Arnie Weissmann
Looking back at 250 years of American history, you can see patterns of deep despair and great hope. The cycle between them is, in an odd way, reassuring: even after the darkest moments, hope and better times have always re-emerged.
But those recoveries weren't inevitable. The return of hopefulness has been intricately intertwined with leadership.
That's true in business as it is with nations, as Afdhel Aziz knows well. Aziz, chief storytelling officer of Good is the New Cool, counsels major brands that have lost their groove or have never been able to tell their story successfully.
I heard him speak last week and, as his unusual title suggests, he believes good storytelling is critical to establishing hope. "Strategy tells people what to do. Story tells them why it matters. You need both," he said.
Understanding how to spark hope may be more important than ever. Yale and George Mason University found that, in 2010, there was a "hope gap" of five points: 49% of Americans felt worried vs. 44% who felt hopeful.
In 2025? That gap increased 27 points. Last year, 66% were worried vs. 34% hopeful.
The impact is likely evident in your workforce. Of employees in 52 countries who said they had once felt engaged in their work, only 20% of respondents to a 2026 Gallup poll said they still feel that way. The cost of disengaged workers is staggering: an estimated $10 trillion of lost productivity, equal to almost 9% of global GDP.
When employees were asked what they need most from their company's leadership, "hope" came out on top, at 56% -- more than trust, compassion and stability combined.
In the MeQuilibrium Workforce Well-Being Report, workers who have managed to retain hope are, not surprisingly, about 75% less likely to suffer from burnout, anxiety and depression.
Afdhel Aziz
Aziz breaks down the path toward leading with hope into five components. The first is "Name the Burning Platform." If there are problems dogging your company, don't dodge or sugarcoat them; if you do, your people will simply think you're a fake.
Instead, position problems realistically but also as something that you and the team need to fight together.
Second, "Celebrate the Hope at the End of the Tunnel." Share your vision to get to where you need to go together. Tell them where you'll all be when, together, you've passed the biggest hurdles.
Third, "Find the Humble Hero," the employee whose work has made a difference. They may be at the bottom of your organization but have done something incredible.
"Everyone knows employees who have gone out of their way to make a difference, perhaps for a customer, perhaps for another employee. This is where things shift from you as the leader to a story about the people that you lead. It creates a story engine inside a company," Aziz said.
"You'll have both campfires and fireworks. Campfires are those little moments, those monthly recognitions -- the newsletters, the small things that keep the culture bubbling. Fireworks are moments of celebration. It may be an internal employee awards day. Find stories, lift people, celebrate them, and their fellow employees will celebrate with them and model their action. That's how storytelling creates culture."
And doing so will also "Remind People of Their Agency," their ability to take action on things that matter to them. "Despair is paralyzing," Aziz said, "but hope is galvanizing."
And fifth, "Spark Courageous Action."
"Make sure you give employees something to do when they return to work," he said. "Hope without action is sentimentality. And action without hope is just a grind."
Storytelling, he asserted, is the bridge that connects all these steps within an organization.
He gave examples of how companies he has worked with, from The Gap to Land O'Lakes, solved major problems after launching storytelling stratagems facing employees, customers and investors.
He also observed that travel, in particular, is inherently an antidote to hopelessness.
"When people connect with experiences around the world through travel, they're given hope. It's one of the most powerful and important things we can do," he said.
To that I would add that the experiences of those who have had a career in the travel industry have led to additional protections against hopelessness. The industry has faced a series of significant crises: 9/11. SARS. The Great Recession. Covid. During each, there were doubters who wondered whether these events might turn consumer attitudes against travel.
But those of us who have lived through these challenges can't help but conclude that, although travelers may at times press the pause button, they never press "stop." That knowledge is a comfort when times get tough ... as they undoubtedly will again.
To deploy all his points takes thought and planning, but one of the five steps can be taken immediately: The return to work from the Fourth of July break seems a perfect time to begin lighting campfires and setting off fireworks.