In these difficult times belief is an important element in running a successful company. Why is belief so important in business? Human nature says we will not do anything unless we believe in it. It starts with the belief of the entrepreneur that he can run a profitable organisation and overcome any obstacles which he may encounter in his path. To do this he needs a passion for what he is doing, a desire to succeed and a personal drive to keep going even under difficult circumstances. Once he is on the path to success and hiring staff the entrepreneur needs to inspire the beliefs he holds on to his team members and they must believe as he does in the company to achieve impossible outcomes against all odds. The entrepreneur needs to in still in his team that they are destined to succeed, that they will do anything and overcome any barrier to succeed and satisfy the customers they are serving. Both existing and prospective customers need to believe in the company and their products as the answer to their own needs. We have identified three important beliefs in an organisation: –

• I believe – the entrepreneur
• We believe – the team
• They believe – the customers

As this is a HR Newsletter I will focus our attention on ‘We Believe’, the belief system of the employees of the company. Employees must believe in the company and its products and services. There is no room for doubt in the minds of employees. If employees don’t believe how can they make customers believe? A company has to act as a team and the team needs the belief that they can win and are winning. How can a football team expect to win matches if they do not believe or work together as a team? How can you expect a company to perform and achieve if they suffer from a low morale and their employees are disillusioned? There have been studies done that conclusively show that company morale is directly linked to profitability. It is a simple equation: low morale equals low profits and high morale equals high profits. It is obvious really if you are happy with your job and your employer, you have more enthusiasm and energy for your work and that means you perform better. From a company point of view you want happy employees not least because it means you get much better rates of productivity and that leads to greater profitability.

On the other hand if employees no longer believe in the company and don’t feel appreciated for what they do then staff turnover will rise and unfortunately it will be the most talented people who leave first as they will find it easy to find new employment. Companies need to attract ‘Talent’. It is passionate talented people who create successful products and services which customers can believe in.

In order to create a good belief system in the company there has to be an excellent communication structure where management and employees can learn from each other and where achievements are celebrated. Managers need to be trained in communication and need to be able to listen and motivate staff members.

Employees are really experts on their company and most care about the future of their organisation and are eager to give their insights and feedback on what is happening if and when asked. Communication is always two-way and critical to create high levels of morale and belief within the company.

As a manager how do you go about achieving such a belief system in your company? The answer is in the word BELIEVE. Let me explain what each letter stands for: –

B – Be passionate and Want it – your team needs to be eager to do what your company is about

E – Extend your Comfort Zone – your team needs to be stretching themselves to reach their goals and repeat this time and time again

L – Lies and Luck won’t Work – don’t be complacent but create your luck by actions and customer knowledge

I – Install Goals – Make sure all staff member have clear goals and know what they need to achieve the let the company become a success

E – Enjoy Hard Work – There is no getting away with it to be successful in anything you need to be able to do the hard work to get there!

V – Very, very Persistent – The team should know that no matter how hard they work there is no guarantee that it will work. Only through perseverance will success be achieved

E – Expect Failure – The team needs to realise that there is no success without failure and it should not be put off when this happens.