Hope is not a method
I'm referencing the title from General Gordon R. Sullivan's 1996 book, "Hope is Not a Method." In it he talks about the transformation of the U.S. Army in the early 1990s where planning, not hoping was paramount. The concept still applies.
Indeed, hope is good. Without it what does a person or an organization have? I have hope or I'm hopeful for a lot of things, such as the growth of my business, but I know that I'll have to plan, not hope for that growth to happen. Consider this statement. "Boss, we are hopeful that this new product line will allow us to service our debt by the end of the 3rd quarter."
I gain little confidence from that statement. There is nothing in it which indicates a person or a team has done the work to ensure success. Of course there are no assurances with any plan but if hope is all that has been applied, the risk of failure can be great.
The method here is do the work. Make a plan. Execute the plan. Adapt the plan and mitigate the risk of failure so that the statement becomes, "Boss, this new product line will allow us to service our debt by the end of the 3rd quarter. Let me show you the plan."
Hope as the primary method is revealed by the language leaders use - weak words which do not demonstrate confidence (previous blog), I think, we might, or It's like. The method which supports confident language, I know, we will, it is, is planning, preparation, and risk mitigation. These things are done so that we don't have to rely only on hope.
What is it in your business which cannot rely on hope? Know that and demand that hope not be the method. Look for the plan and its risk assessment and the confident language which should accompany it. You cannot grow a flower in a parking lot on hope alone.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell