I Call It Hope

Fear is ultimately a poor motivator.  Fear causes resentment.  Fear causes hostility.  Fear erodes loyalty.  Fear erodes trust.  Fear promotes selfishness.  Fear promotes greed.  Fear destroys creativity.  Fear destroys hope.

And I have come to learn that hope is one of the most powerful motivators.

Hope leads to affection.  Hope leads to kindness.  Hope builds loyalty.  Hope builds trust.  Hope soothes selfishness.  Hope soothes greed.  Hope nourishes creativity.  Hope destroys fear.

Without hope, the human spirit withers.  Without hope, we cannot thrive.  Instead, we merely exist in the shadow of what could be.  Shadows are cold, dark places.

If the intent is to draw from others that which lies dormant, to tap the hidden potential, then hope cannot be extinguished.  And false hope cannot be sustained.  You can lead someone along for only so long.  Lies reveal themselves.  They demoralize others…and hope is lost.

We must live with the truth and with the very real possibility that every last person in an organization (in any population, really) can rise up to meet any bar that is raised.  What then?  How do you forcibly apply a statistical distribution without tearing at the fabric of everything that they have created on their own?  You don’t.  You can’t.  Without the right foundation, everything crumbles.

Naivete?  Stupidity?  Idealistic self-delusion?

No.  I call it hope.