RECRUITING FOR SUCCESS us are trained to focus on the tangible : strategy , science , profit , product quality . Of late , subjects such as vision and values — especially at Zingerman ’ s — have also become high priorities . So too , appropriately , has organizational purpose . We like long-term planning , LEAN management , and low-cost change initiatives . All are interesting and all are important . But if you haven ’ t already picked up on my theme , it ’ s worth recognizing that particular beliefs underlie them all . I ’ ve come to the conclusion that belief needs to be an area of focus unto itself .
All too often , we aren ’ t cognizant of what we believe . Our beliefs will be at work regardless , but unless we pay attention , they remain a mystery to us and we lose the magic . I believe that reflection , understanding , and increased consciousness can change all that . I believe that if we raise awareness of the role beliefs play in our lives , we can make a whole lot of good things happen for ourselves and for everyone around us . It has certainly worked well for me .
Thinking agriculturally ( as I want to do , given our work with food ), I ’ ve come to see that beliefs are basically the root systems of our organizations . What shows up above the surface , in “ real life ,” is a reflection of what ’ s already been going on below ground . As anarchist Alexander Berkman writes , “ You can ’ t grow a rose from a cactus seed .” This statement is so obvious that it seems almost silly to say it aloud . Unfortunately , many of us try to do exactly what Berkman poetically points out won ’ t work . Our beliefs are , all too often , out of alignment with what we ’ re trying to attain . Yet we ’ re still surprised each time the “ wrong ” plant sprouts from the soil . We get angry , frustrated , and depressed . We feel defeated . In response , many of us go out to cut the offender off at the root line . But you know what happens then , right ? The same darned plant soon pops up again .
The real work isn ’ t to cut out bad behavior ; it ’ s to change the beliefs that put it in motion , to set a different root system in the soil . If we want to grow roses , we ’ d best begin by getting rosebushes in the ground . Positive beliefs tend to yield more positive outcomes ; negative beliefs , more negative results ; neutral beliefs don ’ t really do either . Until we are aware of what our beliefs are , and of the fact that we can consciously choose the beliefs we need in order to get to the outcomes we aspire to attain , we will continue to struggle in our lives both personally and professionally . Carl Jung warns us accordingly : “ Until you make the unconscious conscious , it will direct your life and you will call it fate .”
The point of this piece is to move us from unconsciousness to consciousness in the management of our beliefs . Because it ’ s only from a place of conscious attention that we can learn more about what our beliefs actually are or about how to choose and manage them appropriately and effectively . Whether we acknowledge it or not , our beliefs are calling our shots . Our beliefs lead us to take certain actions , which inform the beliefs of others , which lead them to almost always act in ways that reinforce our original beliefs . It ’ s what Claude Bristol wrote over half a century ago in The Magic of Believing : “ Every person is the creation of himself [ or herself ], the image of his [ or her ] own thinking and believing . As individuals think and believe , so they are .” +
Ari Weinzweig is the co-founding partner of the Zingerman ’ s Community of Businesses in Ann Arbor , Michigan . Starting in 1982 with 2 employees and a 1300-square foot deli Ari and his partner Paul Saginaw have grown the organization to include 10 businesses including a bakery , a creamery , a mail order business and more ; a staff of over 700 ; and annual sales of over $ 60,000,000 . This article is adapted from Ari ’ s new book , Zingerman ’ s Guide to Good Leading , Part 4 : A Lapsed Anarchist ’ s Approach to the Power of Beliefs in Business . You can see more about Ari ’ s books and ZingTrain at zingtrain . com , and you can learn more about bringing a taste of Zingerman ’ s to your front door by visiting zingermans . com
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