Hopeful - The 5 Hope Fillers (Part 1)

In the last BLOG entry we looked at Hopelessness and the 5 Hope Killers. Just to summarize – beware, they’ll literally SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF YOU! Hopefully you were able to identify with them and draw some conclusions. So let’s go! Let’s kick these nasty, little leaches to the curb and focus on how to move forward and get FILLED with hope. That’s right, it’s time for the 5 Hope Fillers.

Filler Leadership
Killer Leadership and Filler Leadership couldn’t be any different. Filler Leaders engage both their own hearts and the hearts of others (I know talking about emotions is dangerous and I may lose a few of you, but come on for the ride. It’ll be fun.). This brings us back to John Maxwell’s Law of Connection. He says, “You’ve got to touch a heart before you can ask for a hand.” Guess what? He’s completely right. When you connect with people at the heart level you build trust and GENERATE HOPE!

Filler Leaders relentlessly cast vision because they know that an often, well-communicated vision fills people with hope. The crew must understand where they’re going, the benefits of the sacrifice needed for the journey, the direction you plan to take, and how you plan to get to the final destination. People want to be part of something special that makes a difference. Your vision must pinpoint that difference.

Small wins are big. One of the things I’ve been told I am known for in my organization is celebrating wins. When something great happens – large or small, we celebrate it. That positive energy builds momentum and in the words of Jim Collins (author of Good to Great) “makes the flywheel spin faster and faster.” Don’t miss out on those little opportunities to make a big deposit of hope.

Some decisions are easier than others, but it is the tough ones that are made timely and courageously that electrify hope in your team. Many times those tough decisions center on your staff and overall performance management. Your top performers know who is invested and dedicated to your team’s success and who’s not. You make the tough staffing decisions to grow and move forward. The first day leading my team I interviewed each person and one of the questions I asked was, “If you could make one change, what would it be?” Anyone want to guess what I found? Yes, you in the back! That’s right; each person said they would get rid of someone else. No one said anything about money, status, hours, or perks. The problem was that their former leader struggled with making the tough decisions in order to grow.

The bottom line is it’s either them or you – that’s what one of my mentors told me years ago. You either make choices that benefit you understanding that those decisions also must be good for the business. The moment you make decisions solely based upon peoples’ desires – you’re dead. You can’t make everyone happy. Good people want you to make good decisions. Therefore when you do belly up to the bar and terminate a mediocre performer no one on your team should be surprised.


I’m sure you’ve heard the old proverb, “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime". Filler Leaders teach their crews how to fish. These rock stars are relentless about developing and equipping those around them. What typically gets lost in the process and doesn’t get a lot of press are the feelings of the student. The learner develops a true appreciation, connection, and deep hope because of the Filler Leader’s investment in them. Wouldn’t you feel more hopeful if you had someone pouring themselves into you?


We’ll hit the other 4 Hope Fillers in Part 2, but I want to be clear that working for Filler Leaders who generate hope make you feel like the sky’s the limit and nothing is impossible. Hopefully you either work for a leader with some or maybe all of these qualities or you ARE the leader with some or all of these qualities. Either way, hope is out there. Go make it happen and fill up!