Magnify your business impact with the right mindset
Businesses that encourage a shift from ‘me’ to ‘we’ can make big strides toward success
The world we live in is constantly and rapidly changing. Many businesses are struggling just to keep up with change and the disruption it brings, let alone rise above them.
Before we can begin to develop our organisations, we must begin with ourselves, and that journey of personal change begins with our mindset.
In the book Trap Tales: Outsmarting the 7 Hidden Obstacles to Success, David Covey identifies a mindset-related trap that we often fall into, which he calls the relationship trap.
The relationship trap is essentially a conventional approach to relationships, and can be likened to the behaviour and thinking of the “married single”. A married single has a superiority complex and operates as if he or she were still single. Instead of two people uniting as one, there is a divide as the married single assumes his or her superior view compared to the other person involved.
In a business context, the married single concept can be applied to the relationship you have as a leader with the people in your organisation.
The relationship trap is rooted in our mindset, and can also be understood based on a concept developed by the Arbinger Institute. It describes two types of mindset — inward and outward — with the former closest to the “me” focus of the married single.
An inward mindset can hurt organisational effectiveness by preventing people from focusing on organisational results. It keeps people focused on the individual tasks at hand rather than the bigger picture.
But you can overcome the relationship trap by embracing an unconventional way of learning, which involves establishing a shared vision with your people for the goals you want to achieve, and adopting the outward mindset.
The outward mindset embraces a “we” approach — understanding and prioritising the goals of others as much as one’s own. People with a well-developed outward mindset see others as people and work together with them on collective goals.
So, how do we begin to effectively adopt the right mindset?
The first and possibly most crucial step is to be aware of the state of our current mindset. This allows you to understand what possible roadblocks you may be subconsciously putting in your way.
A great way to understand your own mindset is through honest reflection on your actions towards other people. You can do this by asking questions that prompt reflection: “Did I think only about my own goals?” “Did I quickly dismiss ideas suggested by my team without considering them first?” “Did I immediately assume that my ways are better than those of anyone else in the organisation?”
Questions like these help you unlock valuable and honest answers about your mindset; if your answers were “yes” to the questions above, you could be a married single.
The next step is to nurture and practise the right mindset. When you understand and are aware of your own mindset, you will see a clearer path forward for further steps that you may need to take.
Nurturing the right mindset will not only influence your way of thinking but also your behaviour, as our mindset is the root cause of everything we think and do. When you are consciously practising ways to apply a better mindset, this affects your behaviour in a positive way.
A great way to practise the right mindset is to make smaller changes each day. Whether it is making time to understand your people or considering the ideas your team suggested, these small changes strengthen the right mindset.
As the Arbinger Institute suggests, “mindset is a practice, not a destination”. Although there is a chance of falling back to the state of a married single, practising helps you build “muscle memory” and form new habits.
You might say that it is easier said than done, or that focusing so much effort on changing our mindset and the mindset of our people is time-consuming, and I would have to completely agree with you.
However, even if it seems difficult, getting out of the married single mindset is possible and also essential. Keep in mind that without the right mindset, it will not be possible for you to take further steps to success, such as getting out of your comfort zone or learning from failure.
For business leaders, the focus is not only on developing the right mindset for yourself, but also on inspiring and leading your organisation to adopt the same mindset. Establishing a shared vision and goals can give your organisation direction, and this ultimately supports the nurturing of a better mindset for your people. When you and your organisation are on the same page, you can all unite to become disruption-ready.
Arinya Talerngsri is chief capability officer and managing director at SEAC (formerly APMGroup), Southeast Asia’s leading executive, leadership and innovation capability development centre. She can be reached by email at arinya_t@seasiacenter.com or visit www.seasiacenter.com/ for more information.