There is a lot going on in the world right now.
With global uncertainty, cost of living pressures and recession threats people are anxious about their jobs. Throw in the need to do more with less and the prevalence of burnout, teams are reactive and struggling to maintain momentum.
If you turn on the news, scroll through Instagram or hang out with those who are in fear, you might even believe that things are getting worse not better.
Even though we can get sucked up in the doom and gloom of what's going on outside of us (that we can't control), there is something quite compelling about leaders who can see through the darkness and find light at the end of the tunnel.
That's why Gallup's recent research gives me reassurance.
In their latest Global Insights on Leadership study, Gallup asked people in 52 countries to share three words that describe what positive leaders bring to their daily lives.
Hope stood out as the top need, mentioned by 56% of respondents. Trust was a distant second at 33%, while compassion (7%) and stability (4%) were much less common.
The study also found that people are especially likely to want hope from those leading organisations (64%), more so than from managers (59%) or colleagues (58%). Simply put, the more senior the leader, the more people look to them for hope and inspiration.
In my Integrated Trust Building System, I unpack how the brain needs to feel safe, connected and that there is a meaningful future for a team to work towards.
Often, when times get tough, we stay stuck in fear. We seek stability and focus on what we need to feel emotionally and physically safe. While that can have some impact, it's not enough on its own. We need to start feeling like we are supported by a group of people, that the work we are doing is meaningful and that there are career development and future opportunities available to us.
As Jim Harter, the Gallup researcher says, "When people have a concept of where they’re headed, that’s part of hope.”
Research has found that leaders who promote positive energy have a significant impact on innovation, organisational performance and employee satisfaction. This requires leaders who prioritise being positive and exuding an optimistic, upbeat energy in order to maintain enthusiasm in their team, even when things get difficult.
This entails holding a steadfast belief that challenges will be overcome, no matter the circumstances. It's about trusting that as a team, you will navigate obstacles and pave a way forward. Embracing the reality that setbacks will occur, yet refusing to let negative occurrences deter your progress.
Maintaining a mindset of positivity and hopefulness, you seek out the lessons in setbacks and use them to clarify your goals. It involves being open to questioning your assumptions with humility, and being willing to adapt and refine your approach when things don't go as planned.
Is it easy?
No, you have to work at it.
As human beings we struggle to feel good about ourselves. Our work. Our effort. We always feel that when things go wrong, we are being punished or that we aren't good enough. We have knee-jerk reactions that throw us into panic.
And that's where inspired optimism comes in.
Inspired optimism is when we view all conditions as beneficial. Changing circumstances, obstacles and moving targets are seen as opportunities to learn, adapt and grow.
Inspired optimism requires being willing to address both failure and success, rather than the typical leadership approach of favouring one over the other.
This is where we step into our power and believe that we have the ability to create the environment we seek. It's where we courageously (or you could even say outrageously) reclaim our agency and believe in possibilities, rather than impossibilities. Consequently, it generates high levels of psychological safety in our team, because our team members respond to our positive energy.
As a leader, one technique we can use to help our teams during uncertainty is based on "hope theory" developed by the late C.R. "Rick" Snyder. It is a three pillar formula that works perfectly with the Integrated Trust Building System.
Goals give people a sense of direction and help anchor them when the future feels uncertain. While we can’t control the external environment, we can control what we focus on, our reactions, the actions we take, and the dreams we pursue.
Hope starts with a clear picture of the destination. When leaders encourage their teams to imagine a positive future and define what success looks like, it sparks inspiration and optimism. But inspiration alone isn’t enough - we need to translate it into tangible, achievable goals that create momentum and a sense of progress.
Great leaders help their teams set goals that are both meaningful and realistic, aligned with the organisation’s vision while also reflecting individual aspirations. This clarity builds confidence, sharpens focus, and ensures that every step forward feels purposeful.
Agency thinking is about shifting from a victim mindset to standing strong in our personal sovereignty. It’s recognising the difference we make and how our work benefits others. Leaders play a critical role in communicating the why behind the work and showing how each moving part fits within the bigger organisational picture.
This means helping people understand their role and setting clear, achievable goals that lead to real change. It also involves guiding them to connect with a deeper sense of purpose in their work.
When people understand why their contribution matters, they can be trusted with the freedom to choose how they work. Allowing your reports to have both personal and work goals is important. This autonomy fuels motivation, responsibility, and a genuine commitment to doing the right thing.
Envisioning a powerful future that pulls people forward requires being able to see the present unencumbered by delusions.
Pathways thinking is the ability to see more than one way to reach the outcomes we want — and to believe that, no matter the barrier, there is always another route forward. Hope fades when we view challenges as dead ends.
Strong leaders help their teams reframe obstacles as opportunities to innovate and grow. This can mean exploring new strategies, providing resources, or creating learning opportunities that build the skills needed to progress. It’s also about fostering a problem-solving culture where roadblocks spark collaboration, brainstorming, and creative solutions — ensuring momentum is never lost.
To help people feel enthusiastic about the future, all three components need to be activated. It's the role of the leader to encourage people to have goals and that they are realistic for them. There also has to be some type of support system or pathway to help them when they get stuck or feel that they can't achieve.
While you can't create certainty, you can create a perception of certainty through putting in the right amount of effort and thinking to improve the current situation. Leadership must demonstrate they have considered the future through discussing their strategic plan together with how they are considering employees future as a workforce. Regularly sharing business plans, leadership thinking behind new initiatives and the proposed organisational structure reduces uncertainty.
After all, people love it when a leader has a big, exciting vision for the organisation. It generates enormous energy and pushes everyone forward. And it provides hope - exactly what people want from their leaders today.
When leaders set meaningful goals, inspire motivation, and create clear pathways forward, they give their teams something invaluable — hope. And hope is what fuels trust, engagement, and performance, even in uncertain times.
If you’re ready to turn these principles into action and lead with clarity, connection, and impact, the Tribe of Trusted Leaders will give you the tools, support, and community to make it happen.