Suspend Cynicism in Business by Deciding to Believe

In uncovering the intention and motivation of beloved companies, what becomes clear is that these companies defy traditional practices. They resist restricting customers and employees with a set of rules and regulations.

In manufacturing, where friction between workers and management is almost unavoidable, it was reduced by a decision to build a partnership.

The belief: People can meet in the middle. Workers and management are stronger together than apart.

In the majority of fast food restaurants and grocery stores, where worker retention is classically low and staffs are filled with people who just put in their time and leave, beloved companies decide to make staff selection one of the most important things that they do.

The belief: Once they hire the right people, they can trust them to live by the values, spirit, and passion for which they were chosen.

In healthcare, fear of litigious patients was suspended in a decision to make records available to patients and their families.

The belief: Trust is reciprocated.

In each of these cases, companies have been able to suspend the cynicism. They have diminished the rules. And instead, they have decided to believe:

• the good judgment of the people they hire
• that trust is reciprocated between companies and their customers
• the honesty and integrity of their customers
• that honoring the intelligence of employees grows their business

What Energy Can You Unleash Inside Your Organization by Deciding to Believe?

How much second-guessing do you signal to your customers and the front line serving them with your rules, regulations, and policies? Are you ready to “skinny down” your policy manual?

You will increase your prosperity by deciding to believe in your customers and your people. The decision to believe is core to beloved companies. Having this ability is the foundation for building the kind of company that employees love and customers want to be associated with.

The company decisions that follow demonstrate that the ability to simply “believe” can and should continue to exist in business.

Do Your Employees Feel Trusted? Do Your Employee Ideas See the Light of Day? Are Your Customers an Asset or a Cost Center? Do You Believe Feedback From Your Customers? Do You Trust The Majority of Employees? (Or manage to the minority?) Are You Hiring Partners or Filling Positions?