Hope Is in the Air
Driving down the highway on a sun splashed early April Sunday on the way from Lynchburg, VA to Myrtle Beach, SC, I was reminded how much I love this time of the year. During the drive, I tuned in to my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates who were trying to take an early season series from the visiting Chicago White Sox. When I purchased a new vehicle last year after driving my old Ford Explorer about as hard as one can, I decided to get the subscription to Sirius radio and receive access to all the games on my travels. So far, I have not been disappointed.
It’s about 335 miles door to door for me on this trip which I make as much as I can and on this particular journey, I marveled at how the light green leaves on the trees got thicker the farther South I went.
As the innings of the game went on, the sun coming through the glass getting warmer and the trees became more full, a sense of hope rushed over me. It’s difficult to explain the feeling however at that very moment and in light of all the personal and work-related stress that I and most of us endure, I was so very hopeful. Hopeful of nothing in particular, just hopeful. As the game ended, I put my travel tunes back on and began to reflect on this moment. What was making me feel so refreshed and hopeful and how do I maintain it? I broke down the things going through my mind for the last couple of hours and I realized how thankful I am for the special people and other things in my life. I also recognized that my challenges are presenting wonderful opportunities to enhance my own leadership skills and to intentionally give thanks more.
But the real takeaway was how the arrival of spring had renewed my season of hope and how it felt to be on the receiving end of something nice. Afterall, without hope, what do we have?
Coming out of the pandemic, dealing with the soaring cost of living increases and workforce shortages, a leader’s single most important quality at this time is to inspire hope. It’s not easy, especially when leaders themselves are trying to understand and cope with the new norm. You have to find the time to refresh and give thanks in what it gives you. You then have to gain an understanding how to inspire that hope in others. What’s your mission, vision and values? Is it clear to those you lead? Know this, if it’s not clear to them then it’s not clear to you.
As of this writing, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in second place, the sun is shining and I am preparing for a challenging yet exciting executive leadership retreat. We will retain the original theme for the event however it will now be highlighted as a new beginning in a season of hope and inspiration. The pursuit to remain an employer of choice never ends – it isn’t supposed to.