Beliefs are incredibly powerful. Developing similar beliefs means teams are better aligned. They can create profitable companies because consistent, strong beliefs build businesses. Individually, our beliefs can cause us to follow the recommendations of experts or listen to ‘alternative facts’ that we receive from like-minded strangers. Wherever the information comes from, once believed, it often hardens like cement.
Achieving success or bankruptcy depends on how aligned your team’s beliefs are. So, what are the dominant beliefs held by your employees? Are they propelling your business forward or holding it back? Are they accurate? Too often, we hear these opinions in workplaces:
- This is a lousy place to work
- People are lazy
- Employees take advantage of you if you let them
- When the boss retires, this business will fall apart
Strong Beliefs Build Businesses
These are not facts, they are beliefs. If these beliefs dominate the thinking of your employees and managers, what impact will that have on your business? Here are more ideal beliefs that leaders need to encourage:
- I love my job, I can’t imagine working anywhere else
- People are naturally motivated if you have the right people in the right jobs. Hire them, train them, and then get out of their way
- We have great people working here – I trust them to do a good job
- When the owner retires, I’d love to take over; the business practically runs itself
These aren’t facts either but beliefs. As Napoleon Hill said in Think and Grow Rich, “we become what we think about.”
Beliefs underpin our attitudes toward others. Then attitudes support our behaviour and our behaviour affects our results. Consider the impact on hiring good people, training costs, turnover, productivity, profitability and the number of people who (normally) show up for the holiday party.
The good news: it starts at the top. So, your beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and results colour everyone else’s. Take stock of your own beliefs and consider the consequences on others. Or survey your people and you’ll see that they reflect your beliefs. Remember that while beliefs aren’t facts, they influence others as if they were, because strong beliefs build businesses. If you don’t like your results, change your beliefs.