Show people you believe in them
It has a bigger impact than you realise
When I shifted the focus of this blog to careers and mentoring (moving it over to Substack at the same time), I mentioned that I’m fond of finding analogies in strange places.
This post is inspired by one.
Randomly scrolling through TikTok, I watched the video of Russell Crowe delivering the eulogy at the funeral of Australian broadcaster, John Laws.
In the short clip Crowe says:
“The very first time I met John, he gave me the impression that he believed in me. That is an undervalued gift to instil confidence in others.”
That is such a powerful statement. And so true.
It’s why I wrote about a comment from a manager during my time stacking shelves at Sainsbury’s that’s still stuck in my head 20 years later – a moment that showed me what leadership is all about.
It’s why I recently had a meeting with someone I’d not seen in 10 years after they once told me they thought I’d be good at running my own business.
That person made that comment in 2015, and was one of a number of supporting reasons that gave me the confidence to finally take that plunge… in 2025. (Better late than never!)
I’ve also received many similar comments since launching Chapter, which give me even more confidence and self-belief that my adventure into self-employment is going to work.
Because it’s hard!
These words really do make a difference.
They help far more than those saying them potentially realise.
It’s also why I enjoy mentoring, because it make you realise things about yourself that you don’t see without a conversation with someone facing similar challenges to ones you’ve already overcome in your career. And why you can be a mentor and a mentee at the same time.
Telling people you believe in them, or believe they’re good at what they do, is so powerful.
With that in mind, I’ll leave you with this challenge…
Who can you lift up?
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Apologies for the gap in posting. I’ve been working solely on Chapter, while also trying to be a present dad and husband. It’s tricky!
I’m hoping to stick to a couple of posts a month, sharing more immediate thoughts rather than lengthy essays.
Let’s see how it goes.