In this article, keynote speaker, journalist and author Mark Jones makes the case that restoring hope in our leadership narrative is a commercial distinctive in a workplace with record burnout rates and disengagement from fear of AI changes.
Every single day, we’re surrounded by stories. Not Netflix or reels – I mean the real, relentless narratives:
The news cycle telling us everything’s on fire.
Social media doomscrolls.
That little voice in your head whispering “you’re not enough.”
All of this builds into a kind of mental metaverse – a world of belief, fear, and self-talk we end up living inside. And more often than not, it leans one way:
“Everything is bad. And you can’t do anything about it.”
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. We’re all soaking in it. Burnout, overwhelm, uncertainty… it’s become the emotional wallpaper of modern leadership.
So… Where’s the Off Switch?
While working on my book, I went deep-diving into the weeds underlying all these kinds of narratives – especially in events, tech/AI and marketing worlds.
And one thing became painfully clear:
We’ve lost hope as a story genre.
Not completely. But it’s quieter. We’re tuning into collapse and tragedy story arcs like Shakesperean loyalists. Themes like destiny, comedy, hope and romance are flickering out.
Enter: Hope Theory (aka: Your Reboot Button)
A psychologist named C.R. Snyder developed something called Hope Theory. It’s more than a nice idea – it’s a proven framework for how people actually bounce back aka build resilience, when fuelled by hope.
Hope isn’t fluffy. It’s functional.
As I write in my book, The Story Code for Leaders, this is exactly why the work of building storytelling mindset matters: “It unlocks hope, belonging and a sense of agency for leaders who feel stuck, overwhelmed or burnt out” (p. 14).
According to Snyder, hope needs three things:
Goals – a vision for what’s possible.
Pathways – ways to get there.
Agency – belief that you can make it happen.
It’s a mindset, sure. But it’s also deeply practical. When you’ve got hope, you don’t just feel better. You do better. You think clearer. You lead differently. You make healthier choices.
What It Looked Like for Me
I share in my book how in 2019, I had my own personal crash. Burnout. Panic attack. The works.
I was still “performing” on the outside – leading, speaking, pushing forward – but inside? I was lost in a story that didn’t feel like mine anymore.
And then something small but powerful happened.
My psychologist looked me in the eye and said, “You’re going to get better.”
That one sentence flipped the script. It gave me just enough belief to take the first step. And then the next. Sleeping better. Eating better. Moving. Meditating. Reflecting. Rebuilding.
Slowly, that story of hope became a habit. A reality. A future.
Six years on, I still stand by what I wrote: “I’ve recaptured hope for the future, recovered my energy and developed an exciting vision for inspiring and equipping people to take a healthier path through life’s travails” (p. 10).
So, How Do
You
Flip the Script?
Right now, we’re all caught between two competing narratives:
One says: “It’s all going downhill.”
The other says: “You can still make a difference.”
Hope lives right in the middle of that tension. It’s not easy. It’s not blind optimism. It’s active. Intentional. Sometimes messy.
But it works.
If you’re feeling stuck, cynical, or just plain tired – try this:
1.
Pause the noise.
What stories are you consuming on autopilot? Are they helping you lead… or holding you back?
2.
Check your internal monologue.
Are you believing something like:
“I can’t make a difference.”
“It’s too late.”
“Why even try?”
If so, it’s time to question that voice – and look for evidence for a different headline story.
3.
Create your next chapter.
Write down one thing you want to see change – in your life, your team, your world. Then tune in to what your inner critic started saying about it: Overwrite the Buzzfeed with factual evidence for how and why you can do it from precedent; and decide on one small next step I do it again toward this change.
4.
Remember: you’re the author.
You might not control the news cycle, but you do control the stories you tell yourself. And your narrative shapes everything.
It’s a point Dr Renu Burr made when I interviewed her for the book: courage in leadership starts with listening to your own story and asking, “Is it really true?” Read more in .
Final Thought: You’re Living in a Story. So Make It a Good One.
We all share this mental metaverse. But the good news?
You get to choose which script you live by.
If you’ve been running the “everything is bad” program for too long… maybe it’s time for an upgrade, a key to crack the code, dare I say – in my book, CODE is a four-step process of rewriting the stories holding you back (p. 14):
C – CHALLENGE: Face your inner critic and expose the limiting beliefs driving its script.
O – OVERWRITE: Choose your new lead character Archetype and rewrite key scenes.
D – DECIDE: Make a decision to learn and internalise the new story.
E – ENCODE: Develop healthy habits for life. Change everything with your new story.
Hope isn’t naive. It’s necessary. As I put in the book, stories are “vital for navigating hardships and finding hope” (p. 21). It’s a commercial distinctive in a workplace with record burnout rates and disengagement from fear of AI changes. Figuring out how to spark hope might be the boldest leadership strategy you make right now.
Onwards.