Something to Believe In
Inspiring others to believe—and enabling that belief to become reality—is the essence of leadership, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
Gary Burnison is CEO of Korn Ferry. For more career advice, read his latest book, I Need a Job!
“What really separates great from good?”
It was a question I recently had the opportunity to ask a world-class athlete.
As we stood there, in his element, I waited for the answer. And without hesitation, he said just one word.
“Belief.”
I’ll admit—at first, it took me by surprise. I had expected something complex, even nuanced—perhaps a reflection on training, discipline, facing fear, sacrifice, and the mental game.
But this unexpected answer makes perfect sense. This is someone who has reached a level that many aspire to and almost no one achieves. I actually looked it up: 99.995% of players in his sport never rise to his level.
And what else but pure belief would propel anyone to such greatness—reaching the pinnacles that they wish to achieve.
Belief is the ultimate intrinsic motivator that transcends all else. It’s even the essence of leadership: inspiring others to believe—and enabling that belief to become reality.
After all, people may not remember what we tell them—they will remember whether we believe in them.
An executive at a major financial services firm shared with me just the other day a cherished memory from childhood—of spending summer vacations in a village in north India. Every morning, he accompanied his grandfather, who was well respected and head of the village council, to the fields and watched as his grandfather interacted with others.
“One evening, our chitchat veered toward what I wanted to become when I grew up,” the executive told me. “I don’t remember my specific reply, but what I remember vividly is his suggestion in Hindi: beta jo bhi karna, bus apne aas paas ke logon ka dhyan rakhna—become whatever you want to but make sure you have a positive impact on the people around you!”
An enduring lesson in believing—in ourselves and in others.
Believing in someone, especially when they are in doubt, is an expression of confidence—and believing for others is a purposeful action. It turns fear into confidence, ambivalence into motivation.
Here’s the thing, though. We have to believe in ourselves first—before we can aspire to inspire others. Once we commit to it, belief doesn’t stay contained. What begins as an internal conviction becomes an external force multiplier.
The fact is the leader’s job is always to deliver belief. How we do that depends on our leadership style.
Our firm’s research, drawing on assessments of hundreds of thousands of leaders in more than 2,000 organizations around the world, has identified six overall leadership styles—directive, participative, visionary, pacesetting, affiliative, and coaching.
Inherent in every behavior and style is belief. It must be both our opening act and the encore of leadership.
When it all comes together, belief reverberates outward and cascades everywhere—creating a mindset that shows up in how we lead and how others respond.
We all know what belief does not look like. The manager… who controls a bit too much. The colleague… who is quick with a “but,” and short on “and.”
Tellingly, we also know what belief does look like and, more importantly, what it feels like. It uplifts, energizes, moves, inspires.
And that is something to believe in.
