A “leader of hope” can be a very effective and life-changing person, a recent blog posting by leadership expert John Maxwell argues.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is to be a bridge builder, Maxwell writes in his Sept. 9 posting.

Divisive leaders burn down a bridge for one group of people in order to build a bigger one for an “attractive audience” that can meet their more immediate needs, Maxwell said. That, in turn, can create a poisonous environment for all around them.

“They create an atmosphere of disloyalty and mistrust which only increases the sense of uncertainty and chaos that their followers must battle,” the blog posting observes. “This is not how leaders of hope operate. Leaders of hope continually build bridges to new people without burning any bridges from their past. They understand that relationships are the key to achieving great things, and nurturing those relationships is part of the work that good leaders do.”

The full blog posting – “Four Signs of a Leader of Hope” – can be accessed at this link.