Shifting our beliefs for success
“ A belief is halfway between opinion and knowledge.”
Emmanuel Kant
A former amateur mountaineer, I was amazed this summer by several exceptional physical and mental feats: those of Kilian Jornet and Alex Honnold. Jornet not only accomplished the extraordinary feat of climbing Everest twice in the same week without oxygen or fixed ropes, but he did it the second time in just 14 hours! Alex Honnold climbed, solo and without ropes, the extremely challenging 1,000m El Capitan in 18 hours and 50 minutes, a wall that took several days to ascend artificially 20 years ago. And last week, Czech climber Adam Ondra reportedly climbed the world’s first 9C route (pending confirmation)! These physical achievements are primarily mental ones, reflecting an incredible self-confidence that allows one to envision the exceptional — and achieve it.
According to NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), everyone holds beliefs shaped by their personal history, based on experiences that become reference points. These beliefs generate values, which in turn shape behavior. Identifying our beliefs and values therefore generally allows us to anticipate our behavior more effectively. And these beliefs can be formidable due to the confirmation bias! We love being right and, as a result, constantly reinforce our beliefs: for example, if someone believes they are incapable of success, they may accumulate failures and strengthen the belief that they are not up to the task. Moreover, our beliefs often stem from our social, family, and educational environment — or even our first professional experiences — and are therefore often ill-suited to help us succeed at the level we operate today.
"Thought creates action. Action creates habit. Habit creates character. Character creates destiny." — From The Power of Thought by Swami Sivananda
In business and values-based management, a manager is generally considered effective when their behavior aligns with the company’s values. There are two main categories of values:
Cultural values, shared within the organization, rooted in its history, and transmitted over time. These values structure employees’ behavior, often unconsciously.
Declared or aspirational values, which indicate the direction in which the culture should evolve. It is the leader’s role to transmit both types of values so that employees can rely on both the established foundation and the new perspectives being introduced.
By becoming aware of our values and beliefs, we can, to some extent, evolve them and reprogram ourselves to better align our behavior with our success objectives in the present environment — the here and now: the “here” being the place, the “now” being the moment in which we live and exist. I suggest the following approach:
1. Assess your beliefs and values
Start with your personal and professional journey, and your achievements as seen today, to observe the events, situations, and encounters that shaped your beliefs. Remember that these beliefs often depend on external factors beyond your control (family environment, schooling, birthplace, education, social milieu, etc.). Tools like a CTT Barrett values questionnaire or a “life tree” exercise are well-suited for this reflection.
2. Identify and replace limiting beliefs
Once identified, you will realize that limiting beliefs act as genuine mental blocks! For example, Byron Katie, a major figure in personal development in the U.S., discovered after a long depression that her belief about the difficulty of overcoming depression was far more painful than the depression itself.
I encourage you to identify your own limiting beliefs and find replacement beliefs. For example, if you feel too old to succeed, adopt Picasso’s phrase: “It takes time to become young” or remember that Louis de Funès achieved success after age 50.
3. Build a positive mindset
A study by GAP Consulting in the U.S. shows that a leader’s impact is strongest when they focus on the effects of their actions within the company and on the people around them. In other words, reflect on the meaning of your contribution as a manager: if your actions are linked to something larger than yourself within the organization, you are building an environment of success for both yourself and your teams.
To succeed in your challenges, nourish your mindset with positive affirmations, for example, as part of a morning ritual.
4. Celebrate all your successes to reinforce your beliefs
Anchoring your successes is a key way to reassure yourself of your ability to succeed! Did you manage to exercise once this week? Celebrate it! Positive evaluation and recognition of your behavioral and mindset changes help strengthen your new system of beliefs and values.
Remember the last change you implemented in your teams: did you measure the progress of its execution? Take stock of completed actions aligned with your new vision, and celebrate progress as a team! Use this momentum to guide your objectives and future actions with your teams and observe their reactions: was your message understood by all? Is information effectively disseminated within the organization? Do your teams have the trust and resources to meet objectives?
With my clients, I like to say: “Either we succeed, or we are right.” Life’s challenges are reminders to move forward and evolve our beliefs to succeed in the life we have chosen to lead.