‘Hope’ is one of those words that means different things to different people. To some it has religious connotations. To others it’s a strong feeling that drives them to do greater things. Many think of hope as a wish for something they want to happen but for which they don’t feel in control of the outcome.

For me, hope is an essential part of who I am; it gets me up in the morning and keeps the fire burning all day. Hope is at the core of leadership.

This past weekend I had the privilege of participating in the World Hopecast, a 60 hour continuous webcast with five fabulous hosts: Dr. Paul Jenkins (a personal friend), Kim Giles, Don Hudson, Michelle McCullough and Dr. Russell Gaede. Between the five of them, and during the 60 hours, they interviewed more than 80 people on topics concerning many aspects hope.

The cool part about this event is that it set a new Guinness world record for the longest continuous webcast. The record, however, is perhaps the least ‘cool’ part of the event. The real value was the amazing people who shared amazing stories about hope.

On Friday afternoon I served for seven hours as a technical witness to the webcast. During those hours I heard inspiring stories from amazing people like Dan Clark (one of the top 10 speakers in the world), Brad Barton  and Ken Gallacher.

The World Hopecast had speakers and guests from all walks of life. Aaron Lindsay who did a solo trek to the South Pole. Bre Lasley who fought off a killer and saved her sister’s and her lives. Chris Williams who lost his wife and children after being hit by a drunk driver.

Every interview, every message was inspiring and drove home the importance of having hope as a core aspect of leadership.

Why is hope important to leadership? Hope provides complete confidence, optimism and enthusiasm for the work we’re doing. Hope propels us to push a little harder, to keep fighting, to persevere through the difficulties. Hope delivers the belief we need to keep working. Hope gives focus to the outcomes we desire.

If it isn’t already, make hope a key component of your leadership.

NOTE: All interviews from #worldhopecast will be available soon at http://www.worldhopecast.com. I highly recommend you take time to listen to these interviews and connect with the great people who participated.

Question: What does the word ‘hope’ mean to you? How has hope impacted your life? Please leave a comment below.

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The Product Management Perspective: When you’re working with products it’s important to let hope become a driver in your work. Having confidence in what you’re doing, optimism about the future of your products, and enthusiasm for the people you’re working with is fundamental to your success. Make hope a key component of your product management.