“Hope” is an interesting word for a leader to focus on. From my background, I can tell you a lot of military leaders would put you down for using such a word; especially if you say something like “I did this and hopefully it will work.” The usual response is “Hope is not a strategy.” Hillary Clinton even used this exact phrase against General John Abizaid in a Senate briefing on Iraq; his response, “Senator, I agree with you – and I would also say that despair is not a method.”

Hope does not have to be blind and empty or absent strategy and plans. Hope is rooted in belief. Hope is a feeling. Hope is what can propel someone to action – and action is the requirement for any accomplishment. Without hope, you have despair. Without hope, you give up – quit. Sometime you may fail, but if you maintain hope, you can learn from the failure and work toward accomplishment.

One of the greatest military minds, Napoleon I of France (Napoleon Bonaparte) used the word hope and any leader would be hard-pressed to put him down for it.

Leadership quote from Napoleon Bonaparte:
“A leader is a dealer in hope.”

Barack Obama also focuses on the message of change (“Change you can believe in”), but that’s for another time.

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