Hope is not a Strategy

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I hate the word "hope." It is passive, lacking action and direction, and noncommittal.  

One of my reps would Slack or text me during team forecast calls when anyone said, "I hope this deal closes this week, month, quarter …" He would parrot my words back to me – HOPE is not a strategy.  Ironically, this rep was a top performer, came prepared for every call, and if he weren't confident about the next steps of a deal, would boldly proclaim that it was not ready to be in the Best Case or Commit category.  He would ask for insight, help, and engagement.   He understood that I wanted him to be there to help develop the strategy to bring these opportunities to closure.    As an IC, a team lead, or a sales leader, I've always been ready to get in the trenches with my team.  

As such, I believe this to my core—HOPE is not a strategy.  In my years of leading sales, coaching sales teams, and even coaching volleyball, I've seen that simply wishing for success isn't enough to drive real results.  Relying on hope can leave you waiting for change rather than creating it.

Hope will not make you fit.  You cannot hope yourself to good health, fitness, and nutrition.  Hope will not strengthen a relationship.  You must leverage communication, compromise, listening skills, and understanding.   Hope will not get you the grades or the degree.  To grow and achieve, you must create a study schedule, invest in the coursework, attend class, and be open to criticism.   Hope will not allow a professional or competitive sports team to put points on the board.   These men and women put in hours of practice – individually and as a team.  

Success is built on deliberate planning, strategic execution, and relentless accountability. It's about setting clear, measurable objectives, using data to inform decisions, and continuously refining your approach.  The difference between companies that merely dream and those that achieve lies in their willingness to take decisive action—even when the path isn't clear.

Let's shift our focus from passive optimism to proactive leadership.  Instead of hoping for the best, let's build strategies that drive progress, measure our results, and adjust as needed.

That's the true path to sustainable success.