What Happens When We Choose Hope

In every movement, every challenge and every comeback, there is one powerful constant: hope. It fuels leaders. It rallies communities. It's the curious bend in the road that becomes a contagious energy for change.

In the hands of courageous, community-driven leaders, hope is a tool for transformation. And in a world craving possibility, we need leaders who know how to use it.

What Hope Really Is

Psychologist Charles Snyder described hope as the combination of two forces:

• Agency – the motivation to pursue goals

• Pathways – the ability to see and plan the routes to reach them
  

Hope is goal-oriented, resilient and forward-moving. When leaders model both agency and pathways, they empower others to think and act beyond limitations.

Why Leadership and Hope Go Hand in Hand

Great leaders build belief, starting with themselves. When a community leader paints a picture of what could be, and then invites others to build it with them, hope grows.

When leaders say, “Here’s where we’re going. Let’s figure out how to get there, together,” people lean in. That’s leadership through hope.

Hope Ignites Creation and Collaboration

Hopeful teams innovate by generating positive change.

Why? Because hope supports psychological safety. It creates the space for people to experiment, try new things and recover from setbacks.

Hopeful leaders encourage:

• Creative problem-solving, because multiple pathways are always possible

• Team cohesion, because shared belief builds trust

• Growth mindset, because failure becomes a step forward, not a stop sign

  
  

Hope Is Contagious - In the Best Way

Ever seen one spark light a fire? Hope works the same way. It spreads through modeling and connection. When one person believes progress is possible, and backs that belief with consistent action, others begin to believe too. The effect compounds, and spreads.

Building Hope: Where to Begin

Hope is something you build. Like any skill, hope grows stronger through intentional action, and leaders can create conditions for hope to thrive. In meetings, in moments of uncertainty and in the quiet consistency of showing up, leaders model belief in what’s possible.

Here are five ways you can lead with hope:

1. Set clear, meaningful goals

2. Co-create multiple routes to success

3. Celebrate progress, not just outcomes

4. Reflect often, on what’s working and what’s next

5. Invite others to lead alongside you

   
   

How Hopeful Are You? Try the Adult Hope Scale

Want to measure your current level of hope? Psychologists developed the Adult Hope Scale, a research-based tool that explores your sense of agency and your ability to find pathways forward.

It’s just 12 questions and takes less than five minutes to complete. Take it online at HopeScore.com.

Consider trying it as a team exercise, too. Discuss what stands out, where momentum is strong, and where it could grow. When hope is tracked and tended to, it thrives.