The leader’s belief imposition

Here we are entering the last quarter of the year. By this time, many things and activities are happening inside business organizations. You have business planning, budget preparations, forecasts for the next year, and strategic planning; though I notice that these activities are being moved to earlier months in many companies now.

These can be very stressful to company executives having to crunch numbers, prepare and defend their budget. But none could be more stressful than having only a few more months to go to determine whether the company would be able to reach this year’s target or miss it completely.

I have to confess that both situations lead to my favor. When companies are performing well and are about to exceed their targets they invite me for their last sales rally for the year to remind them to stick to their course and not to be distracted. And when companies worry that their current level of performance indicate that they might fall short of their targets, they would invite me to rally their people and to provide ideas on how to provide another burst of creative energy and push in order to meet targets.

Here is where we see the power of words and how leaders using it, can impose a belief on their people. Words can impose a belief; when powerful words are said and delivered powerfully then leaders can cause a “Belief Imposition” upon their people that could convince them to out perform their own perceived capabilities.

And this third quarter of the year is so crucial the words that come out of the mouths of leaders are either consciously or subconsciously imposing a belief upon their people.

“I don’t think we could hit our targets this year…” “There goes our incentives…” “Those idiots up there thought we are super heroes…” These kind of messages carry powerful words that would reinforce and impose the belief that they will fail this year.

This is like waving the white flag or throwing in the towel even before the fight is over. Look at this set of different words. “We’ve had more difficult situations before but we licked it…” “Just a little bit more push and a little bit more focus and we can all receive our incentives for this year…” “Hey guys, this could be the best year ever in the history of our company and we are the ones who made it happen…”

These are equally powerful words that can impose belief in the minds of the people.

Belief imposition is needed in moving our people not just to reach their targets but to exceed it. Stretch goals are reachable if the belief imposed supports it.

I should emphasize this again. When the leader shows just a very little sign of unbelief that the target is too high and near impossible to reach then the leader would be right. There is no need to wait for the end of the year to see that performance will be short of target. Then doubts take over. “Maybe the target set last year was just too high?” This is another belief that is being imposed.

I don’t think so. Unless there is an unexpected political turmoil or a major natural catastrophe that happened, I am pretty sure that during their last business meetings the targets set were attainable and realistic. The target therefore is a fact. But reaching it entails more than just facts.

Leaders need to impose on their people a belief environed in acquired confidence and optimistic disposition that it can be reached. And when the leader leads correctly, they can even lead their people to outdo themselves and achieve greater goals.

Leaders reinforce their beliefs with encouragement, and in some rare hard cases with warnings too. The proverbial carrot and the stick systems are applied from time to time. When done correctly, even at the onset of the last quarter, leaders might as well ask their finance people to prepare the funds for incentives and rewards because their people will exceed their goals.

If you are a leader, then I suspect you like that don’t you? And in case you have not yet noticed, I have just imposed that belief in you.

(Experience two inspiring days of leadership training with Francis Kong in his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership seminar-workshop this October 18-19 at Seda Hotel, BGC. For registration or inquiries contact April at +63928-559-1798)