What a year this has been. Collectively we have been facing multiple inter-related challenges personally, in our workplaces, and in our communities. And yet I think most of us could now say that we seem to be turning a corner and there are glimmers of hope on the horizon.
We all know intuitively that hope can get us through tough times. In the workplace, hope has been correlated with increased engagement, higher performance, and less job stress. But how do we bring the lofty concept of hope down into our daily lives to operationalize it in our workplaces? Beyond wishfulness, positivity, and encouragement how do we actively build and sustain hope in ourselves and in our teams?
Our new topic “Hope at Work” by Professor Peter Williams explores how to harness the power of hope to create tangible pathways to our goals. Professor Williams was inspired to write this topic after attending some of our open virtual CoachingOurselves sessions that we provided to support our CoachingOurselves community at the onset of the pandemic.
Here is an excerpt from Hope at Work:
Your visions of the future can impact your present if those visions excite you enough that you choose to pursue them. That’s when visions of the future become hope. In this topic, you will consider the concept of hope as something actionable, that can drive behaviour (of a person or a team), and that can be nurtured to enhance engagement and performance.
The capacity to be hopeful and to generate hope in others is an important leadership skill. This topic challenges you to think about how you will lift yourself up through hope and how you will take practical actions to harness the energy of hope in your workplace.
The goals for this session are to:
- Understand how we can be more hopeful at work;
- Explore a few ways hope can motivate people;
- Discuss ways to help our teams be more hopeful.
Peter Williams, PhD, teaches applied research and human research development to educational leaders at Texas A&M Commerce. He has coached managers and leaders (since 2009 mainly through doctoral academic programs) in their use of evidence-based practices. He researches how adults learn, work, and thrive in technology mediated environments, focusing on spirituality and the nature of social support. He believes we can create hospitable, productive social spaces that allow organizations and individuals to flourish.
CoachingOurselves Peer Learning “Hope at Work” w. Peter Williams on February 17th
The “Hope at Work” public session was on February 17th. Practicing managers, leaders, and HR professionals from around the globe alongside Peter Williams experienced the topic for the first time!
