Merry Christmas!
As the year draws to a close, I want to write to you about something often overlooked or disregarded: the power of beliefs in business.
Your personal beliefs guide your expectations. Your expectations lead to your attitudes. Your attitudes, in turn, dictate your behavior and your actions. In my own journey, I have been a culprit of recruiting people whose beliefs were contrary to those of the business—and I can tell you, it always comes back to bite.
Highly skilled people can be directed, but they respond best when they truly understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. Until there is a shared understanding, there is no real basis for motivation.
Money is a shallow reason to work. Sooner or later, the “high” of a paycheck wears off. As employers, we often make the mistake of thinking people only work for money and not for purpose.
“I firmly believe that any organization, in order to survive and achieve success, must have a sound set of beliefs on which it premises all its policies and actions,” says Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM. “Next, I believe that the most important single factor in corporate success is faithful adherence to those beliefs.”
If an organization is to meet the challenges of a changing world, it must be prepared to change everything about itself—except those core beliefs. The basic philosophy, spirit, and drive of an organization have far more to do with its achievements than its technological resources, structure, or timing. These things matter, but they are transcended by how strongly the people in the organization believe in its ethos.
Why do we neglect such a powerful force? I have a theory, and it looks like Dan and Bonita.
Dan’s Story: Dan started a printing company simply to satisfy a customer who needed brochures. Since it matched his skills, he offered the service. Boom! A market opened up. He scaled, hired technically gifted people, and made money—until he was faced with a bribe. He took it, and it sank the business he once loved. Now, Dan builds companies out of need, not purpose.
Bonita’s Story: Bonita graduated in October and just “wanted a job.” She didn’t mind the company; she just wanted a start. Fifteen years later, she has hopped from job to job, chasing whichever salary was highest.
Dan and Bonita are what I call “Survivors.” They live on the surface. Because they lack a deep-rooted belief system, they are prone to the kind of burnout that affects small thinkers.
The beliefs that mold great organizations frequently grow out of the character, experiences, and convictions of a single person. In the last fifteen years the Sudesh Int’l Consult beliefs have been shaped by my experiences and they are:
Business is an expression of our faith in God.
We believe in looking beyond face value.
We believe in respecting all people, especially those whom we serve.
We believe that one ought to live a life of humility and eternal learning.
We believe in taking the very best things from the past.
We believe that we define what we do, and not vice-versa.
As you reflect on this year and look toward the next, I ask you:
What are your beliefs? Are you building a legacy, or are you just surviving?
