The Power of Conviction, being decisive and confident cannot be under estimated. As a differentiating value, conviction can be defined as the unshakable belief in something, without the need for evidence or proof. There is a solid connection between conviction and faith which is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence yet unseen.
For instance, most if not all of us, have been brought up with the belief in God. The stories, the idols, the sculptures, the pictures and the rituals all were designed to reinforce that belief, leading us to be convinced that God do exists. When we grew up, science made us question that belief. Yet many of us chose to believe in the Almighty’s power. As time went by, we learnt from our experiences that God need not be the one in the pictures or idols we were shown in our childhood. To some of us, love was God, to few others it was humanity and for some it was honesty. Whatever form we chose to see God as, we made a conscious choice to believe in the power of the Almighty. When we experience such a belief, a faith in something, without the need for evidence or proof to justify that belief, then we truly possess Conviction. And with such a conviction comes immense power- the power to change ourselves; the power to change lives around us; the power to make changes in the world around us.
Andy Stanley in his book “Visioneering” defines a vision as a clear mental picture of what it could be fueled by the conviction of what it should be. In simple words, what he means is our belief is our conviction and from it stems our vision. And so my dear friends, heed your Conviction, for it holds the key to your vision and your future. Choose your beliefs wisely and please do heed your Convictions.
Now, let us try to understand why conviction is much needed at workplace. Only when we as leaders are convinced of our true potential, only when we as managers are convinced of the work we do and the resources we have, only then the people we work with will rally around our cause. For instance, let us take the case of Mr. Kumar, Manager (Sales). If Mr. Kumar does not believe in his company or his products, will he be able to recognize the business potential; will he be able to position the apt products to his customer base; will he be able to serve his customers at all? Only when a manager, as a leader is convinced in the work he is entrusted, he will be able to plan, lead and execute his targets successfully.
Now let us find out how to convince ourselves in something and how can we convince others to believe in us and our beliefs? These are two entirely different yet similar at the same time. First let us see how to build up the power of conviction within ourselves. Often corporates put up posters and banners of our Vision and Mission Statements, quotes on customer service and many other motivational quotes and statements in plenty in all its premises. This is the company’s/corprate’s way of instilling values and ethics in its divergent employee base. This is much similar to the practice of idols and pictures of God we were shown as children.
Our mind also needs to be constantly reminded of the things we desire most. Each and every single particle of us needs to aspire to achieve it. Such a conditioning of mind can be easily done. One useful tool this tech savvy era hands us for this cause are the passwords. We use a minimum of 5-10 passwords for different purposes, officially and personally. We need to design our passwords in such a way that they reflect our aspirations. For instance, I want to succeed in the civil services exam, my password could be “IamIAS18.” or a variant thereof. Each time the password is keyed in, repeat the entire phrase and not the alphabets of the password. This 5 sec exercise multiple times a day will have drastic positive effect on our mind which is beyond our comprehension.
The power of conviction also will help us take judicious decisions at critical times. Imagine a proposal is brought to you from an influential person, either within our Bank or outside the bank. If as a decision making authority, as a manager you are convinced that the proposal is not going to work out, that conviction will give you the power to decline the proposal and not give in to undue pressures. Hence the Power of conviction at workplace must not be under-estimated.
The second thing is convincing others. This is as important as conditioning our mind. However most of us tend to lack skill in this front. Yet authors and movie makers do it with ease all the time. How does an author or a movie maker make us believe in the fictitious characters they have created? Many a times havent we been at awe of the characters or plot after a reading a book or watching a film. How could J. K. Rowling create such a fictitious world out of her imagination and yet have many 11 year olds around the globe waiting for their Hogwarts Letter? Through the words authors pen down; through the scenes movie makers create; they help us visualize their imagination. Once we have visualized their thoughts, its easy for us to be convinced of their creations. In a similar way as managers and leaders we must make our team visualize our beliefs. Only then will they be convinced in our cause as well as in their actions.
When an aircraft has to make a landing at an airport, but is unable to do so due to low visibility, the Air Traffic Control room sends the exact co-ordinates to the pilot and guides him to loose height. After a certain height the REILs Runway End Indicator Lights are visible to the pilot and he makes a smooth landing with the guidance from the ATC. Similarly its the responsibility of the leader to guide his sub-ordinates and his team towards the goal of the organization. If the team is unable to understand/see the goal clearly, the leader has to guide the team using similar REILs. The questions why, how, when, where etc., can be used as REILs in this exercise. This will help the team realize the intention of the goals and changes themselves. Once the leader is able to convince his team in such a way of his objectives, they will rally with him no matter what for that cause.
Life is not a bed of roses. Just when you are convinced you can achieve your vision, when you are convinced you can fulfill your deepest desire, life might deal you an unexpected blow, disarming you. Take the example of Mr. Karoly Takacs. He believed he was the best shooter on earth. He envisioned himself winning the Olympic Gold to prove this fact to the world. He could not compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics because he was only a sergeant at that time and only commissioned officers were allowed to compete. This ban was lifted after the Berlin Olympics and Takacs had his eyes set on the 1940 Olympics. Unfortunately his right arm, his shooting arm was severely injured during an army training in 1938. He was devastated. But he decided not to give up and decided to practice with his left hand. He won the Hungarian National Championships in 1939, surprising his countrymen by shooting with his left hand. But still his dream remained unfulfilled. The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled due to the Second World War. He was disappointed. But he wouldnt give up his desire, his dream. He won the Olympics gold in 1948 as well as in 1952, setting a world record. This is the power of conviction. Even when life disarms you of everything you worked so hard to acquire, if you hold on to that tiny but strong strand of belief in yourself, you will find ways to re-equip yourself to attain your vision.
Your convictions are based on your beliefs. You can choose to believe in Ethics, Love, Religion or anything else that suits our soul. Whatever it is that you believe in, whatever it is that you have faith in, hold on to it for life. Because convictions are based on belief and conviction fuels your vision. Create a vision for yourself; a vision so big, bigger than life itself; a vision that is beyond frustration, love, hatred and guilt; a vision so big that every challenge that life throws your way will seem insignificant.
Make a commitment to yourself.
Choose to believe in yourself;
Choose to believe in the power of conviction;
Choose a vision for your life.
And promise yourself that you will never ever give up on yourself.
And always remember, “The depth of your belief and the strength of your conviction determine the power of your personality”.
Madhu's Musings 