How Leaders Can Instill Hope In Their Teams

Many workers today feel despairing and hopeless, with younger employees, in particular, likely to be suffering from negative mental health. Research by U.K. think tank Resolution Foundation found that 34% of British people aged 18-24 reported symptoms of conditions like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder in 2021-22, up from 24% in 2000.

These findings are backed up by a study of more than 4,000 employees in the U.K. and continental Europe by global workplace wellbeing provider Champion Health. This study found that 40% of young people aged between 16 and 24 are experiencing clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety.

It’s not just young people who are struggling, however. Champion Health’s research also found that, overall, more than half (53%) of workers are feeling down, depressed or hopeless. Nearly two in five (38%) are experiencing negative stress in the workplace while financial worries are the leading cause of stress outside work.

So, given the overwhelming pessimism that prevails among the workforce today, what can leaders do to instill hope?

1. Genuinely listen to employees

Marcus Wylie, head of culture at learning and development company Insights, believes that leaders who want to build hope should try to be genuinely aware of their employees’ preferences, needs, hopes and values, as well as their strengths and challenges. This means listening to employees with genuine curiosity and intentionality. Wylie explains: “It’s the difference between asking ‘How are you?’ and ‘How does it feel to be you today?’ and listening to the answer without expectations, judgements or assumptions.”

Wylie adds that leaders also need to ensure that they understand their own personal strengths and potential weaknesses, as well as how they’re perceived by their colleagues, so that they can galvanize their teams in a positive direction.

2. Nurture a sense of meaning

“As the Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl discovered, even in the direst of circumstances, people seek out meaning and purpose in life,” says Amy Bradley, adjunct professor of leadership and management at business school Hult Ashridge. “When something is meaningful, it helps us to answer the question ‘Why am I here?’ Amid the cost-of-living crisis and general world instability, it is important that employees are able to foster meaning in their work, as it is meaning that also brings hope to the day to day.”

Research shows that meaning is important to employees, with many ranking it higher than pay. Despite this, leaders often overlook opportunities to nurture an ecosystem of meaning. Bradley therefore suggests that leaders should intentionally and regularly make space for conversations around a broader sense of meaning and purpose.

“By affirming that purpose can come from family, friends, community, leisure, voluntary or spiritual activities and not just from work, employees feel more positive,” she says. “Being able to find meaning in the day to day, be it through good quality connections, working together and feeling supported, having ways to express our full potential, or making a difference to the community or planet, can help to move employees forward and facilitate higher engagement and performance.”

3. Rethink the way you handle disputes

“The rising tide of conflict, complaints and concerns that we are seeing in our workplaces is contributing to high levels of anxiety and depression,” says David Liddle, CEO and chief consultant at mediation provider The TCM Group and author of Managing Conflict. “When people are spending their working days in toxic cultures, where incivility, bullying, harassment and discrimination are rife, it has a huge impact on both their physical and mental health.”

Liddle highlights that leaders and managers play a critical role in creating the happy, healthy and harmonious workplaces that lead to engaged employees and high performance. He describes their actions, interactions and reactions as the ‘AIR’ they breathe out, which others then breathe in. Through AIR, they set the tone for behaviors and provide a “script” for the way that people communicate and work together.

Leaders also need to rethink how disputes and disagreements are tackled in their organization, Liddle suggests. For example, they could try to take a more compassionate, collaborative route to resolving issues, such as facilitated conversations and mediation, rather than relying on traditional disciplinary and grievance policies that tend to be retributive in nature, and encourage right/wrong, defend/attack and win/lose mindsets.

4. Lead by example

Leaders foster hope by demonstrating that economic growth can coincide with environmental sustainability and societal transformation, according to Professor Vinciane Servantie, vice dean of academic affairs at Universidad De Los Andes School of Management in Colombia and CEMS program leader. This, she says, is achieved “through building a community united by the company’s purpose, offering products and services that hold meaning and purpose”.

Servantie argues that to tackle employee disengagement, leaders should “lead and inspire by example, showing that belief in change is possible, even in difficult times”. She says: “They should also remain steadfast in purpose and prioritize the growth of individuals over the growth of companies. Finally, communication and transparency in leadership are fundamental. Clear and open communication channels between leaders and employees can significantly impact morale, trust, and overall engagement within an organization.”