Mindset is the way we see the world, the situation, the challenges, opportunities, and other people around us. It drives and shapes all that we do — how we engage with others and how we behave in every moment and situation.
Essentially, mindset is at the core of everything we do and our ability to perform. It holds the power to shape the relationships we build and create a positive change.
In today’s world where rapid change has become a given, organisations that wish to stay on top and win in the market must move quickly and be able to adapt to the ever-changing business landscape. They must either disrupt or be disrupted.
In light of these challenges, we see organisations everywhere trying to pool resources to change their people’s behaviour to drive improved fundamental results in order to stay relevant. They will also require their people to change their capabilities and to be equipped with the necessary skills to propel the new strategy.
As a result, we see countless organisations opting to hold training or workshop sessions in the hope of embedding these new and essential skills in their people.
Even though we have to admit that some people do walk out of the training with the skills needed, most of the time the skills acquired from these classes are not sustainable as they rarely get to be put into practice back in the real-world workplace.
What’s worse, some people simply refuse to learn anything at all, particularly when the new skills or expected behaviours are contrary to what they normally do and what they usually believe in. This is one of the many reasons most companies argue that training might not be effective anymore.
Looking back, we see many examples of the failure of traditional classroom training, which might prompt people to point fingers and label training as obsolete and inefficient. While some of these claims might prove to be true, I’d say training itself is not terribly wrong. Rather, there could be other factors such as the misuse of different types of training for different purposes, or too little attention being paid to pre- and post-training sessions. Such sessions should emphasise engagement of participants, so that they are encouraged to apply what they have learned when they go back to their regular jobs.
Moreover, training sessions normally take place in the hope of correcting or changing behaviour, but little do we know that by doing so, they are just treating the symptoms rather than the actual disease. In other words, training will bear no sustainable results if you are not tackling the root cause of your organisational or staff shortcomings. Simply stated, most training only creates a temporary effect on change in behaviour, and often people revert back to where they started.
The world-renowned Arbinger Institute has found that no amount of training in new skills or techniques will get you the change you’re seeking. Breakthrough results require a change in what drives behaviour — and that is mindset.
It is mindset that drives behaviour and it is behaviour that drives results and changes; therefore, it is critical to concentrate primarily on changing the mindset first and foremost so that we can achieve the desired results in the end. In other words, the key to thriving in a disruptive world first begins with adopting the right mindset.
This particular topic was highlighted during the event “Entering a New Reality”, which was held last month at my company, SEAC.
Bob Morley, senior vice-president of global strategy at The Arbinger Institute, told the gathering that in order to change results, organisations should help their people to shift into their right mindset. Great performance comes from really seeing people as people — not as obstacles to what you want, “vehicles” to be used to get what you want, or irrelevancies to be ignored — and being outwardly focused on their needs, not just on your own needs.
This can be realised by adapting and living with an outward mindset. Bob shared a case study of a manager in Australia used the outward mindset to address a conflict with a colleague by seeking to understand the other person’s needs and goals. He succeeded in transforming the relationship and this led to $42 million worth of new business for the company.
A shift towards an outward mindset — for organisations and in life in general — is crucial, especially when the inward mindset is so pervasive all around us. The good news is that the outward mindset is an incredibly powerful tool and everyone has the ability to learn it. We can all transform ourselves, our personal lives and our businesses by choosing to live with an outward mindset.
It takes a lot of determination, practice and patience to live with an outward mindset; however, all the effort is worth it as it will greatly improve your chances of surviving and flourishing in this constantly disruptive world.
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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 www.linkedin.com/in/arinya-talerngsri-53b81aa
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