How to change mindset?

It appears that changing mindset is top of mind for a lot of people, both in organizations and outside of it. So how do you go about changing something that is so much deeper—a part of who you are?

Mindset is about our values, beliefs, and a long-term shaping of who we have become as people. There are two things you can do to start changing people's mindset. But before you begin, reflect on your motivation of why you want to do that. Is it fair? Is it to advance your agenda, or is it something that is collectively a positive outcome for everyone involved? Once you have made sure that ethically this is the right thing to do, then I'd like you to assess your mindset.

What is your perspective on the possibility of change? Carol Dweck, the most popular researcher, associated with mindsets, talks about the growth mindset or the fixed mindset. Do you have a fixed mindset that people will resist change? Do you believe that change is hard? Or do you have a growth mindset that given the right environment and given the right tools, that change is possible for anyone?

If you aren't already on the growth mindset side, I invite you first to consider opening up your mind to the possibility of change provided the right circumstances are offered. Once that is done, the most important thing to do and the only thing to do is to act. I know that sounds silly. We're talking about mindsets. And the solution resides in action.

The power of changing your mind starts with taking action. For the past several years, the dominant narrative has been that if you can change your thought, you can change your life. In contrast, recent research has shown us that you have to act a certain way to be able to change your mind. So, it's not thoughts that change behaviour; in contrast, it's one’s actions that change the thoughts and future behaviour.

Herminia Ibarra, an economist from London's School of Economics best explains the benefits of having a bias towards action. She wrote this amazing book, "Act like a Leader, Think like a Leader.” In it, she talks about the Outsight Principle. Traditionally, we have relied on introspection to generate insights to guide our future behaviour. However, Ibarra argues that the only way to disrupt our patterns of behaviour is by diving into action. Our behaviour and thinking patterns are usually so well-established in our brains that the only way to create a change is by diving into action.

She said, instead of focusing on introspection, if you actually dived in into action, you have a much greater probability to learn as you go. Over time, you keep repeating a certain behavior; it shapes who you are as a person. I experienced a change in how I identify myself by diving into entrepreneurship without a long-drawn process to weigh the pros and cons. (I’m not suggesting that is the ideal way to approach entrepreneurship, but it worked for me.)

Until two years ago, I had never thought of myself as an entrepreneur. That was not my identity. Yet, two years ago, although I had no clients lined up, I decided to quit the security of a leadership position in the public sector to begin the journey of working for myself. You may wonder: how has that worked out for me? Well working with over 50 plus clients in the last two years have gotten me to a stage where I now, without self-doubt or pausing, introduce myself as an entrepreneur.

This is one example of how action can lead to a change of identity, and that identity shapes the mindset with regards to guiding your values, beliefs, and who you are as a person, which further influences all your behaviours.

What you can do as a leader is create a safe space for people to experiment with change, giving them opportunities to act to disrupt their usual thinking and behaviour patterns. Without a safe environment, people may be fearful of acting in a new way. You can’t expect people to be innovative and yet disallow them to take risks. You can’t want them to be inclusive, but not let them consider a different way of doing things. These things have a direct implication.

If there is a contrast between what you're saying versus what you're doing, people will much more likely go towards what you're doing. That judgment makes them aware that the experimentation is not true. So if you want them to act so that they can change their mindset, you have to provide them an environment where they can flourish.

If you're doing all these things and you still feel Sandeep, I don't know what to do with my people. They're still not open to the idea of changing their mindset. Consider sharing with them a powerful TED talk by Dr. Alia Crum. It offers compelling reasons for mindset change. She says change your mindset, change your game. It comes with tons of ideas about the power of thinking.

You can take Dr. Crum’s advice a step further towards implementation and ask your staff to just dive into action. I know that sounds like a Nike slogan, but the action itself, over time, creates a change both in thinking and in identity. Let your people experiment.

If you do these three things, I'm hopeful that you will be on your way to creating a mindset that is congruent with the changes that you want to create.

True transformation requires a change in mindset. And the change in mindset requires action and experimentation.

Ready for Change?

I’ve recorded a video highlighting three tactics to build your resilience as you persevere through continuous and multiple changes in your life and at work.

Get access to the video here

SANDEEP AUJLA

Sandeep is a change strategist and speaker. She partners with leaders responsible for creating impactful changes in their organizations. She is passionate about finding “a better way” for doing everything. Sandeep teaches the Human Dynamics of Change Management ? program to build change leadership capabilities of those leading and managing change in organizations across organizational levels. She also delivers thought-provoking keynotes to inspire audiences to think differently.

Connect with Sandeep at https://www.multilevelleaders.com or email [email protected]