What if hope is a strategy?

"We've long misunderstood hope in the workplace. We've treated it as wishful thinking-a nice-to-have feeling that emerges when things are going well. But research from psychologist C.R. Snyder reveals something far more powerful: Hope is a cognitive process with three essential components: goals (what we want to achieve), pathways (our ability to identify routes to those goals), and agency (our belief that we can pursue those paths). This isn't passive optimism; it's an active strategy for navigating uncertainty and driving meaningful change."

"After my own experience with burnout, I discovered that hope isn't what you turn to after strength fails-hope is the strength we've been looking for all along. It's not the light at the end of the tunnel; it's the torch we need to lead others through it. And when organizations embed hope into their leadership practices and culture, they unlock something remarkable: the capacity to transform not just how people feel about work, but what they can actually accomplish together."

Hope functions as an active, learnable cognitive process consisting of clear goals, identified pathways to those goals, and a belief in one’s capacity to pursue them. Hope differs from passive optimism by providing actionable strategies for navigating uncertainty and driving meaningful change. Hope serves as a source of strength in recovery from burnout and as an enabling force for leadership that guides others. Embedding hope into leadership practices and organizational culture increases well-being, collective capability, and productive outcomes. Organizations can foster hope by prioritizing employee health, skill development, purpose, and belonging.

Read at Fast Company