Over the last few years of working with executives to help establish their business foundations and reset their company cultures, I have heard the phrase "hope is not a strategy" enough to have a gag reflex.

People bring it up when we talk about missions and values, when we get to employer branding and company culture, and when we discuss marketing plans. It seems like a go-to drop the mike kind of phrase for people who want to kill a conversation.

One major issue is that hope is EXACTLY what's missing from many company cultures today.

Executives must lead from the front in uncertain times. They must prove that even when it's tough they, the leaders, have some idea of what a positive future looks like and are willing and able to help the company achieve success. They must give the people in the organization hope that tomorrow will be okay.

Great leaders get this innately. Weak leaders struggle with it and as a result their companies die from within.

Hope is not only a strategy. It is one of the key factors in resetting struggling companies, blending cultures in mergers and acquisitions, and bolstering healthy companies looking to take on greater challenges.

Regardless of what your company values say, people need hope.