Opinion v Belief

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word belief as; an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. Oxford defines the word opinion as; your feelings or thoughts about someone or something, void of proven fact.  

Which side decides which belief or opinion is true? Is it the guy who uses ALL CAPS to make his point? Is it the dirtbag who became president and when caught in a lie, doubles down with another lie? Some won't accept a fact even with overwhelming evidence if it doesn't serve their agenda. 

Facts are irrelevant. 

US politics is a dumpster fire but the red team does a good job of taking the win when they win but blaming all other humans when they lose. That's what five year olds do. What a spectacular way to get yourself out of every jam in your life. It's literally never your fault. Try it with your boss the next time you miss an important client deadline. 

Despite one shred of evidence, millions still believe the 2020 US election was stolen. Apparently if you call something a witch hunt and fake news long enough, some will believe you. If you don't get your way, apparently acting like a giant baby is the way to go. I live in Canada and it's like watching the WWE from the cheap seats.  

Many who start the rumor only care about winning at all costs. Their belief is irrelevant as long as they serve their opinion. But that's just my belief and opinion, of course.

I'll get the popcorn.

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The Stories We Tell Ourselves

We love stories. They give our lives perspective. They help give context to concepts we share. If we can present a new idea that resonates with the audience, it holds more credibility. But if I share an idea with you, you don’t just digest what I'm saying; your beliefs, perceptions, and point of view come into play. Your experience and bias is always part of the equation. 

The same happens with team culture. If you work in an environment that encourages sales at all costs but you prefer building relationships first, your time will be challenged. Those who measure success solely by financial gain may tell you to just make more calls because their perspective is relationships are a numbers game. 

 It’s the way we do it around here 

 If your leadership style is to give a good portion of your time to help the development of your people to in turn grow the bottom line; someone who tells you the best way to motivate people is through fear, will be a recipe for conflict. The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. They feed our narrative, perspective, and beliefs. They can become our truth regardless of reality or facts. 

And it gets even trickier when you have culture comprised of people from different demographics, psychographics, or points of view. This is not to suggest teams succeed when everyone thinks the same way - just the opposite - but if we become rigid, we can close ourselves off from even better ideas. 

Turning the camera around 

If you have a belief embedded deep inside you, it will require enormous energy for me to first convince you another stance and then share my view. 

Multiple that dynamic by hundreds or thousands in an organization and you can quickly see how the power of story can morph into complication. But if we accept our differing points of view, we both win. 

 The stories we tell ourselves can also get in our way.

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Fake News and Other Opinions

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word belief as; an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. Oxford defines the word opinion as; your feelings or thoughts about someone or something, void of proven fact.  

Which side decides which belief or opinion is true? Is it the guy who uses ALL CAPS to make his point? Is it the dirtbag who became president and when caught in a lie, doubles down with another lie? Some won't accept a fact even with overwhelming evidence if it doesn't serve their agenda. 

Facts are irrelevant. 

I believe US politics is a bit of a dumpster fire; you may not and that's cool. We do have to give kudos to the red team for their strategy of taking the win when they win but blaming all other humans when they lose. That's what five year olds do. What a spectacular way to get yourself out of every jam in your life. It's literally never your fault. Try it with your boss the next time you miss an important client deadline. 

Despite one shred of evidence, millions still believe the 2020 US election was stolen. Apparently if you call something a witch hunt and fake news long enough, some will believe you. If you don't get your way, apparently acting like a giant baby is the way to go. I live in Canada and it's like watching the WWE from the cheap seats.  

Many who start the rumor only care about winning at all costs. Their belief is irrelevant as long as they serve their opinion. But that's just my belief and opinion, of course.

I'll get the popcorn.

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Perspective

We love stories. They give our lives perspective. They help give context to concepts we share. If we can present a new idea that resonates with the audience, it holds more credibility. But if I share an idea with you, you don’t just digest what I'm saying; your beliefs, perceptions, and point of view come into play. Your experience and bias is always part of the equation. 

The same happens with team culture. If you work in an environment that encourages sales at all costs but you prefer building relationships first, your time will be challenged. Those who measure success solely by financial gain may tell you to just make more calls because their perspective is relationships are a numbers game. 

 It’s the way we do it around here 

 If your leadership style is to give a good portion of your time to help the development of your people to in turn grow the bottom line; someone who tells you the best way to motivate people is through fear, will be a recipe for conflict. The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. They feed our narrative, perspective, and beliefs. They can become our truth regardless of reality or facts. 

