Hope IS a strategy

Psychologist C. R. Snyder spent much of his career studying hope. In 1991, he introduced what became known as Hope Theory, proposing that hope isn't simply an emotion or an optimistic outlook. It's a cognitive and motivational process that helps us move towards meaningful goals.

And it has three components.

Goals: Where do I want to go?

Hope begins with having something worth pursuing. A goal that matters enough to invest our attention, energy and effort. Maybe a grand ambition. or perhaps something simpler like getting through a difficult conversation, rebuild a relationship or make tomorrow a little better than today.

Pathways: How might I get there?

This is where hope becomes particularly interesting. Snyder suggested that hopeful people don't simply believe they'll succeed. They believe they can find ways forward.

Notice the plural. Ways.

When one route is blocked, they look for another. They explore alternatives, experiment and adapt. Hope requires a willingness and perceived ability to find a route forward.

Agency: Can I keep moving?

Having a goal and identifying possible pathways isn't enough if we don't believe we can act.

Agency is the motivational component of hope. The sense that we can initiate action, sustain effort and keep going when things become difficult. And here's where the three elements become particularly powerful. Progress strengthens agency. Agency encourages us to explore new pathways. New pathways make our goals feel more achievable. A potentially virtuous cycle.

What does this mean for leadership and coaching?

Think about someone in your team who's struggling. You could tell them to be positive. You could offer reassurance that things will work out. You could even give them a detailed action plan.

OR you could help them clarify what they want to achieve, explore several different ways of getting there, and identify a first step they believe they can take.

In doing so, you're not simply making them feel better. You're helping them develop the ingredients of hope. And importantly, you're not doing the thinking for them.

As a coach, I find this distinction particularly useful. There are times when a client can clearly articulate what they want but cannot see a way forward. At other times, they can generate plenty of options but seem unable to take action. Hope Theory gives us a way of exploring what's missing without assuming that motivation is always the problem.

Hope isn't a guarantee

Of course, there's a caveat. Having hope doesn't guarantee success. Circumstances, resources matter. Other people matter. And some obstacles cannot be overcome simply through determination or creative thinking.

BUT research has associated higher levels of hope with better performance, well-being and coping, although much of that evidence is correlational rather than proof of causation.

Back to the title... A strategy involves deciding where we're going, identifying how we might get there, and committing ourselves to action. It also involves adapting when reality refuses to cooperate with our plans.

That sounds remarkably similar to Snyder's three components of hope. So the next time someone declares, "Hope is not a strategy," perhaps it's worth asking what they mean by hope.

Because hope without goals, pathways and agency may well be wishful thinking.

But hope with all three? That looks rather like a strategy to me.

Practical ideas for curious humans.