The Power of Belief

Few words carry such emotional weight as the word "believe." The word has connotations of deeply religious, political, environmental, and scientific ideas and ideologies. Bringing up one of these topics at the extended family dinner table is a surefire way to invite hours-long debate and possibly a ruined evening.

Belief starts where knowledge ends. Knowledge doesn't require any form of belief because evidence proves it exists. Whether you believe in the sun or not, the evidence is that there is a bright shiny ball of fire in the sky. Knowledge is proven belief. Belief is an assumption based on experience and perceived knowledge.

As a leader, you will have to believe in others daily. This can be extremely challenging when you have limited or no experience with a new direct report or someone who interacts with your team. Our default tendency is to doubt others until they prove themselves credible. This is normal and expected, but it can lead to not getting the most out of your team and relationships.

The role of belief is to be a bridge between the current and future state. Belief in others sees where they are currently, the potential that they could have, and the path to make the dream a reality. It doesn't guarantee it will happen, but it provides the fuel to achieve it.

So how do you express your belief in someone else? The first step is getting to know the person, their background, and what motivates them. Believing in someone's ability is much easier if you actually get to know them. The second step is to help them see their full potential. This can be done through a series of brief conversations about their goals in life and where their work fits into their overall plans. It may be challenging to get a new hire paid minimum wage to think about their long-term career goals, but you can ask them what part of the job they enjoy and build off of that. The vast majority of people have interests outside of the workplace that can be powerful motivators for them in their job. (be on the lookout for an upcoming article where we will discuss situational motivations)

The third step is to provide people with specific, positive feedback when you see them doing something right. Instead of catching people when they are doing wrong, actively search out and compliment people when they do something right. This change in attitude and feedback creates an environment where there is less concern about what type of messaging is delivered daily. Think about your own situation. Would you rather receive nine compliments and one critical piece of feedback or the opposite?

The fourth step is to provide assurances that you believe in the person, and here is the key part, even when they make mistakes. So many people worry that they will be admonished, fired, or ridiculed for making mistakes. This tends to them holding back from giving their best effort, impacting your team's performance. Instead, focus on creating a culture where mistakes are reviewed for improvement and tolerated as long as they are not repeated. Making new mistakes is acceptable if you are learning something new. Repeating mistakes after we have acquired the knowledge that tells us how not to make a mistake should not be tolerated. Celebrating the learnings from mistakes and failures is a solid way to build a culture of growth and performance.

Lastly, you must believe in the encouragement and support you offer. People read into so much more than your words. Your tone, attitude, and delivery all matter. This is even more challenging in a world where workplace emotions are tempered. Regardless, don't deliver a message of believing in someone you don't truly mean. It will do more damage than good. Instead, have an honest conversation about your perception and what can be done to increase your belief in that person's abilities.

Belief in someone is a challenging yet critical, essential component of leadership. It only comes through much practice and, ironically, believing in yourself. Today, exercise your belief in someone, trusting them even when you don't have solid proof of knowledge. I believe in you!

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