Hopeful Leadership Approaches

In her talk on hope and leadership, Melanie Cook discusses what it takes to lead in the digital age. Today's employee is empowered by the world wide web and global marketplace, but many feel their bosses aren't listening to them and leave. The speaker believes current leadership thinking needs to be more relevant to a changing world and workplace.

Instead of studying the past, she encourages leaders to listen to their workers now. Based on a poll, people want leaders who are decisive, expert and empathetic. This means bosses who collaborate with them by making decisions with them, not for them. Many leaders are too busy managing to share expertise. They give permission to fail rather than giving hope in failure. Hope is important because it allows people to see the possibilities of the future. People also want to be understood.

The talk on hope and leadership says those who give hope command double the loyalty and a productive, loyal and happy workforce has a positive effect on the bottom line.