We define hope as an orientation to a positive future that engages our heads, hearts and hands. Hope resides in the golden mean, the way of reasonableness and wisdom between extremes. Each of hope's five principles-possibility, agency, worth, openness, and connection-is most powerful when in a position between excess and deficiency. Hope aims at moderation in thought, feeling and action. We apply the principles of hope to understand where and to what degree hope resides-and to arrive at solutions for real issues faced by leaders and the organizations they serve. Possibility Hope is a passion for the possible. Soren Kirkegaard Hope is born in possibility. The principle of possibility speaks to reach. To be hopeful, my goals must both stretch me and be feasible. Possibility promises growth and development and progress, while honoring our need to feel capable and powerful in the present. Agency Hope can flourish only when you believe that what you do can make a difference, that your actions can bring a future different from the present. Jerome Groopman Hope is energized by agency. The principle of agency speaks to resources, both within and without. To be hopeful, I must have a way to make a difference. Agency is the difference between passive bystanders and those who are active agents for progress. Agency is the principle of personal responsibility and ownership. Worth Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Theodore Roosevelt Hope is inspired by worth. The principle of worth speaks to relevance. To be hopeful, I must know that what I do matters. We save our hopes for those endeavors that are meaningful. They are worthwhile to me as an individual, to my organization, and to my customers. At the far end of the spectrum, the principle of worth takes us out to do something of lasting value for our communities and the world. Openness Hoping does not mean to have a number of hopes at one's disposal. It means, rather, hoping to be open. Jurgen Moltmann Hope is informed by openness. The principle of openness speaks to receptivity. To be hopeful, I must feel free to learn, to take risks, to explore the unknown, and to challenge sacred cows. Openness thrives in an environment of truth and transparency. Linguistically, the word open is the ancestor of up, as in raising a lid or a cover. It means not being closed to diverse perspectives, and not letting our ingrained assumptions blind us from discovery. Connection Hope is born while facing the unknown and discovering that one is not alone. Andre Lacocque and Pierre-Emmanuel Lacocque Hope is realized in connection. The principle of connection speaks to relationship. To be hopeful I must be connected in meaningful and authentic ways to both my community and to reality. The principle of connection harmonizes hope's principles. In hopeful connection people are grounded in who they are, they know where they've come from, and they're striving to get where they've chosen to go together.