One of the things that I’ve found to be true in leadership is that leaders need to believe in people.

I think most people are willing to follow a leader when they know just how much that leader believes in them. As John Maxwell often says, “Leadership is influence.” I’ve found that I build influence with people when they are convinced that I believe in them.

Here are four things that I’ve discovered to be true in this area:

People won’t continue to follow a leader who doesn’t believe in them.
I realize that I’m starting off with a negative, but I think this point is foundational to this idea. If you don’t believe in your people, they will soon stop following you and start looking for another leader in whom they can place their trust.

My parents used to tell me not to be afraid of the neighborhood dogs, that they could sense my fear. Your followers can tell if you don’t believe in them. And they won’t remain your followers for long.

Set the bar high.
Have a high belief in your people. I’m not talking about your expectations for your followers here; although setting higher expectations often results in higher quality results. What I mean is that you, the leader, have to have a significant amount of faith in your people. Set the bar high for yourself. Your followers will know if you have a high belief in them or not. And the more you believe in them, they better they will respond.

It’s great when people believe in their leader. But it’s greater when the leader believes in his people.
When people believe in their leader, great things can happen. But even greater things can happen when the leader believes in his people.

In my youth ministry, my volunteers believe in me. They trust me to lead them, and lead them well. But if the belief stops there, I’m still a one-man-show. But when I display belief in my volunteers, they excel! They begin to see that there is more to be done than any one person can do, and they start to feel like they have a purpose within our youth ministry. Our potential jumps exponentially.

People don’t want to disappoint those they love.
The higher your belief in your people, the more they love you as a leader. People do not want to disappoint those that they love. They will bend over backwards to help you achieve the goals you’ve set for your ministry or organization.

But if they sense that you don’t believe in them, their love for you won’t be as strong, if it’s even there at all. And they become less likely to want to follow you or get involved.

The more you believe in your people, the greater impact your team will have. And when your team is enthusiastic about following you, other people will notice that and wonder what’s so special about you. They will come and see, and your followers will grow. But if you refuse to believe in your followers, nothing you can do will keep them from leaving and following someone who does.

What have you found to be true about believing in people?