What Gallup Got Wrong And Four Questions That Help You Get It Right

Gallup’s latest research confirms what we already know: People need hope from their leaders. No argument there. The report does a great job of breaking down the four key traits followers want—hope, trust, compassion, and stability. Solid insights.

But as I read through it, I couldn't help but think: What's left unsaid? Where's the fire behind these words? And what are we talking about when we say we need more "hope" in leadership?

Let's dig in. While the Gallup report highlights essential leadership principles, it skirts around the uncomfortable truths that separate transformational leaders from transactional ones.

Hope Is Not a Pep Talk

Gallup's research found that when leaders provide hope, people thrive. This increases engagement, boosts morale, and even reduces suffering. It makes sense.?

Achieving the extraordinary is never accomplished without the faith, hope, or belief that success is possible. But the way they frame hope feels too... polished.

Hope isn't just about making people feel good. It's not about standing in front of a team meeting and delivering an inspirational monologue like a low-budget TED Talk.?

Real hope is about taking action that creates a future people want to build together. It's about making bold moves and backing them up with excellence in execution. Hope without a strategy becomes wishful thinking.

A Bold Question:?Are you measuring hope or just assuming it exists? If hope drives performance, where's the evidence in your organization?

Trust: Earned, Not Assumed

Gallup ranks trust right behind hope as the second most essential leadership trait. Again, there is no argument. But trust isn't granted because of a role or title; it's earned currency. Leaders either accumulate trust or deplete it.

Trust is not built by transactionally hosting town halls, sending corporate memos, or giving people the right to submit feedback anonymously. You earn trust by making hard, and at times gut-wrenching, decisions no one else wants to make, standing by your values no matter the criticism, and—this part is key—owning your failures before your team does.

It's easy to be a leader when things are going well. But trust?is tested?and earned when the yogurt hits the fan, and you're not achieving your goals.

A Bold Question:?Are you listening to feedback about your impact as a?leader,?or just hearing what you want to hear? Great leaders seek dissent, not comfort.

Compassion Without Standards Is Weakness

The Gallup report mentions compassion as a top leadership trait. I get it—nobody wants to follow a dictator. A friend of mine, Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg in Reno, Nevada, once said, "Any time one person in a relationship doesn't feel cared for or about, the relationship dies." Caring for and about is compassion in action.

But here's the issue: Compassion without accountability is just enabling. Great leaders care deeply about their people—but they also challenge them to raise their standards, strive for something greater, and push to be better.

Compassion isn't about lowering the bar so people don't feel bad. It's about setting high standards and coaching people up to meet them. You don't inspire greatness by making excuses for mediocrity.

If your leadership style is all empathy with no expectations, you're not being compassionate—you're being ineffective.

A Bold Question:?Are you incentivizing and rewarding loyalty or effectiveness? Organizations fail when they promote and reward based on tenure, not performance.

Stability: The Most Underrated Competitive Edge

Of the four leadership traits Gallup highlights, stability ranks last. But in today's chaotic, AI-driven, post-pandemic world, stability is more valuable than ever. People don't just want stability—they crave it. And I'm not talking about keeping things status quo.

Stability isn't about resisting change; it's about creating an environment where people can operate at their best, even when everything around them pulls them down. The best leaders don't panic. They don't make erratic decisions. They set a rhythm, establish clarity, and provide the structure their teams need to focus, find flow, and flourish.?

A Bold Question:?Is your leadership scalable, or are you a bottleneck? If you stepped away for six months, would things improve or collapse?

The Bottom Line

Gallup's research is valuable—but it's not enough. Leadership isn't about dressing up our external life in the outfit of hope, trust, compassion, and stability. Transformational leaders do the difficult internal work of upgrading their talent, skill, and commitment to an environment where employees don't just take a job—they run toward an organization believing it is their best hope of doing their best work—yes, their very best work.

The real work of leadership happens when you finish reading this article. Do you have the courage to do your very best work and lead this way?