Belief: A Work Story

“People don’t believe what you tell them.
They rarely believe what you show them.
They often believe what their friends tell them.
They always believe what they tell themselves.”

— Seth Godin

Our beliefs are shaped by our experiences. However old you are today is
how long you’ve been telling yourself what you believe. As humans, we’re
meaning-making machines—constantly taking experiences, emotions, and
interactions and knitting them together into a story we accept as truth.

This week, I’ve been meeting with our front-line leaders and inviting others
from across our large department to join us. We started simply: introducing
ourselves, because not everyone knows each other. We exchanged phone
numbers and talked through ways to eliminate communication challenges.
We discussed how to take better photos of broken irrigation heads so we
can understand exactly where a problem is. We reviewed our roles and
what the next 30-days of work will look like. After about an hour, we
wrapped up and went back to our day.

Simple meeting. Better stories.

I need my team to tell themselves good stories—about who they are, who
we are, and who their teammates are. Too often, the stories people carry
are shaped by negative experiences. Work becomes harder when we don’t
help our teams create better stories in their heads.

As leaders, we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to help
reshape those stories—or at least add new chapters. We influence beliefs
through our actions (which always speak louder than words), through clear
communication, shared vision, honest feedback, trust-building, mentorship,
and meaningful goals. We shape culture—one interaction at a time—and
culture shapes how employees see themselves and their role in the
mission.

The story you tell as a leader matters.

But the stories your team tells themselves matter even more.

So create the kind of environment where those stories are hopeful,
empowering, and true—where work feels meaningful, and where people
feel proud of the role they play.

Jeff