As we close out the year we call 2020- a year of fear, sadness, loss, trauma and the unknown- a year of gratitude, renewal and change –this edition of the Coaching Corner is all about HOPE. 

What is HOPE?

“HOPE is the BELIEF that your future can be brighter and better than your past and that you have a role in making it better.” Gwinn, C. & Hellman, C. (2019). HOPE Rising: How the Science of HOPE Can Change Your Life. Morgan James Publishing, NY: New York. 

Did you know that HOPE is a science? More than 2,000 published studies on HOPE exist.

• In research exploring the basic emotional needs of followers Gallup found that HOPE is one of the four basic needs of followers.
• When looking at the factors that lead to success in a coaching session- HOPE is a factor that weighs in 15%. 
• High HOPE employees are more productive, can better navigate their way through difficult times, and have higher levels of job satisfaction/morale than low hope employees.
• High HOPE employees are contagious- they share, inspire, and cultivate HOPE in others.
• High-HOPE people have better outcomes in all areas of life.
• High HOPE employees are just what our children and families need.

HOPE Is More Than Just A Wish, Being Optimistic & More Than Self-Efficacy. HOPE increases all of these things, but they don’t necessarily increase HOPE. It is a way of thinking (belief) and a way of doing (action).   You can adopt a HOPE-centered life. You can actually raise your HOPE level from low-HOPE to high-HOPE.

The coaching team pondered two powerful questions:

• What about your work inspires HOPE in you?
• What about your work might inspire HOPE in others?

Here are some of the gems we have for you:

• As a coach, I am inspired by sparking ideas about ways to be both compassionate and professional in our work with families.  Many times workers may see professionalism and compassion as two separate things, but they don’t have to be. Some are stagnated by their levels of compassion or ideas about professionalism.  I hope to show people that the profession of child welfare demands compassion as part of its work and through coaching and questions, we can explore how best to entangle the two. 
• Being able to support workers with how they are able to show up to do their work and the exponential impact it will have on them and the families they work with. 
• To know that we are doing meaningful work that will ultimately benefit families, organizations, individuals and communities.
• I hope that my work as a coach will have great impact on a social workers practice which will in turn have impact on families being able to remain safely together.
• Hope inspires me in my work by getting a chance to listen to multiple people doing the same job. Every person does this job differently, and it gives me a variety of possibilities to consider. I am always hopeful because there are so many ways to find a solution.
• I think I look for the strengths in every conversation I have around conflict. Being able to see a positive in a situation gives people hope, and being able to apply strategy around this hope makes them take action as well.

As we close out the coaching corner we put this powerful question by Rick Snyder, psychologist back to you…..

“If a miracle happened, and you could have your life be exactly the way you want it, what would it be like? Your journey to higher hope begins with an honest appraisal of who you are, how you think about your life, what you want for yourself, and how you can get what you want.”

Adapted from: Gwinn, C. & Hellman, C. (2019). HOPE Rising: How the Science of HOPE Can Change Your Life. Morgan James Publishing, NY: New York.