Fear and Hope

In the process of crafting a strategic plan or framework, every organization I work with does some level of discovery – a collection of data and perspectives to better inform those who will ultimately translate those inputs into a clear direction. Time and again I see a question entering into the discovery process that appears to be only one side of the coin:

What keeps you up at night?

Now this question is certainly helpful. It can be applied in a number of ways – what is keeping someone up at night about their industry? About their organization? Even about society or their own professional journey. As Ford said, if we had asked the customer what they wanted prior to the invention of the automobile, they would have said a faster horse. This question can help identify critical pain points so an organization can align resources to create innovative and impactful solutions – including ones that may have not yet occurred to the membership.

Yet, there is a fault in asking this question alone. Inherent within the query is a baseline of fear. What are you afraid of? What is the monster in the closet; the boogeyman that doesn’t let you be in a place of calm. Certainly, an organization who can serve as a provider of safety, security, and solution in the face of fear is still providing meaningful value. But, is that really where we want as the sole identity of our organizations?

We live in a world focused on fear and crisis. Every headline is a moment of doom or despair driving our heartrates up and driving clickthrough traffic for those producing the headlines. As my son says, “I wish we could drop the word ‘unprecedented’ from our vocabulary.” When we live in an age where EVERYTHING is unprecedented, what needs to change is our reliance on the assumption of precedent.

I don’t know about you – but I am EXHAUSTED by being driven to fear and of being fed headlines of despair. I don’t mean to suggest adopting the ostrich philosophy where your head is in the sand. I want to question – in the very identity of our organizations – is this the culture we want to embody and propagate? I think we can be so much more.

Organizations who try to focus on the potential, on the positive ask another question:

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

This question, focused on where you are finding hope, energy, and excitement flips the value of the association on its head. This question also drives to possibility. In this case the possibility the community sees in itself. In this realm, the envisioned future and the corollary priorities are ones where leaders can champion a cause of building a better tomorrow, one that is brighter, one that we would be proud for our children to inherit. The element of aspiration – of hope – is critical.

As we head into the new year, the chapter for 2025 is not yet written. Right now, we have the ability to shape the tenor of conversations, our communications, and our invitations. Are we asking our community to join us on the battlefront of defending against the world of fear and threat? Or do we invite them to find light and expand the impact and story of mission, brightening our industries and community?

While we can’t, and shouldn’t, ignore fear – it is hope that will build community, a reputation of positive energy, and be the message many will be excited to communicate. When our organizations become champions of a better tomorrow, they become beacons drawing in many who are seeking light. ?