Then it dawned on my pre-teen mind that each of us always has options in any situation to choose what to focus on. The verse has since been emblazoned across my pre-frontal cortex.

At times of change, what we choose to focus on invariably determines the outcome. For some, change spells trouble and stress as they lament the futility of stretching already limited resources. Others may welcome change as a harbinger of possibilities and opportunities to build on current resources. Two sides of the same coin.

Not so, if we ask the naysayers. They would say that theirs were different situations – situations of deficit and want – unlike the circumstances of the lucky optimists. Sometimes, their negative outlooks are justifiable. Quite often though, these people may work in the very same organisations as those who look at the glass as half full.

The human brain is hardwired for survival. It is poised for fight or flight. When change is perceived as a threat to their wellbeing or status quo, the reptilian brain is quick to avoid exposure to the pain of change through resistance and non-cooperation. The logical rational pre-frontal cortex needs to be quite convinced and determined to take the risk in order to gain better ground, to overcome the negative bias. What conditions might be conducive for a positive response to change?

As living beings, we tend towards things that help us grow and thrive. Like plants whose roots reach down towards water, and upwards towards light, we too gravitate towards elements that strengthen and sustain us.

Our experiences tell us whether we are in a supportive or hostile environment. Supportive environments are places of abundance where we can become more of who we are, building us and upholding our development. Hostile environments are places of scarcity and deficit that sap energy and resources from us, killing us slowly like toxic dumps.

What kind of environments do our workplaces resemble?

Supportive environments make it safe for us to let down our guard to learn, make mistakes and to dare to dream and innovate. We trust. We stay to fight for what we believe to be good for us. Hostile environments compel us to put self-preservation and survival above corporate aspirations and endeavors. Is it surprising then that many organisations find the enthusiastic employees they recruited turn into disengaged - no-initiative, order-taking, clock-watching, non-committal - wage-takers? When the leaders and supervisors are only results-oriented problem solvers, workplaces become hubs of anxiety and frustration.

Leading researcher and author of Mindset(1) , Carol Dweck(2), tells us that mindsets create our whole mental worlds. There are two fundamental types of mindsets – fixed and growth. Leaders with fixed mindsets see talent, personality and strengths as immutable. People are perceived as either smart or not smart, talented or not, personable or not, and so on. If you have it, you just do better and if you don’t, you should do something else. Their team members avoid exposing themselves in case they are deemed un-smart.

Failure is not an option and to be safe, don’t stick your neck out or else you will risk looking bad. It is win-lose and success-failure in every situation. Their work environments are anxiety driven - blame-shifting and other negative behaviours are manifest. Conversely, leaders with growth mindsets know that talent and abilities can be developed over time. They believe that effort and perseverance can beat the odds. There is abundance of opportunity - enough for everyone.
Leaders who have growth mindsets look out for people who put in effort, and they encourage risk taking and learning from mistakes. Their team members feel valued, work with dignity and are engaged in making sure results are met at all costs. They are optimistic and resilient. Sometimes new members with previously conditioned fixed mindsets may join them. The seasoned optimistic and resilient leader can influence a change of mindset quite effectively. Yes the good news is mindsets can be changed!

Together with a clear compelling vision, the ability to communicate convincingly and positively is a winning formula for leading teams to greatness. I have worked with leaders of great vision who are great story-tellers weaving their magic, making everyone in their organisations believe the dream is theirs. They are usually people of abundance and they communicate the message that everyone can be a winner. They have a knack for including others. They are grateful and capitalise on the replay of all triumphs and the lessons from tough struggles. They encourage employees to strive for higher goals.

There are also leaders who believe in commandeering their people to success as a testament to their leadership prowess. These are individuals steeped in the philosophy of scarcity – that there are limited resources and we must vie for them. There can only be one victor. In the short run, their people may be intimidated or even motivated to deliver on the results. Eventually the leader’s focus on scarcity management would take its toll.

A 30-year international study by the Gallup Organization in 2004 reported that as high as 70% of employees do not feel emotionally attached to their jobs. The bottom-line gets hit by reduced productivity, poor customer satisfaction, lost workdays and turnover. Typically, these employees feel helpless and do nothing to change the situations. The good ones just leave.

As a leader, do you focus on the stars or the mud?

Do the people who work in your organisations look up or down? Is your organisation a ‘prison’ for those who work there? In your talent management programs, are you harnessing the abundant powers of your people towards success or are you preoccupied with cutting your losses to maintain scarcity budgeting?

Your mindset matters. Your mindset and perception of whether there is more or less to be gained with effort determines the outcome of your endeavors. Effort and perseverance can make the ‘impossible’ possible.

Footnote:
1 Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The new psycology of success. New York: Random House, Inc.

2 Carol S. Dweck Ph.D is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading researchers in the fields of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology. Previously the William B. Ransford Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, she is now the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Carol Dweck has discovered in more than 20 years of research that our mindset is not a minor personality quirk: it creates our whole mental world. It explains how we become optimistic or pessimistic. It shapes our goals, our attitude towards works and relationships, and how we raise our kids. Everyone has one of two basic mindsets. If you have a fixed mindset, you believe that talents and abilities are set in stone – you either have or have not, and so you must prove yourself over and over, trying to appear smart and talented at all costs. This is the path of stagnation. If you have a growth mindset, you know that talents can be developed and that great abilities are built over time – a path of opportunity and success. Highly engaging and very practical, Dweck’s book, Mindset breaks new ground as it leads you to change how you feel about yourself and your future.