Dealers of Hope

The trees seemed a little taller today. When I was driving into the Shoppe this morning it felt different. Something was different. Were the trees taller? Microns I'm sure. Was the sky brighter? Was the air fresher? What was different? Hope. I realized there was hope in the air, around us, in fibers that drive us.

A leader I once had would talk to us about leadership. As a leader, he would say, you are a dealer in hope. I've thought a lot about that. Being a dealer in hope. It starts there but doesn't stop there. You have to have a plan. Whether you're a small one person business, a 50 employee Shoppe, a large corporation or the government, you have to have a plan. And the way that plan comes to fruition is by getting the majority of folks to believe and execute on the plan. That's where the hope comes in. The plan is the seed, hope is the water, the nutrition.

Of course it was the inauguration that led me to these thoughts. I’m trying to lead a small business through these trying times and President Obama is trying to lead our country through these trying times. My task seems small but is a part of supporting the bigger task, President Obama’s. He will succeed with our help. We will succeed with his help. We all own this.

Deal in hope and have a plan.