You're wrapping up a strategy meeting with your colleagues. Their eyes light up, a palpable energy fills the room, and they rush to put their decisions into action, already exchanging ideas in the hallway about the next steps. The atmosphere is light, full of enthusiasm. You've just achieved one of the most essential aspects of leadership: instilling hope for the future.

If you lacked an optimistic vision beforehand, you would have struggled to convey hope. A beacon without light is useless, especially when others rely on it. It neither guides nor inspires. A leader without hope is like an unlit beacon—losing direction and leading their team astray.

So, do you consider yourself a cultivator of hope? Are you a guiding light, or a looming cloud sowing doubt among those around you?

In his book The Disoriented, Amin Maalouf reminds us that:

"It is better to be wrong in hope than to be right in despair.".