“Miracle on 34th Street” is a charming holiday movie centered on themes of hope and belief. The movie follows Kris Kringle, who becomes the Santa at a large department store before eventually claiming he’s the real Santa Claus. This assertion leads to questions about his mental health and a court case proving he may in fact be Santa Claus.
But hope and belief aren’t sappy concepts relegated to feel-good holiday films. They are real considerations for your financial industry leadership training. Like many of the characters in the holiday classic, your team needs hope. They need you to give them hope.
What Teams Want
A 2025 Gallup report found people most wanted four key things from leaders: hope, trust, compassion and stability. Out of those four traits, hope was by far the most desired. 56% of survey responses mentioned hope and 64% of people wanted to see hope from organizational leaders.
The report shows people don’t merely want to get stuff done. They want to be inspired, to work joyfully. It also reveals that the workplace (and your leadership in it) can be a welcome relief from outside stressors if done right.
Hope in Practice
But how do you instill hope in others? It’s easy enough to say people want hope…it’s harder to understand how to deliver it. Here are a few ways to put hope into practice:
- Hope is honest. You’ve heard the term “false hope.” Well, hope that’s false is hardly hope at all. True hope is positive but not blindly optimistic. You can’t be a Pollyanna, but you also can’t sink your team’s spirits. Present realistic positivity to your team.
- Hope has principles. Inspiring hope means sticking by your principles in good times or bad. You must continue to espouse brand values, continue to serve consumers well and continue to give back to the team (even if those returns are small).
- Hope is relational. As a leader, people look up to you. They believe you have wisdom and experience…and you do have those things (whether you believe that about yourself or not). Don’t be afraid to get to know your team, offer your wisdom and build relationships. Feeling known inspires hope. A transactional job does not.
Hope in Financial Industry Leadership Training
What about your future leaders? How do you train them to instill hope when they take the reins someday? It takes a combination of education and practice. Leadership training can help build these soft skills that purely technical training doesn’t teach.
Here are a few areas where inspiring hope bubbles up:
- Leading Through Change: People hate big transitions. Guiding your team through a change will require the ability to rally and galvanize beleaguered teams.
- Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and controlling your emotions and reactions has never been more important. Find ways to turn weaknesses into potential positives. Manage stress to avoid discouraging your team. Employ empathy.
- Strategy and Vision: Your strategy fails without everyone rowing in the same direction. Convey a clear vision that involves everyone in its completion. Idleness breeds discontent, so make sure everyone has an important part to play!
Make hope a part of your team members’ lives every day. Book a free consultation today, and get a financial industry leadership training program that will prepare your leaders to create a thriving organization.