And it gets even trickier when you have culture comprised of people from different demographics, psychographics, or points of view. This is not to suggest teams succeed when everyone thinks the same way - just the opposite - but if we become rigid, we can close ourselves off from even better ideas. 

Turning the camera around 

If you have a belief embedded deep inside you, it will require enormous energy for me to first convince you another stance and then share my view. 

Multiple that dynamic by hundreds or thousands in an organization and you can quickly see how the power of story can morph into complication. But if we accept our differing points of view, we both win. 

 The stories we tell ourselves can also get in our way.

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The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Stories give our lives perspective. They offer context to concepts we share. If we present a new idea that resonates with the audience, it holds more credibility. If I share an idea with you, you don’t just digest what I'm saying; your beliefs, perceptions, and point of view come into play. Your experience and bias is always part of the equation.

The same happens with team culture. If you work in an environment that encourages sales at all costs but you prefer building relationships first, your time will be challenged. Those who measure success solely by financial gain may tell you to just make more calls because their perspective is relationships are a numbers game.

That's not how we do it here

If your leadership style is to give a good portion of your time to help the development of your people to in turn grow the bottom line; someone who tells you the best way to motivate people is through fear, will be a recipe for conflict.

The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. They feed our narrative, perspective, and beliefs. They can become our truth regardless of reality or facts. It gets trickier when you have culture comprised of different demographics, psychographics, or points of view. 

What's your opinion?

This is not to suggest teams succeed when everyone thinks the same way - just the opposite - but if we become rigid, we can close ourselves off from even better ideas.

If you have a belief embedded deep inside you, it will require enormous energy for me to first convince you another stance and then share my view. Multiple that dynamic by hundreds or even thousands in an organization and you can quickly see how the power of story can morph into complication. The dangerous part is this bias can hide inside what some may mistake as company culture. 

If we consider our differing points of view, we both might win.

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Widening the Lens

We love stories. They give our lives perspective. They help give context to concepts we share. If we can present a new idea that resonates with the audience, it holds more credibility. But if I share an idea with you, you don’t just digest what I'm saying; your beliefs, perceptions, and point of view come into play. Your experience and bias is always part of the equation.

The same happens with team culture. If you work in an environment that encourages sales at all costs but you prefer building relationships first, your time will be challenged. Those who measure success solely by financial gain may tell you to just make more calls because their perspective is relationships are a numbers game.

It’s the way we do it around here

If your leadership style is to give a good portion of your time to help the development of your people to in turn grow the bottom line; someone who tells you the best way to motivate people is through fear, will be a recipe for conflict.

The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. They feed our narrative, perspective, and beliefs. They can become our truth regardless of reality or facts. And it gets even trickier when you have culture comprised of people from different demographics, psychographics, or points of view. This is not to suggest teams succeed when everyone thinks the same way - just the opposite - but if we become rigid, we can close ourselves off from even better ideas.

Turning the camera around

If you have a belief embedded deep inside you, it will require enormous energy for me to first convince you another stance and then share my view. Multiple that dynamic by hundreds or thousands in an organization and you can quickly see how the power of story can morph into complication. But if we accept our differing points of view, we both win.

The stories we tell ourselves can also get in our way.
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Self Worth

Self-doubt can be one of the most destructive and debilitating emotions we possess. It can be difficult to believe in yourself even when those around you believe in you. Something deep inside has convinced you that you aren’t worth it, can’t do it, won’t make it. It’s an emotion most of us feel at one point in our lives.

Some have it briefly from time to time or in certain situations while others feel the paralyzing fear that stops them from moving forward. As counter-intuitive as it may sound, it becomes their comfort zone.

Dr. BJ Davis was a two-time convict. He lived a world of drug abuse and despair. His life was going nowhere. Give yourself 14 minutes to watch this.


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What's Your Story?

We love stories. They give our lives perspective. They help give context to concepts we share. If we can present a new idea that resonates with the audience, it holds more credibility. But if I share an idea with you, you don’t just digest what I'm saying; your beliefs, perceptions, and point of view come into play. Your experience and bias is always part of the equation.

The same happens with team culture. If you work in an environment that encourages sales at all costs but you prefer building relationships first, your time will be challenged. Those who measure success solely by financial gain may tell you to just make more calls because their perspective is relationships are a numbers game.

It’s the way we do it around here

If your leadership style is to give a good portion of your time to help the development of your people to in turn grow the bottom line; someone who tells you the best way to motivate people is through fear, will be a recipe for conflict.

