Hope
Author: Sandy Thompson, LEAD CEO
At our LEAD/GROW Hui last month LEAD and GROW bought 80 community and not for profit leaders together to explore leading organisations in the current context.
Garth Nowland-Foreman opened the day with a reflection on what it means to “start with hope” in the midst of complexity and challenge. His kōrero set the tone for the gathering by reminding us that hope is not wishful thinking, but a disciplined leadership practice grounded in purpose, courage, and action. The following draws from his opening presentation.
Starting with Hope: A Leadership Practice for Our Times
For community-organisation leaders, hope isn’t a nice extra, it’s essential. Every day, leaders across Aotearoa are navigating challenges that feel bigger than their resources, heavier than their teams, and more complex than any one organisation can hold. Funding uncertainty, climate impacts, community need, policy shifts, and the sheer emotional load of showing up for people and it’s a lot.
And yet, community leaders keep going. That persistence isn’t driven by optimism; it’s driven by hope.
Hope begins with purpose, not positivity
Alan Kaplan’s work reminds us that strong organisations don’t survive because they have the most money or the best systems. Those things help, but they’re not the foundation. The organisations that stay standing, especially in hard times, are the ones rooted in purpose, values, and deep connection with their communities.
This reflects the daily experience of community leaders. Most of you aren’t here because the job is easy. You’re here because you know your community deserves better and because, despite everything, you still believe you can contribute to that change. That belief is hope in action.
Hope shows up in the small decisions leaders make every day
Rebecca Solnit describes hope as the axe we use to break down the door in an emergency. For community leaders, that often looks like:
choosing to apply for one more grant even after three rejections,
keeping the doors open for rangatahi despite shrinking funding,
inviting a board into an honest kōrero about its purpose,
designing a service around the voices of those most affected,
showing up to advocate locally because no one else will,
dreaming bigger than your budget allows — and taking the first step anyway.
Hope is not passive. It’s the courage to act without knowing whether your actions will be enough.
Your Circle of Influence is where real change grows
Community leaders carry a huge Circle of Concern. You feel the weight of poverty, climate change, whānau hardship, housing pressures, inequities, and government decisions far outside your control. That weight is real.
But Stephen Covey’s Circle of Influence reminds us that leadership grows when we focus on what we can shift:
a conversation,
a partnership,
a recruitment decision,
a programme tweak,
a governance reset,
a climate-ready action your organisation can actually take.
Every time you strengthen relationships, build capability, clarify expectations, or support your team, your influence expands. Hope grows from the inside out.
Hope is the strongest tool for sustaining leadership
Community work is emotionally demanding. Leaders are often holding stories of trauma, frustration, burnout, and grief. Without hope, the weight becomes too much. With hope, leaders find:
the stamina to keep trying,
the imagination to try differently,
the confidence to challenge systems,
the steadiness to lead others through uncertainty.
This doesn’t mean ignoring the hard stuff. It means refusing to let the hard stuff define the limits of what is possible.
Values are your compass in complex times
Margaret Wheatley reminds us that the way through darkness is to illuminate who we are. For community organisations, that means returning to:
your kaupapa,
your values,
your whakapapa,
the aspirations of the people you serve.
When leaders reconnect with these anchors, decisions become clearer, strategy becomes stronger, and energy becomes more sustainable. Hope becomes something solid not a feeling, but a framework.
Why community leadership must start with hope
Community organisations are often the first to respond in crisis and the last to give up on people. You lead not because you expect easy wins, but because you know your communities deserve action, dignity, opportunity, and care.
Starting with hope means:
recognising what’s not working,
believing change is possible,
taking action where you have influence,
holding to your values even when the path is messy,
strengthening your organisation from the roots, not just the surface.
Every day, community leaders across Aotearoa are creating futures that don’t yet exist. That’s hope. And it’s the quiet, powerful engine of change in our communities.
Hope isn’t what comes after success. It’s the source of the mahi that creates success.