Choosing to be cynical is enticing. 

When the people or institutions we trust fail us, we become skeptical of their future claims, promises, and usefulness to our lives. The more authority we attribute to them, the greater the felt-loss. And without a redemptive story that demonstrates progress towards a better outcome, our distrust grows. 

Cynics have it easy. They embrace the convenience of their prior experience to dismiss and distrust rather than to learn and invite change. To a cynic, the world is divided into friends and foes; good and bad; expectations and letdowns. They fill feeds, inboxes, and review pages with rants, passive-aggressive memes, and biased theories. Cynicism is everywhere, but hopeful leadership is rare.

Leaders do the hard work. They accept risk, failures, and change as the prerequisite for progress and creating a better tomorrow. Leaders see the world as a puzzle to be solved and optimized for potential and sustainability. They identify problems, question systemic bias, and invite collaboration to solve complex challenges that don’t have easy answers. (If they did, someone would have already solved it the first time.)

When crisis strikes, the cynics point fingers, create distractions, and slow progress. Leaders jump into action, find new solutions, and seek to create a better tomorrow. Cynics peddle blame and despair, but leaders promote change and hopeful outcomes in the face of danger. 

When it’s time to face a new challenge, leaders of hope show up.