Michael Clarke said in February 2015:
I believe the team winning the World Cup … is the No.1 team in the world
This belief proved Michael Clarke right as Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup last week. Sport is full of examples of the power of belief and where it can take you – if their belief had been anything but unwavering, the outcome may have been very different.
Which of your beliefs are driving you or holding you back?
How can you ensure that your beliefs are rock solid and helping not hindering you to get the results you want?
Challenge
Challenge the current beliefs you have – identify which ones are serving you and which ones aren’t. The paradox about beliefs is that we hold on to them with great loyalty, despite not necessarily knowing what they are, as many of them were instilled in us during our upbringing.
If you experience conflict in a situation – for example you feel barriers come up when interacting with senior management but know you should be on the same level – that may be a ‘us and them’ belief you hold about management.
Create
Create the new belief you want. Come up with a sentence or phrase that encompasses what you want to belief and use it as a mantra. An example may be, ‘we’re in this together and need each other to achieve the goal we’re working towards.’
Cement
Cement your new belief by writing it down. Repetition will help cement a new belief. If this is done as a team it can help change the team’s perception and focus. An example may be that ‘everyone’s opinion counts.’
Much of our behaviour is driven by our beliefs, and when these beliefs become problematic (for example a sports team who start believing that they will never get back up to the top of the table) then the good news is that they can change their beliefs about that.
We need to identify and reframe any beliefs that are holding us back, or highlight any that can help drive performance and results, if we want to influence with long term and consistent effect.