The Thing About Hope

Gary Burnison is CEO of Korn Ferry and the author of I Need a Job!

“Although you are an optimist… I am not. Maybe that is the thing about hope—the people who least have it are the people who most need it and wish they had it.”

These are the words an executive shared with me just the other day. It’s a sentiment that raises existential questions about the very nature of hope—who offers and receives it, and where can we elevate and embrace it? 

Hope is not a noun, but a verb—it’s willpower and purpose, not just a wish. Far more than something we simply feel, hope is what we can help create, especially for those who cannot find it on their own. 

This is also the essence of leadership—emotionally and sometimes literally helping everyone—from the optimist and the pessimist to the curious and the cautious—process and progress, from one place to another.

However, in order to lead others—whether it be those who are seeking or those who are merely subsisting—we must first lead the person we see in the mirror. After all, it is virtually impossible to transform a team or an organization without first transforming ourselves.

Along the way, hope is not so much of an end point, it’s the enduring spirit that inspires us to be more for others … as We Reflect, Reset, and Renew. 

We Reflect. Is it about you or is it about others? Leadership is not about you, but it starts with you. 

We Reset… toward an intentional mindset of service to others. 

We Are Renewed. We are never done, but are we committed to always evolving? Hope is our recharge—an infusion of resiliency. It’s not about yesterday or today, it’s about tomorrow.

Hope is not merely a lifeline—it is a life raft. It is tested not only in the extreme, but also in the mundane. 

Most of all, it is reflected through grace for others. Maybe that is, indeed, “the thing about hope.” And isn’t that what leadership is all about. 

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