Belief, says Tom Asacker, author of The Business of Belief, is a tough concept. While we tend to think of beliefs in spiritual, religious or moral terms, they actually touch every aspect of our lives. In fact, Asacker suggests, our existence is defined by our beliefs.
The problem most of us have in seeing this is that we are “like fish in water, our heads are swimming in beliefs.” Beliefs determine how we think and feel, our careers, goals and actions. Surprisingly, most of us also have little recognition of the origin of our beliefs or how they impact us.
Compounding this idea are two realities of the modern marketplace. The first is that our choices have increased dramatically. Every product, service and cause must be more outstanding in order to get our attention.
Second, as choices have increased, trust and attention have diminished. Companies have to work hard to reach the famed Andy Warhol edict that “everyone will have 15 minutes of fame.” Building trust is another challenge altogether.
Given these contemporary circumstances, we make choices based on what we believe, which may or may not be logical or real. If we can understand beliefs, Asacker suggests, as individuals, consumers, buyers, sellers and companies of all kinds, perhaps we can make better, more successful decisions.
Asacker sets forth his premise in the prologue: “This book is about understanding belief — what it is and how it is created. And it’s about how successful people inspire and move others, or how, in my lingo, they practice the business of belief.”
The author looks to modern studies in psychology and neuroscience to confirm ideas espoused by philosophers for hundreds of years. We are of two minds — and it is our “intuitive, feeling” mind that controls our “analytical, thinking” mind. “Our gut, rather than our head, steers our attention and behavior,” Asacker says.
While our intuition may steer us in the wrong direction, nonetheless, it is the leader, the author says. When it is proven right, it reinforces our beliefs. Those beliefs give structure to the physical world. Ultimately, it determines our decisions.
We crave consistency in our beliefs. Making decisions means being confronted by endless options and often-conflicting viewpoints. The need for consistency requires tuning out options. For example, we love the idea that it is all right to be a few pounds overweight or two glasses of wine per day is healthy. Our parents smoked every day and never developed cancer, so it is okay for us to smoke.
In this way, we often develop our own “proof” to support our beliefs. Belief therefore overrides cognitive dissonance or intellectual processes.
The author gives a personal example to support this: every day he takes “handfuls” of dietary supplements. He admits to never seeing evidence that supports the benefits of this and even admits that he doesn’t feel any effects. He has even read that taking such supplements may be not only unnecessary, but also dangerous. But his belief in their value overrides any other factors.
Beliefs are conditioned by the stories we tell both about our businesses and ourselves. We live according to our stories — choosing clothing, cars and work that are consistent with whom we believe we want to become. Like the example of vitamins, we choose information that validates our beliefs.
Today, the ability to make our own stories has shifted to the individual. The author gives much credit for this to the Internet, which gives us more choices due to the large amount of information. More choice means more responsibility for the individual.
Today’s marketplace has responded to this with an outpouring of new ideas, products and causes. Many complain of being overwhelmed with options. While we have the freedom to choose, often we don’t know why we do what we do, choosing simply to reinforce our established beliefs.
Changing someone’s belief is an “act of leadership.” Before you can lead people, Asacker says, you have to know where they want to go. Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, for example, turned that company around by soliciting advice from customers and employees and acting on it. The first step to changing people is to understand their beliefs.
The Business of Belief approaches business unlike most typical problem/solution books. It presents an in-depth understanding of how belief systems affect business and how our awareness of this can make us leaders in the market as well as in our lives.