The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. They feed our narrative, perspective, and beliefs. They can become our truth regardless of reality or facts. And it gets even trickier when you have culture comprised of people from different points of view, demographics, or psychographics. This is not to suggest teams succeed when everyone thinks the same way - just the opposite - but if we become rigid, we can close ourselves off from even better ideas.

The stories we embrace can also get in our way.
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Just Say No

Just say no to accepting the past will repeat.
Just say no when you hear that negative self-talk.

Just say no to naysayers. Just say no to those who reject you.

Just say no to giving up. Just say no when you think you can't.
Just say no to letting go of your dream.

Just say no to letting setbacks stop you. Just say no to distractions.
Just say no to sharing your ideas with negative people.

Just say no to fear. Just say no to doubt. Just say no to stopping.

Just say no to being hard on yourself.
Just say no to disbelieving your ideas matter.

Just say no to avoiding asking others for help.
Just say no to average. Just say no to excuses.

Just say no to thinking it won't get better.
Just say no to people who hold you back.
Just so not to procrastinating.

Just say no to accepting you can't do it.
Just say no to emotional vampires.

Just say no to thinking mistakes define you.
Just say no to comparing yourself to others.
Just say no to not shipping your art.
Just say no to letting yourself stop following your dream

Let's just say yes we can and will.
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It’s Only True if You Believe It

Self-doubt can be one of the most destructive and debilitating emotions we possess. It can be difficult to believe in yourself even when those around you believe in you. Something deep inside has convinced you that you aren’t worth it, can’t do it, won’t make it. It’s an emotion most of us feel at one point in our lives.

Some have it briefly from time to time or in certain situations while others feel the paralyzing fear that stops them from moving forward. As counter-intuitive as it may sound, it becomes their comfort zone.

Dr. BJ Davis was a two-time convict. He lived a world of drug abuse and despair. His life was going nowhere. Give yourself 14 minutes to watch this.

And find out what happened next.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

Ready Set Go!

I've gone through some significant changes in my life this year and I was talking about them with a colleague recently which got us going deep on what stops us from moving where we want to go. For some reason, we often become our biggest hurdle. It also appears most people I know find it difficult to ask for help.

It reminded me of Manuel de los Santos.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

Manuel de los Santos

The Truth About Facts

Einstein said; “If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. Maya Angelou added; "Don't let the facts get in the way of the truth". Mark Twain pondered; "How empty is theory in the presence of fact?”. And Felix Cohen opined; “The theories we believe we call facts. The facts we disbelieve we call theories.”

It’s been said few will argue with their own data. But how do we separate fact from theory? Tom Asacker ponders that very question in his recent TEDTalk.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership and management consultant helping leaders, teams, and companies get clear on their goals and results.

TED | Tom Asacker

Changing the Narrative

We love stories. They give our lives perspective. They help give context to concepts we share. If we can present a new idea that resonates with the audience, it holds more credibility. But if I share an idea with you, you don’t just digest what I'm saying; your beliefs, perceptions, and point of view come into play. Your experience and bias is always part of the equation.

The same happens with team culture. If you work in an environment that encourages sales at all costs but you prefer building relationships first, your time will be challenged. Those who measure success solely by financial gain may tell you to just make more calls because their perspective is relationships are a numbers game.

It’s the way we do it around here

If your leadership style is to give a good portion of your time to help the development of your people to in turn grow the bottom line; someone who tells you the best way to motivate people is through fear, will be a recipe for conflict.

The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. They feed our narrative, perspective, and beliefs. They can become our truth regardless of reality or facts. And it gets even trickier when you have culture comprised of people from different demographics, psychographics, or points of view. This is not to suggest teams succeed when everyone thinks the same way - just the opposite - but if we become rigid, we can close ourselves off from even better ideas.

Turning the camera around

We work with teams all over the world and it becomes blatantly clear, for instance, that adopting a North American management viewpoint with leaders in Asia Pacific can create undue stress. If you have a belief embedded deep inside you, it will require enormous energy for me to first convince you another stance and then share my view. Multiple that dynamic by hundreds or thousands in an organization and you can quickly see how the power of story can morph into complication. But if we accept our differing points of view, we both win.

The stories we embrace can also get in our way.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

istock

Tom Asacker | The Business of Belief (part 2)

Yesterday, I posted part one of a conversation I had with my colleague Tom Asacker who has published his latest book The Business of Belief.

This is the second part of our conversation.

You write: “We choose what we choose because we believe in it. And those beliefs are driven by our desires.” Can you expand on that?

