Belief is a Bridge
Dear Friends!
Wow. I loved so much of the energy I got back from last week’s post about Design Thinking. There is much to discuss in and around how we best can design the world we want to live in. What could be more important?
Before I "bridge" to this week's reflections, I'd like to ask you for a favor. I am trying to build some sort of community here. Sometimes I am asked "how" to subscribe to these newsletters and if all are welcome. I want to make it perfectly clear -- the more the merrier! All humans (dogs and other animals, too) are more than welcome to join the conversation. If you’d like to share with a friend, just forward this newsletter and they can click here. To catch up on past topics, you can go to my website and read old posts here, and sign up anywhere on the site. If you want to update or change your own email, you can also do that here. I would love to expand the community and help us elevate our conversations. If you like what you read, please send this along to your friends, family, and communities. Thank you so much for your help!
Now to this week's reflection. Belief is a bridge.
This Michelangelo quote is so powerful. In fact, many of you have probably heard me use it before. The best ideas are those that have stood the test of time. And this particular human insight happens to be so true. And today, it might be more important than ever to recommit ourselves to the power of belief.
We live in a time where we are experiencing some form of a cultural-climate crisis. Our belief systems seem to be melting alongside our ice caps. And I would argue that if we fix one, we fix the other.
We have developed a level of cynicism and disbelief that is quite astonishing. The tone of our public discourse is steeped in a level of suspicion, gotcha mentality, and division that is very troubling. If someone even utters anything that isn't based on facts or reality, they often get ridiculed, shamed, and dismissed. Or today, which is worse, the person gets canceled completely. Of course, we need to debate and constructively criticize ideas before they are taken too far.
But here is the real dilemma. New paths are made by walking, not talking. We have to challenge conventional wisdom and current systems if we are to change them. Don't we? All journeys of exploration, innovation, and invention are articles of faith. They are rooted in the BELIEF in our ability to build a bridge to something better. Remember the crazy ones commercial from Apple? The idea there, so beautifully presented, is that only the people that are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do!
And we hardly need more science around the power of belief. There is plenty of research in medicine around placebo. Our physiology is incredibly adaptive – our bodies will change simply because they believe change will occur. The same goes for education. There are studies that prove that if teachers believe that their kids are above average, their students will outperform others. Beliefs are to successful outcomes what oil is in any machine. Without it, there is friction, and most efforts just get stuck. Beliefs keep us moving forward.
“I really believe humans are mostly magic and that we are all just unfinished magic and we’re more likely to be the fullest extent of our magic if other people see us that way first. And I’ve learned that when I see people for their potential and their possibilities, that they seem to live up to that more quickly than when they interact with others....So the upside of believing in people is so high and, not but, and some will let us down. And the frequency that I’m let down is so low compared to the frequency that I’m proven right in people’s potential. ”
— KAT COLE
I think a critical project for all of us is to invest in our belief muscles. Practice it more often. Say yes more than no. Fight our instincts to be critical and to not believe. I agree with Cat above. When we believe in something or someone, we are more likely to be surprised by the upside than the downside.
I am lucky that I get to spend most of my professional life investing in entrepreneurs. They are consummate believers. You can't build anything without a strong vision and fundamental belief in possibilities over problems. As I often point out in these newsletters, we must resist the appeal of a false dichotomy. The choice is not actually whether to believe or NOT to believe (sorry Shakespeare). There is plenty of room in the middle. We can structure our beliefs and support in ways that help reduce the variability of outcomes. It doesn’t have to be a complete leap of faith. Let me explain.
I have learned some of these approaches from the best venture investors. They build effective scaffolding around bridges to a possible future. Scaffolding that can help mitigate the most significant risks. Structures that catch entrepreneurs when they fall or identify dead-end streets that will not lead you to the desired outcomes. Some structures have to do with what I wrote about last week – minimizing risk via design thinking. Rapid prototyping and early evidence of success (things like minimum viable products, superfan analysis, lean manufacturing techniques, building the right culture early on, etc). Some have to do with how you structure your support and resources, most often in milestones and gates. The way to think about 'conditional beliefs' is that you can deconstruct a future vision into smaller parts and simply take one step at a time rather than a giant leap of faith. Crawl, walk, and then run.
Science, at its core, is of course a good example of this. Most scientific experiments fail. But no academic institution rejects ideas at the stage of ideation. They reject them when they can't prove enough promise to be taken to the next step of validation. No medicine gets approved for large-scale use in humans until they have been safely proven in randomized double-blind clinical trials. If we rejected every idea that came out of our research institutions we would not have discovered most life-saving drugs, airplanes or the internet. As the philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer reminded us: All truths passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
We have all witnessed the rewards of belief many times. Particularly as parents. My kids, for sure, have outperformed my wildest dreams for them. Despite many times failing to live up to the kind of leadership I am espousing here. And same is true with all people I have worked closely with over the years. And whenever I have been disappointed, I ask myself: Who am I as a leader that enabled this to not work?
Benjamin Zander, the Boston Philharmonic conductor who has inspired many of us for years around the possibilities of a new kind of leadership, often framed this concept as shining eyes. That's how we can tell whether we are conducting ourselves in ways that create shining eyes in the people around us. Please watch this clip – let's ask ourselves how we better can help the eyes of those around us to shine.
Some other sources of inspiration this week around belief:
Kat Cole's interview with Shane Parish around the power of possible.
The Full TED talk with Benjamin Zander. If you love classical music, you will love this.
This TEDx talk by Eduardo Briceño goes a bit deeper into fixed vs growth mindset.
And speaking about Growth Mindset –Carol Dweck is a leading researcher and pioneer in the field of "growth mindset". This TED talk from TEDx Norrköping in Sweden is inspiring.
Lastly, and perhaps my all-time favorite from Stephen Covey. Green and Clean. About the importance of reminding ourselves what our true job is as leaders. In his case: Raise sons. Not grass!
I believe in you. Let's improve our conversation so that our minds are more occupied by solutions rather than problems, dreams rather than fears, love rather than hate, and beliefs more than doubts.
The founder of IKEA, the late Ingvar Kamprad, often ended his letters with this line:
Oh glorious future, most things remain undone!
Ps. This paperweight is on my desk as a constant reminder of the possibility of belief. I got this from Susan Sarich, founder of Susie Cakes, who, more than most, celebrates the unlimited potential of every single human being.
