April 8, 2002 Faith, Hope, and Love

Based on the title, you may be wondering if the following might be a sermon, or the characters of a new television sitcom. Hopefully, you will not be too disappointed that it is neither. Interestingly enough, over the years of working with people whom I consider to be very effective leaders, I have learned that these terms are indispensable parts of their leadership. Yes, even with some of the most intensely bottom line driven people I have ever come across.

Have you ever noticed that some ideas with rock solid business cases get shelved, while ironically, others that are at best on shaky ground move forward? In many situations, the decision ultimately comes down to a matter of faith. Faith in a particular person or group to carry out the decision. Faith that a yet undiscovered solution to a difficult problem will somehow soon be found. Faith that doing the right thing is the right thing to do. Key decisions are seldom based strictly on the numbers.

For example, some leaders believe that focusing on developing their people will produce a more profitable company, even when it is difficult to prove a direct and measurable return on that investment. There are also times when leaders will decide to act regardless of the economics, when deep down they know it is the only choice. Call it intuition, gut feel, experience or whatever, they are acting on faith.

Faith for many leaders often comes down to the level of trust and confidence they have in other people. It is never blind foolishness. JFK expressed faith in the people of our nation when, long before it was technically possible, he declared we would reach the moon. I have heard other business leaders remark that at times, they cannot explain exactly what their people are working on, but they know whatever it is, it will be great for the business. Compare that level of faith with the micro-manager who constantly scrutinizes each little move and needs an endless stream of status reports covering every detail.

Hope is the ultimate human fuel. These words from Common Cause founder, John Gardner, open our eyes to another tenet of effective leadership. Leaders give people hope about the future, and that hope generates high levels of enthusiasm, energy and commitment.

Hope is a powerful force, and it too is hard to quantify. Yet, in one case, researcher Charles Snyder found that the degree of hope held by first year college students was a greater predictor of college success than SAT scores. Hope gives people a reason to believe and to act. It strengthens the will needed to conquer the ongoing and difficult struggles of work and life.

Leaders know there is a big difference between providing hope and merely hoping for the best. Hard work and rigor will always outperform wishing. Having a burning belief that something special can be accomplished or that the future can be better has stimulated many people to do things never thought possible.

We have also learned a lot about the relationship between leadership and love. One of our favorite examples comes from a highly regarded leader in the US Army. When General John Stanford was asked the secret to success in becoming a great leader, he responded with the following simple words: Stay in Love.

As Stanford and countless others have discovered, leaders love their work, their people, the challenges, the opportunities. They have an endless amount of emotional excitement and passion about the things in which they are involved. They care deeply. And they frequently show it in the way they act.

Think about how different it feels when doing something you really love vs. something you don't. Love can drive people to accomplish some very, very extraordinary results. Although "loves his/her work" is seldom, if ever, found on performance measurement forms, it is one of the most common characteristics found among people who are consistently top performers. Leaders understand this, and work very hard to create environments where their people can more fully love what they do.

Leaders have the unenviable tasks of delivering today's demanding results while at the same time ensuring the achievement of tomorrow's. Although there are a number of measurable, rational and objective factors that impact success, never underestimate how vital the forces of faith, hope and love also are, in allowing these goals to be reached.

Reflection questions:

In what or whom do you have a lot of faith? How are you showing it? In what ways does this faith guide your decisions?

To what extent are you hopeful about the future? In what ways are you communicating that to the people with whom you work?

What aspects of your job do you really love or are passionate about? Do you know what parts of the work really light up each of your people? Do they believe you care?