Tom: Belief is what humans do. Our personal beliefs and desires drive our choices. And in most cases, like fish in water, we’re unaware of that reality. Let’s take a relevant example. Right now someone is reading this blog post. If you were able to ask them why, they might respond, “I enjoy Kneale’s perspective, or I like Kneale.”

If you dug deeper, you may hear, “I was bored and intrigued by the subject matter.” If you go deep enough, you’ll eventually discover that whoever is reading this is reading it because they believe it’s the right decision for them to be making at this time. And why? Because they want to!

It sounds really simple, and it is. But how and why our minds work to create and nourish our beliefs is largely hidden from us. If you become aware of how and why it happens, you’ll know how to better motivate yourself and influence others.

You write there is nothing more powerful than our beliefs and in order to change the world, we need to change our beliefs, but how do we ensure they are our beliefs and not what society or industry or a boss or friend may have convinced us because of their beliefs?

Tom: That’s a great question. And I’m not sure I can answer it in a way that would “ensure” an unbiased assessment. We are all products of our past our upbringing, experiences, acculturation, genetics, etc. It’s simply not possible to scrub our brains of all of that influence. The challenge is to develop a personal philosophy of life and living, and then consciously consider our decisions and choices within that framework. That’s what makes leaders great, and people special.

If you suggest beliefs are nothing more than working assumptions, how do our beliefs become habits or unconscious actions?

Tom: It’s simple, really. If we develop a working assumption, say that a particular brand will do the job for us because we like the price, people, design, et al., and then it DOES that job, we now have evidence to support our belief. And so, we don’t have to spend time and energy considering that particular choice in the future. The process is the same for all of our decisions.

What have been some of the influences in changing your beliefs?

Tom: I’m probably a bit different than most, in that I make it my business to know why people do the things they do. So I’m always looking for the underlying reasons behind various decisions, including my own. And it’s that process, of questioning, that has influenced most of my changes. Of course, I have been influenced by others, including my friends and the media. But I try to make sure that those influences mesh with and contribute to my personal philosophies and evolving narrative. We all do.

Our minds are motivated by various stimuli, how can we shape that data to stay focused on the beliefs that will be helpful to us and those around us?

Tom: Desire will do the shaping for you. The stronger it is, the more influence it will have over your mind’s assessment of the various stimuli. It will screen and interpret the data to reinforce your desires and beliefs. This process is neither good nor bad; it’s simply how the brain works.

You also write in the book that our feeling mind and impulses can lead us astray, so trust our guts or not?

Tom: Know when to trust your gut. If you’ve developed expertise in a particular field or domain, pay attention to the signals being sent from your unconscious with regards to that domain. But, in general, be very skeptical of your feeling mind. It’s a short-term thinker. It’s an impulsive, impatient, and quite fearful companion.

What are the key hopes you have for anyone reading this book?

Tom: To be more conscious, of their beliefs, their choices, their words and actions and to live life on purpose, with caring and daring.

Thanks Tom! The Business of Belief is out now.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

tom asacker | learntoem

Tom Asacker | The Business of Belief (part 1)

Writing a book is hard work. Many who have never attempted this endeavor, like many disciplines, have an opposite opinion. If you have ever had the inkling, here are a few things to consider. First, you need a thesis to carry your book. It is an angle, a story you want to share, a theory or outline that will hold your readers’ attention.

Next you need to write

For business books, generally that means 50-80,000 words, novels are 75,000 words and up. Then you need someone to edit it to ensure there is a flow which will keep that reader hooked. There are footnotes and credits and all that fun stuff to add in next.

Now the work begins

Once that is complete, you need to actually get it in the hands of readers which requires marketing, advertising, speaking engagements, social networking, or a myriad other channels. Oh, and if you think publishing a book will be an instant financial windfall, well, unless you’re Stephen King or John Grisham, don’t hold your breath.

Still interested?

I first met Tom Asacker through Twitter. He posted something that got me interested, then more, then I visited his website and read more about his work and philosophies. Then watched some of Tom’s speaking engagements and followed that with a phone call. We had a great chat and we've been in touch ever since.

I like Tom’s straight forward approach and he's an entertaining and thought provoking speaker. He is a seasoned business strategist, author, speaker, and marketer who knows his stuff and keeps learning every day.

His latest book is entitled The Business of Belief and it’s a fascinating read. Tom and I touched base a while back and decided to do something different. I asked if I could interview him about the book and his life and he obliged. This is the first of two parts of that conversation.

Why did you write The Business of Belief?

