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Session Submission Summary

From Despair to Hope: Prophetic Leadership in Turbulent Times

Fri, October 13, 10:45 to 12:00, SQUARE, Studio 312

Session Submission Type: Symposium

Short Description

For most people, leadership implies hope, an aspiration for something better, for change, and for progress. James MacGregor Burns defines hope as “looking forward with desire and with belief in possibility.” Prophetic leadership seeks to arouse such hope to motivate others to make progress in times of despair.

Detailed Abstract

Introduction

For most people, leadership implies hope, an aspiration for something better, for change, and for progress. James MacGregor Burns defines hope as “looking forward with desire and with belief in possibility” (Burns, 1978, p. 117). Prophetic leadership seeks to arouse such hope to motivate others to make progress especially in times of despair when there is every reason to believe these efforts are likely to fail. Poets, leadership scholars, public servants, and philosophers have built on this theme for millennia. Public servants like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama inspired millions with their fearless hope despite dark times. Philosophers like Hannah Arendt and Jurgen Habermas have engaged in an ongoing argument about the reality of progress and the hope that extends it. For the poet Wendell Berry, authentic hope, freighted with the inchoate possibility of progress, comes from those who truly know despair, “The voice of our despair defines our hope exactly” (Berry, 1990, p.62).

Outcomes/Process

Following an introduction to the idea of hope, presenters tell four stories of leadership transforming despair to hope that open the possibility of progress for the common good in the United States and South Africa (60% of time). To conclude, they will explore with participants the role of hope in leadership and its place in leadership studies (40% of time).

Sub Unit

Chair

Individual Presentations