Libby Gill: Hope IS a Business Strategy
The business world often downplays the role of hopefulness in the workplace, maintaining that hope is not a viable approach. But if you’d ever worked in an office where people felt hopeless, you know that progress is not possible without it. Libby Gill believes that hope IS a strategy, and she uses research around hope theory to give her clients the discipline and competitive advantage necessary in today’s rapidly changing world.
Gill is an executive leadership coach, keynote speaker and bestselling author. After heading communications at media giants Universal, Sony and Turner Broadcasting, Gill left the corporate world to found Libby Gill & Company, a coaching and consulting firm focused on helping high-performing individuals and organizations navigate challenge and change. Gill’s client roster includes Comcast, Disney, Honda, Microsoft, and Warner Brothers, among many others. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, and The Today Show, and Gill is the author of the award-winning YOU UNSTUCK. Her latest book, Hope IS a Strategy hits shelves April 10, 2018.
Today, Gill shares her early achievement in the corporate world, explaining how a willingness to take on new challenges contributed to her success. She defines ‘riskophobia,’ discussing how the predisposition for safety can hold us back personally and professionally. Gill speaks to hope theory and the need for hopefulness in the workplace to facilitate risk-taking and innovation. Listen in for Gill’s insight on changing habits and staying hopeful with a daily meditation practice.
Key Interview Takeaways
Raise your hand. Gill attributes her corporate success to a willingness to take on new responsibilities and lean on her team.
Even if you fail, you’re not going to fall apart. Humans are hardwired to avoid danger, and we often give in to our predisposition for safety. But Gill contends that you need to get past the ‘riskophobia’ and take on the next challenge.
Hope is the jet fuel for life. Gill argues that hope is the missing link in the workforce, and she coaches leaders in building a sense of hopefulness that allows for risk-taking and innovation.
It takes much longer than 21 days to form a habit. Research has determined that 66 days or longer is more accurate, and Gill suggests establishing a trigger that makes the new habit automatic—a hardwired part of our routine.
Bring the entire team in on the coaching process. In Gill’s work coaching leaders, she finds it useful to include the team in both identifying blind spots and recognizing behavior change.
Stay hopeful with a daily meditation practice. Whether you choose to run, chant, pray or read, starting each day with the right tone helps you get past the fear, doubt and insecurity—and stay positive.
Connect with Libby Gill
Resources
The Hope-Driven Leader: Harness the Power of Positivity at Work by Libby Gill
You Unstuck: Mastering the New Rules of Risk-Taking in Work and Life by Libby Gill
Traveling Hopefully: How to Lose Your Family Baggage and Jumpstart Your Life by Libby Gill
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz