Instill Hope

The drive to Iowa from my home in the Twin Cities passes right by a great message from the highway department.

Hope – 1 Mile

Not sure if it means that you will feel hopeful in one mile after leaving your cares behind while on an excursion or if it means you will feel hopeful returning home to a comfortable place.  Regardless, hope is nearby.

We have a tendency to gravitate toward hope.  We don’t want to be in situations that appear hopeless.    We tend to give of our time and money to organizations and causes that provide hope.  The Gallup Organization says it's one of the top four characteristics of leaders we want to follow.  Having hope provides an entire different perspective.

I am blessed to work for an organization that creates hope on a daily basis.  I am part of a team at the YMCA that facilitates hope in a variety of situations in a variety of ways.

• A student who was told he wouldn’t be successful will become the first in his family to graduate from college because of an encounter with a mentor
• A parent reeling after their child is murdered received encouragement and support from a lifeguard in just the right place at the right time
• A single dad in the midst of a custody battle finding a chance to regroup and connect with his kids while losing weight and lowering health risks
• A young teen girl caught up in cutting having a chance to learn leadership, invest in others, and have fun has her hope restored for a better future.
• A 71 year old woman who loses part of her lung to cancer improves her strength and endurance so that she is able to enjoy life again.

How do you create an organization that instills hope?

• Recruit a team that is cause driven and motivated by making a difference.  Ask for examples of how they made a difference when you are looking for a new team member.  
• Align passions of the organization and team.  Jobs drain life...mission inspires life.
• Tell real life stories of the hope given through purposeful actions.  People remember stories and repeat them.  Tie success to stories.
• Give opportunities to make a difference to all levels of the organization - office staff and front line staff alike. Let them see the faces of those regaining hope.
• Stay connected to hope as a leader.  Know that God’s message in Jeremiah 29:11 is meant to instill hope - “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Like a previous blog post (HERE) - you have been given a gift to benefit others and instill hope.  Model what you want others to do.

Lighting the Next Candle

Christmas Eve.  The day brings lots of memories, celebrations, and traditions.  Hopefully, it is still fresh with positive memories as we start the year.

A tradition in our church – and many others around the world – involves lighting candles.  Everyone walking into the sanctuary receives an unlit candle as they walk in.  At the close, the room is darkened and several people walk the aisles touching their lit candle to first one in aisle.  They in turn light the candle of the person next to them and the step is repeated numerous times until the entire room is aglow symbolizing what Jesus's birth meant for the world.

The candle that starts it all off doesn’t lose any of it glow.  It didn’t shorten the time it stayed lit. It didn’t go out.  What did happen was that an entire room was lit with other candles capable of igniting another. 

This is also what happens when leaders look outward.  They look to build a sustainable future that it is not dependent on them.  They look to create others capable of igniting the vision and passion of another.  They know the room will be brighter because they shared their vision in a way that inspires others to action and empowers them to bring it to reality.  They share of themselves to make a difference.

As you start the new year, what are the skills, vision, knowledge and expertise you will pass on to key people in your organization?  Who are the people you want to ignite and inspire to make a difference?