Resilient teams are built on Love.

Leading others is not easy…leading well, that is.

Of course, leading is easier when team members believe in what they are doing, when they believe in each other, and when they believe they can succeed. Leading becomes more difficult when team members are filled with doubt. When doubt creeps in, hope becomes a leader’s ideal weapon.

Hope circumvents doubt by appealing to the team’s motivations. Hope is not wishful thinking; rather, hope is goal-directed thinking grounded in reality. Hope taps into emotion to help reframe cognition, thereby inspiring others to see a way forward, to recognize the possibility of achieving a desired goal.

But how do you lead a team that has lost hope?

With love.

I see no other way to lead.

When the team cannot see its way forward, then it must look inward — team members must look to one another. A team built on love will gain strength from its inward focus, making it exceptionally resilient. The team may face dire circumstances wherein hope is in short supply, but teammates’ genuine love for one another gives them the courage and motivation to keep moving forward.

Teams that love are teams that last.