Is your mindset serving you well?

You and I can look at the same thing and see it very differently, depending on our mindset.

What is it, though, “mindset”?

I googled it and the definition that made the most sense to me was this:

“A belief that shapes the way we handle situations – the way we sort out what is going on and what we should do about it.”

So, what is going on now and what should we do about it?

You can apply that question to anything: a problem with a concrete pour, a difficult relationship, Brexit, gearing up a project in coronavirus lockdown, child malnutrition, Mental Health Awareness Week, the climate emergency.

Depending on your mindset, you and your colleagues may approach a problem very differently.

Great! Diversity, right? Well, maybe. Or, disagreement and frustration.

Where would you place yourself?

There’s the old saying, you get the job with your qualifications and you get promoted or not depending on your attitude (mindset).

Can we change our mindset, or is it fixed?

Is it as simple as glass-half-full or glass-half-empty, or would you ask, “how big is the glass?”

Does everything have to be perfect, or is good enough good enough?

Do you know someone who has a brilliant mindset? What about them do you admire?

Is anyone a nightmare to work with? What do you notice about their mindset?

So, there, you have a continuum between a nightmare mindset at one extreme, and a dream mindset at the other: where would you place yourself on it?

How about we talk?

I’m not a psychologist, though I read widely, pose scenarios, ask questions and let people work things out for themselves. I believe that works best.

Recently, I’ve run a few in-house webinar type meetings on “Mindset and the Psychological Contract” and people tell me they were useful.

Now I’m thinking about offering them to a wider audience, though I’m aware of all the Zoom stuff going on right now and so am wondering if anyone would turn up.

That’s my mindset, right there. See what I mean?

So, what do you think? Do you fancy exploring mindset, nudged by me on Zoom for a couple of hours, including a break? If yes, let me know.

Or is it “heard it all before, too busy, waste of time”?

If I get 10 people, I will run it. If not, I won’t, and we can all continue as we are.

Post script

I know this is not your usual, upbeat, simple-six-step, promise-you-the-earth, get-rich-quick advert, put out by the world’s best, self-confessed expert. It’s an honest offer to those out there grappling with life in tough times, which just might be useful and worth a couple of hours of upbeat conversation.