Leaders are overbelievers
I once chose a piece for my orchestra that was just out of their comfort zone. I remember a colleague asked me with great confusion, "Can they really play that? I’m not sure that's a good idea. They're not really good enough." This person has never seen my musicians in action nor heard them play. The assumption was that they can’t do it. I realized that if this colleague were leading my musicians, their chance of failing would be pretty high.
I led my orchestra with the belief that they can. I never verbalized doubt. Yet, I was also realistic about the artistic and technical challenges. Again and again, I reinforced my belief that they have the ability to overcome those challenges. I expected them to push themselves. I guided and supported them through that.
Was the performance of the piece perfect? No. Did they get better as musicians? Absolutely. Would they have gotten worse if I did not believe in them? Probably.
My belief made a difference. When you have a leader who believes in you, you feel like you can do anything, and you often surprise yourself. I cared about getting my musicians from a) thinking that it is impossible to b) proving to themselves that they can.
Jon Gordon says that, "Leadership is a transfer of belief. Leaders believe in their people more than the people believe in themselves. They are overbelievers."
Leaders must believe deeply in a future that doesn't yet exist. We have to believe it is imminent and achievable - just within reach. If we could only imagine what already exists, it is likely there would be no growth. We are taught to expect just what we can see right now. And that limits us tremendously.
What we really need is to over-believe and imagine something beyond what we think is currently possible. We need to dream. That's what leaders do. We overbelieve and tell our people that we believe in them even when they don't believe in themselves.
Curious? Sign up to receive an email with each new post!
Prefer to watch/listen instead?
Here's the blog in video format!
