January 15, 2026

Hope is critical for everyone in today’s V.U.C.A.world   In last Thursday’s Leadership Insight, we shared that hope is vital for all humans, and that humans make up all organizations, from Cub Scout groups to multinationals. In any organization, building hope starts with leadership. The concept that hope is powerful hinges on reframing two insights about hope. First, leaders need to reframe what hope is.

Hope needs to be reframed from wishful thinking to a leadership mindset and a pathway for actionable practices. One way forward is for leaders to reframe hope using the acronym H.O.P.E. to guide practice.

H – Helping

O – Ourselves and Others’

P – Perceptions, Perspective, and  Picture moving forward

E – Empathically Encouraging.

The second, and probably most crucial, reframing of hope begins with the leader first developing H.O.P.E. in themselves and in how they view their organization, the people they lead, and their picture of the world moving forward. They can develop strategies and practices to share H.O.P.E.

We have all seen this in real life. Do you fly? What does the flight attendant say in the preflight instructions to do in the event the cabin loses air? “In Case of an emergency, airbags will drop down, and the adult in charge should attach it to their face first, then to the children ( or husband )they are supervising. No matter the humor, mostly on Southwest, the truth is we want clear-headed leaders first in an emergency.

Leaders must first have H.O.P.E. John Maxwell often says that a leader cannot give what they do not have.

 McKinsey’s studies of an inside-out leadership journey show that when leaders cultivate inner growth, they are better able to unleash the potential of individuals, teams, and systems.

This Thursday’s Leadership Insight describes five leadership practices and several strategies  a leader can apply in their practice of using H.O.P.E. to build or possibly restore hope for those they lead and serve

Leadership in 2026 is about creating work cultures grounded in H.O.P.E. and built on Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Adaptability.

 Once leaders cultivate H.O.P.E. internally, they can more credibly and consistently extend it to others in human-centric, practical ways. Here are five practices.

1. Reframe the meaning of V.U.C.A. from volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous to Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Adaptability, as described by futurist Bob Johansen in The New Leadership Literacies.

2. Build a Vision of hope and Understanding, a picture by shaping perceptions through transparent behavior and hopeful storytelling.

Hope is not a denial of challenges and changes. Hope is being honest about reality while insisting on the possibility of a better future. Remember the Stockdale Paradox. Research on trust and resilience shows that leaders who are open about challenges and share candidly build stronger, more resilient teams.

Strategies:

• Use “truth plus trajectory” communication. In his book The Future Begins With Z, Dr. Tim Elmore advocates that, in all difficult discussions, begin by clearly stating the difficulty, then articulating where the team is headed, the vision moving forward, and why it is worth it.
• Frequently tell real -life stories of people in the organization who are learning, adapting, and innovating in turbulent times, reinforcing a narrative of agency and growth.Share real-life stories, such as Ford’s recovery under Alan Mulally’s leadership. In  2006, Ford was losing about $12–17 billion a year, hemorrhaging cash, and widely expected to follow GM and Chrysler into government-backed bankruptcy during the 2008–09 crisis. Mulally stepped in from Boeing, knowing the company was “on the verge of bankruptcy” and that employees were demoralized and fearful about the future. Mulally’s hope was not wishful thinking; it was grounded in a transparent plan and consistent behaviors that signaled “It will be OK” because of what leaders were doing together. By repeatedly saying, in essence, “We’re in this together, we have a plan, and it’s going to be OK,” he turned anxiety into shared responsibility and collective courage.

3. Leaders develop understanding and clarity during turbulence with constant clarity in all communications and understanding the power of repetition. Patrick Lencioni writes in The Motive of the CEO,  being the chief repeating officer

Blanchard’s 2026 Leadership Trends study reinforces the importance of clarity, noting that organizations are facing constant transformation, talent challenges, and technological disruption, and leadership in developing clarity is a key differentiator. In this environment, leaders become anchors through clear communication, steady direction, and intentional support.

Strategy

These leaders communicate what is known, what is not yet known, and what you are doing to find out, reducing anxiety and rumor-driven narratives.

• Translate complex change into a few understandable priorities and next steps so teams know where to focus.

4. Leaders use H.O.P.E. to develop an adaptive learning culture that focuses on investment in resilience and well-being, together with intentional leadership development.

Current workforce and HR/L&D trends highlight burnout, workload pressures, and dissatisfaction with leadership as significant risks, while also showing that organizations that embed well-being and resilience perform better under uncertainty. Lorna Weston-Smyth’s resilience work, noted in last week’s article, underscores the role of leaders in modeling and embedding resilience as a core cultural value.

Strategies:

• Normalize conversations about stress, energy, and boundaries; acknowledge human limits while still calling people to meaningful contribution.
• Build team rituals that support resilience: recovery pauses in intense seasons, learning reviews after challenging projects, and recognition and celebration of small wins.

5. Practice empathic, encouraging leadership daily to connect and engage with those you lead. McKinsey’s Human‑Centric Leadership Studies emphasize humility, vulnerability, and empowerment as core behaviors of effective leaders in uncertain environments. Blanchard’s work adds that leaders should treat every exchange as a chance to deepen connection, build trust, and foster relationships, turning uncertainty into engagement and expanded learning opportunities.

Strategies:

• Schedule frequent 1:1s, spend time on the person before the project. Ask first how they are doing, what they are experiencing, and what support they need.
• Offer specific, strength-based encouragement that connects people’s efforts to purpose and impact, reinforcing that they matter and that they are making a difference.
•   Develop new leaders by providing intentional leadership development grounded in the inside-out growth of core values, mindset, purpose, motivation, and capacities, in the context of the time. Blanchard’s 2026 trends reinforce the importance of leadership development, especially in soft skills for frontline and midlevel leaders, as a top strategic priority, not a “nice to have skill.”

Strategies:

• Shift development from event-based programs to ongoing, behavior-focused coaching that builds humility, resilience, and authentic influence, and communication skills.
• Create psychologically safe spaces for your people to think, experiment, and learn, “high-quality spaces” where they can wrestle with complex decisions and practice new skills.

In the words of John Maxwell, it is the leader’s job to “hold hope high,” and in 2026, that may be the most defining leadership differentiator of all. Leadership in 2026 is about creating work cultures grounded in H.O.P.E. and built on Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Adaptability. These cultures create connection, engagement, and learning. In these turbulent times, leaders are not merely managing change; they are shaping the emotional climate in which people experience that change. This is difficult but doable with the inside-outside development of leadership Core and Capacities in this Context. When leaders choose to commit to H.O.P.E., Helping Ourselves and Others’ Perceptions, Perspectives, and Pictures, Empathetically and encouragingly, they become the kind of inside-out, human-centric leaders that all organizations desperately need.

The Leadership Question for you then is ;

1.        Will you choose to use a framework of H.O.P.E. to create a culture of vision, understanding, and adaptability?