Belief, Individuality, & Leadership.

Please note that the context in which we will tackle ‘belief’ is strictly on a human interpersonal and intrapersonal level. Accordingly then, belief here refers to a level of an opinion — about yourself or the other — that goes beyond that of a conviction. To avoid confusion, please constantly remind yourself and be aware of such context.

The statue of “Atlas” in NYC.

Throughout human history, it has been made clear to us over and over again, that belief holds an unquestionably “superhuman” power, and some would even argue that it is the very key to greatness.

I’ve noticed that those who possess high amounts of belief are surrounded with a dense aura of excellence that anybody, with any less amount of “currency” in their “beliefs-reservoir”, may easily struggle to steal a breath of air amidst the intensity of such atmosphere. At times, it almost feels as though the former’s presence is threatening to one.

In light of ‘belief’ being a currency, I’d like to categorize it into two types. First; the one generated and produced from within. And second; the one received from external sources (such as friends, lovers, teachers, co-workers, etc).

It is common sense that both kinds nourish our willpower and improve our overall efficiency as individuals within a society, but the type that most would argue as truly exceptionally potent is the former: Self-belief.

An illustration of Albert Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus”.

Those who believe in themselves are equipped with enough raw power that anything they do seems impossible and even “superhuman” to some — almost as if they were elected to greatness by some supernatural authority. This is by no means an exaggeration or even a generalization, it is simply what it looks like to the wise minds, as well as those who have personally admitted and submitted to the “impossibility” of such “superhuman” feats.

I find though, that the power of self-belief lies not in something as superficial as achieving the toughest of physical or even psychological feats, but rather manifests itself in those who “somehow” manage to make things happen by sheer conviction — a conviction that only they seem to have at the time.

So what happens though, when we find not only one person but also a group of people behind them that shares such “impossible” & extraordinary convictions?

Martin Luther King Jr. on a march in Washington, 1963.

In this instance, we can say that said group of people — through sharing the same “insane” vision — are in a way, electing our candidate by providing him or her with their own belief ‘energy’ (bear with me!). And this ‘energy’, that comes from others, is the second type of belief we spoke about earlier.

It is often when we look at the leaders and pioneers of history that we may find such humongous amounts of this kind. In addition to their monstrous, overwhelming self-belief, they have also succeeded at amassing entire, vast populations’ devote & unconditional belief in their persona as well as cause. For the sake of minimizing redundancy here, let us call this second type: “Interpersonal belief”.

Though this latter is almost a given when looking at successful, globally-approved personas; it is by no means the main motor in their getting to such high level positions — at least not on its own. The way I see it, interpersonal belief has two benefits or functions.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first bodybuilding competition.

Noticeably and most commonly, we have the first benefit; a burst of energy barely enough to help one take the first step — literally, the friendly pat you get on your back when you publicly announce your goal for the first time. After a short while, those small positive pulses of feedback become almost negligible. All what is left then, is for you to do your own part of the “believing”.

To cut through the bulk of your ‘career’ or mission, you’ll need something much more potent and lasting — something that can outlast circumstance, society, and the spirit of times: Your own conviction of what you are.

Believing in yourself is critical in order to blast through and beyond the first stage of exploration and amateurism. When embarking on a personal journey or mission, counting on others’ constant validation and belief in you is a one-way ticket to failure. This is simply because:

They are not you, they have no idea about what you really are made of, how you exactly envision the unraveling of your journey, and what is it really that you — personally — want from the latter.

Each one of us is unique in their own way, and as such, others’ belief in you will never feel as authentic as your own belief in yourself. Belief that comes from within — a deep conviction of what you’re truly capable of is really all you need if you want to master your craft.

Our friends, parents, mentors, lovers .. They are all human just like us. They too have their own self-imposed limitations, and so, they will only encourage your potential as far as to reach what they deem is “enough” or the “top”. This is not intentional on their part by any means as it is simply, and often, a matter of their lack of the foresight capacity necessary to reach the actual summit. Consequently then, anything past the average or acceptable level is out of reach unless you truly believe otherwise within yourself.

.. Does this mean that the only type of belief that suffices is that in oneself? What is it that self-belief cannot offer? What is the second occasion in which one may collect massive amounts of interpersonal belief?

One thing for sure is that both types of belief are essential to achieving the extraordinary. Interpersonal belief on the one hand, will not push one past “average”, the standards of the norm, and what is socially-acceptable and glorified — it is after all, acquired currency from the very individuals that constitute society and its “norms”. Self-belief on the other hand, will only help us bust through these standards by getting us to do things, perhaps persistently, which will lead to very good results — results that any person can achieve by believing in themselves.

So what’s missing here? What do we get from combining both? ..

Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr. Olympia, 1974.

To be a great craftsman, one needs to truly believe in their ability — But to be a great leader craftsman? ..

A leader is a person whom a group of people have decided to follow wholeheartedly in hopes of guiding them into achieving a great common cause.

We find that once leadership enters the equation, the question starts revolving around who believes in you just as much as how bad you believe in yourself. Regardless of your abundance of self-belief then, without adequate amounts of others’ belief in you, your cause, and your methods — you are simply not a leader but a boss, an individual holding a position of power.

For one individual to follow another — without truly believing in them — there must exist some underlying obligation or necessity, rather than admiration and respect. And this automatically reduces the person in question to the mere “physical” position of ‘patron’ or ‘boss’.

Mahatma Gandhi

A leader does not only have massive influence on the team’s actions, but also on their perspectives — something that an excellent boss may often disastrously fail at managing. Following this, any type of action that is vast in scale and effect, or any type of operation that involves massive physical or psychological labor — having to take into consideration a number of people’s thinking patterns, actions, and collaboration — is simply impossible to reach without others’ unshaken belief in you and your cause.

And in this, I find, lies the second role of interpersonal belief or occasion in which it manifests itself in abundance:

When one decides to leave the comfort of their individuality and put their thoughts out in the open, on a collective level — when one gains & preserves the hearts of the people.

To be a leader (let alone a competent one), you need first, to be a highly performing individual — something that cannot be achieved without proper self-belief. A successful leader does not only have unshaken belief in the common cause, but also in their own personal abilities — as an individual, and as the leader of the pack.

A true testimony to successful leadership can often be found in places where there are no strings attached (i.e: NGOs) and massive positive results have been generated.

Local Committee of AIESEC in Rabat, 2016–2017.

How does one become a successful leader though? How does one create massive positive impact?

Here is what I understand:

Only be believing in yourself, will others believe in you. And as you gradually gain people to your way of thinking, they will slowly help give birth to the “leader-you” — who is in turn going to need self-belief more than ever.

Finally, it is worthy of noting that the difference in quality and quantity of followers (as well as acquiring official positions of leadership in the first place) is not a matter of one’s personality but rather persona — something that depends almost entirely on the candidate’s actions and the way they interact with the capriciousness of circumstance.

Regardless of how and what, though, and ultimately, the successful delivery of massive positive impact entails the authenticity of the public front’s leadership skills — at the end, had they not been a true leader, results would have been average at best.

Personally, I see the perfect paradigm of a leader as a massive unshaken mountain of self-belief that stands tall as the rain and hail of others’ belief is falling upon it, travelling down its lineaments, and pumping rivers of drinkable water to the people. Water shaped by and for the times, helping the global village to thrive and prosper.