Despair is the Opposite of Love

Despair is the opposite of love.  Love is a powerful emotion that COMPELS you to act for the benefit of others.  Hate is not the opposite of love because it is also a powerful emotion that COMPELS you to act toward others.  Despair is a powerful emotion that PREVENTS you from acting (for the benefit or detriment of others). It is the ultimate shutdown button on your soul.  When you are in despair, you cannot lead.

Drive Out Personal Despair

As a leader, your job is to first drive despair out of your life. You must do it consciously and continuously because it is ever present and detrimental to you.  Get up each day and when you face issues that frustrate, irritate or anger you, make it your goal to minimize their impact on you.  Strive to accomplish something positive.  Fix what you can and limit the time you spend on things you cannot influence.  Your followers will notice and want to emulate it.  Drive out despair and watch your accomplishments soar.

Drive Out Organizational Despair

After dealing with your personal situation, look for ways to do the same for your organization.  Despite hard times, injustices, and any other horrible conditions, drive despair out of the lives of your followers. Do the same exercise that started your day for them.  Eliminate nuisance processes and rules.  Empower them to make decisions about their work.  Take unnecessary burdens off their shoulders.  Teach them how to focus on positive aspects of their work and minimize time and effort on negative aspects.  Show them how it is done.  Leadership fails when despair flourishes, but succeeds when it is banished. Look for things that demoralize people and DRIVE DESPAIR OUT!  You will be a successful leader.