In a leadership meeting I was providing a status update to the team and meekly stated, “we hope to be done by…..” My boss stopped the meeting and gently told me, “Hope is not a strategy.”
These words rang true that day and continue to do so today. I had not taken the time to dot all my i’s and cross all my t’s prior to the meeting. I had not given the team a plan so we could execute it and achieve a successful outcome. My best plan was hope.
I learned to never commit to something on the foundation of hope. If I was going to commit I needed to put in the work beforehand, put people in a position to be successful and manage whatever risks were in the way. Hope would no longer be for me. Planning and action were my new strategies.
The next time you or someone else offers you hope, think about it and consider if it can really be achieved.
Lead with Belief 