Everyone needs hope. In fact hope is one of the greatest energizers and motivators in life.  Most people want to know there is a future for them in their place of work. They want to know that greater possibilities exist. They want to know, not just that they will have a job tomorrow but that within the tomorrows that come they will see progress—that they are going somewhere with the organization they work for.

The best way to give them this hope and show them they have a future is to create a development pathway with each employee. Notice I said with. Collaborate with them, engage them with questions, and listen to them.

Most of us don’t go from A to Z in one jump. It’s a process.

Here is how to invest hope into your employees:

-spend time identifying and isolating their unique gifts and strengths.
-once you’ve gained clarity about their strengths, look at all the possible ways that strength can be used within your organization

-ask: what percentage of the time are their unique gifts being used in their present position? If it’s 25% or less, try to move them into a position immediately.
-if it’s 50% or more, look at more gradual transfers of responsibility. Your goal is to have each employee in positions in which their unique gifts are being used at least 80% of the time.

-put an estimated time frame around their pathway: in a year I can see you here, and in 5 years I can see you here, and so on.

This is a win-win with those who work with you. When someone knows what their good at, and when they know that you know, when they know you appreciate what they have to offer the organization, and when they know that you are committed to maximizing their strengths, today and in the years to come, they have hope.

Their hope today is the lifeblood is the organization tomorrow.

If you want to know more about how to maximize your employees as a Servant Leader you can read about it in my book: Leadership Qualities People Crave, here on my website.