This is a week of hope for new beginnings.

As Barack Obama begins his presidency, we're all hoping it will restore the US to a position of respect, strength, and responsibility.

With our world (not to mention our personal investments) consumed by a devastating financial crisis, faced with climate change, terrorism, and awful tensions in the Middle East, we need an alternative to despair.

But to embody hope is too heavy a weight for any one person, even someone as impressive as the new president.

Because of our special roles in HR, OD, training, and consulting, we can share the task.

I'm not suggesting we pretend that everything's fine. At his inauguration, president Obama emphasized the need for hard work and pragmatism.

But we can highlight the positives, in this generally unhappy time.

Upgrading Skill Sets

Perhaps the greatest positive is also painful: this crisis will require many people to upgrade their abilities, or learn radically new skills.

It will be hard on folks who were relying on a comfortable future in, for example, manufacturing.

But ultimately it's a gift, a crisis that shakes us out of our illusions of security.

Those who invest their energy in self-development will find themselves much more secure in this changed world.

Change In Organizations

The pain of this period is not felt by laid-off employees or small stock-holders alone.

Look at the demands being placed on auto manufacturers, once so reluctant to build greener cars. Or the banks and financial regulators, forced to upgrade their standards.

Look at the CEOs who won't receive obscenely large bonuses this year.

Not only are they being forced to change, but because of those changes, we will all live in a better world.

Helping People Feel Hope

The most effective way to convey hope, for those of us who work with people, is to listen and empathize.

Those who face the multiple challenges of self-development need to know that we understand and care, that we have faith in them. That will go a long way to encourage their hope in these new beginnings.