A leader is a dealer in hope.

People follow someone who can describe a future worth walking toward. Not a fantasy, and not a promise nobody can keep, but a credible picture of things being better than they are now. Most of what leading actually consists of is holding that picture steady when everyone else has lost sight of it.

If people around you are discouraged this week, resist the urge to lead with the problem list. Say plainly what you think is still possible and what the next step toward it is. Hope given honestly is not a trick; it is information about where to put effort.