense, but you just decide to do it anyway. Such a choice would require courage, for to be hopeful in such times is likely to put you in the minority – the crazy minority.

As we slowly limp back to work, to reopening our economies and businesses, and to having team members return to the workplace, should leaders be hopeful? Or would that be seen as irresponsible in an environment that values rational thinking and justification of everything?

Let’s go back to my friend’s thesis about hope and creativity: because of the uncertainty of the times, everything now is different, new, unprecedented. And we never know when it might change with unpredictable direction and velocity – one day the economy is opening up, and the next, we are back on lockdown. We are blindsided, with no map for navigating the changes – we don’t even know where the north star is! But life, and business must go on. It stands to reason that creativity is needed more than ever. And therefore, so is hope, no matter how irrational or baseless it may seem. As long as you are committed to a future for your organization, you MUST have and instill hope in your team. This requires that a leader:

1. Is positive and affirms his/her commitment to the future, with reference to the long-term vision;
2. Acknowledges the ongoing uncertainty and invites conversations on the impact this is having on everyone;
3. Admits that no-one, he/she included, has the answers. This requires the leader to be courageous enough to say “I don’t know what the future holds, but I do have hope that there is a future”

Charles Darwin famously said:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change, that lives within the means available and works co-operatively against common threats”

Adaptability requires creativity, and creativity requires hope.

For other similar blog posts by Marguerite:

When Your Plans Get Upended, What’s Left? Your Mission:

4 Tactics for Successfully Leading Your Team Back to Work: