Dear Boston Executive Coaches Community,
Faith is a word which elicits different thoughts and emotions for each of us.
For some, it is a sense of trusting others or implicitly knowing we are understood or respected. For others, it can be the feeling that we will always be encouraged by our friends, colleagues and fellow travelers, especially in time of need. And for so many of us, it is a firm belief in a higher power.
Faith is intertwined with optimism. Without optimism for the future, one cannot truly believe that something positive will happen when taking that metaphorical leap of faith. Be it a soldier looking over in the foxhole at the man next to him or the coworker with whom you’ve worked for years – it takes faith and optimism to determine that the other person will always have your back when challenges – and battles – confront us.
What a wonderful concept for all of us to ponder: that belief in the future and in our own potential relies on faith in others, and, of equal importance, an optimistic faith in ourselves and indeed, something bigger than each of us.
Finding your own sense of faith that will support optimism is an individual journey, yet one in which you can join with others to help explore. And optimism and faith certainly do not deny the possibility of unpleasant outcomes or difficulties – they merely hold that everyone – be they individuals, teams or much larger systems – has the capacity to grow and learn and to develop new ways of working together.
By holding to faith and optimism we can see past the current situations we face to the possibilities beyond tomorrow, especially in times of crisis.
Paul Romer believes in what he calls “conditional optimism.” He writes, “Pessimism is more likely to foster denial, procrastination, apathy, anger and recrimination. It is conditional optimism that brings out the best in us. ”
“We should say instead: ‘Ok, we made some mistakes. We can start fixing them by pointing our innovative efforts in a slightly different direction. If we do, we can do things that are even more amazing than the truly amazing things we have already accomplished. It will be so easy that looking back it will seem painless. Let’s get going.’”
As we speak with clients, colleagues and friends, we are always honored to help others discover and hold onto their own optimism. For some it is faith in humanity – for others it might be the power of love and the goodness inherent in people. Whatever serves as a foundation for that faith, it in turn guides them and informs their ability to see beyond their own fears and anxieties. It energizes their optimism.
As 2025 comes to a close and a New Year is about to unfold, we invite you to discover what your faith is and with it be able to own your own optimism and let it guide you towards the future.
Thank you for your faith and optimism in BEC!
The BEC Team – Dave, Deb, Lisa, Susan and Allison
Image by Jorge Guillen from Pixabay