People, and therefore companies, have little faith these days. Faith being the unwavering belief in another people’s ability or plan to create something great. This can be a teammate, a family member, or even themselves.
Instead, they have facts. Facts about what worked well last year, what skills someone has demonstrated, and about what experiences people bring to the table.
The interesting thing is that these facts are all based in the past. Past success, past performance, past experience. With little faith, these past-based facts can begin to drive future business decisions.
“The team tried that last year and didn’t see any results, so let’s try a different approach.”
“You haven’t proven yourself yet, so I’m not going to give you this upcoming project.”
“That candidate doesn’t come with any experience in our field, so he probably won’t be of any benefit to us.”
The past dictates our future when we solely rely on facts.
Faith, on the other hand, doesn’t need proof or evidence from the past. It doesn’t compare where we are today to where we were. Instead, it looks to where we could be and creates a path from here to there.
In this environment, be it at home, at work, or in the gym, you are surrounded by trust, confidence, and inspiration. You innovate constantly as there is always a new future to be created. You dream big dreams and then turn them into goals. You develop your people before they prove themselves “worthy enough” for that development. You hire based on cultural fit. You take big risks and see what sticks.
For some, running your life (or company) based completely on faith is unbelievable.
For others, it’s the only thing that works.
This guest post was written by Matt Corker, Leadership Development Advisor at lululemon athletica
Matt Corker has a serious addiction to big ideas, bold goals, and strong communities. After working for the University of British Columbia in alumni and student affairs, Matt was drawn to lululemon athletica – a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company that creates components for people to live longer, healthier, more fun lives. In his role of Leadership Development Advisor, Matt is responsible for delivering new-hire orientations and professional development 
opportunities that empower their great staff to achieve their dreams and live a life they LOVE! Matt has a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and International Business from the Sauder School of Business at UBC and will be starting his MBA at the Copenhagen Business School in the fall. He has a strong background in leadership and development and a big heart for social media, inspiring minds, and giving out great high fives. More information about Matt can be found at http://thatsacorker.com.
In the past, reward was given to those who soldiered on the most, followed directions the best, and worked the longest hours. No wonder we used to refer to our daily work as the “grind”. Employees who are thriving today are nothing less than leaders in their own realm. Godin calls them “artists”, in the sense that they provide value to other peoples’ lives above and beyond what is expected of them. They are not replaceable cogs in the machine but “linchpins” as Godin calls them: indispensable components of the whole. You find them in your favourite coffee shop where the barista makes you feel so good that you would never think about getting your latte anywhere else. You find them in the flight attendant who puts a smile on your face with their wit and attention. They are the customer service reps who not only solve your problem but manage to make you laugh and completely forget why you were so frustrated before making the call. Linchpins are better listeners – they do what it takes to solve problems, and they engage with people. They are leaders at what they do; not because they have to, but because they can’t help but invest emotionally in the work they do.
Why are such leaders in everyday jobs still a rare find? The answer may be slightly more complex than you might think. People are leaders in their field because they are passionate about what they do. They truly care. The real challenge is that the majority of employees don’t do what they are really passionate about. They are in the wrong jobs, doing the wrong things that don’t really mean anything to them emotionally. This predicament was described by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles in their 1993 bestseller “