Tom: I don’t know yet. I’m being quite sincere. These types of non-fiction books are really about one thing: Changing people’s lives by illustrating and illuminating an emotional truth. When I hear back from people who have read the book and, as a result, have changed their businesses and their lives, then I’ll know why I wrote it.

You outline in the book that there are two factions or sources of energy working against each other.

First, is our ability to share and spread ideas faster through technology and the second is the difficulty in actually influencing the beliefs and behaviors of our intended audiences. You call it the Issue-Attention Cycle. Explain.

Tom: Awareness is obviously still a prerequisite in any type of communication process. But it’s a time consuming and expensive undertaking if it doesn't accomplish the end goal, which is belief and behavior change.

The issue-attention cycle refers primarily to public opinion, how our enthusiasm for programs or issues initially peaks and then fades off. There’s no doubt that the same thing happens with organizations.

The difference is that the leader of an organization has a captive audience. It’s up to her to make sure that she communicates clearly, frequently and passionately, and that she eliminates competing priorities on her people’s time and attention.

The theme of the book, and I assume now, your life, is belief and the ability for us to stay clear on our values. What is belief for you?

Tom: I’m only human, so many of my beliefs go unquestioned. There’s simply not enough time in the day to evaluate each and every decision. But I do make it a routine practice to question my work: Am I making a real difference in people’s lives and how can I change to improve my impact?

I also continually question my humanity: Am I as compassionate and caring as I can be? Am I making decisions that will make the world a better place in the future? The key is to be conscious, which is hard for people who are hurrying through life making most of their decisions on autopilot.

More with Tom and the Business of Belief tomorrow.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

tom asacker | learntoem

FILDI: Let Me Let You

Let me remember that I love helping people and I make mistakes. Let me know that my gut is telling me something when my head is trying to steer me in the wrong direction. Let me realize that everything I did has prepared me for what I’m doing and will do.

Let me play you a brilliant video from the always thought provoking Ze Frank. Let you not be offended by some of the words he uses because they are critical to our success. Let you do something for you after you watch this video.

Let you hit play. Now.

Some language not suitable for all ages but necessary for most.

Kneale Mann

Ze Frank

Push Beyond Your Limits

There have been moments in your life when you felt you didn’t have the answer. Conversely, there have been times when you allowed yourself to dream, if only for a moment, about what you wanted in your life, your career, your family or your lifestyle. And perhaps you paused. Then went back to what you thought was reality.

Caroline Casey was a global management consultant and changed it all to create her not-for-profit organization Kanchi. She discusses leadership, disabilities, elephants and how we must push beyond our limits and accomplish more.


Kneale Mann

caroline casey | TED

Are You Committed to Your Future Self?

We all know we’re going to die. We all know, if we live long enough, we will get old. We make decisions every day which will affect our future. Daniel Goldstein explains how our decisions today will affect our tomorrow. What decisions will you make today in your life, your business and your leadership of others?

Daniel explains our struggle between our present and future 


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED | Daniel Goldstein

2010: Resolution Check-Up

I’m in the process of moving this space to a comfier more permanent home so I am sifting through archives. Christmas is three months today but this is the list I compiled last December. I always feel so brave when I make these lists and judging from the comments, many agreed.

10. Care A Little Less
We seem to put far too much credence in the opinion of others. Perhaps because we have a need to belong and in order to quantify an idea or success, we need a pat on the head from others.

9. Give More
This to suggest that we allow our talents and gifts to shine and replace all the empty boasting that all too often gets the spotlight.

8. Do Not Heed
If you allow the group named them to rule your decisions and behavior, you will lead a challenging life. The musician doesn't ask the crowd before she writes the song.

7. Smile and Wave
Imagine you are going about your day and suddenly it becomes clear that someone is having a bad time and is looking to have a fight with anyone they can lure.

6. Learn to Say No
No is a perfectly acceptable answer and a complete sentence. This is not to suggest we don't stretch but while we try to do everything, we do nothing well. Say no so you can say yes to what matters.  

5. Of Course You Can
You have heard it, read it and seen it your entire life. You can do whatever you want if you believe and try hard enough. Are you doing it?

4. Eradicate the Naysayers
Never share your dreams with negative people.Naysayers are as common as lint so what's the upside of listening to them?

3. Listen to the Right Voices
As soon as you stop listening to the negative voices and start paying closer attention to the ambitious ones, things will change immediately.

2. Trust Yourself More Than You Trust Others
This is not about blind arrogance, it's about truly knowing our strengths and going for it.

1. Quit Your Whining
Scientists have not linked complaints to progress.

How are we doing so far?

knealemann