The impact your Mindset has on organisations

In this article, I hope to share the significant impact of mindset, a cornerstone of leadership and delivery excellence. From first-hand experience I want to share my thoughts on the link between our mindset, our behaviours, and our organisational culture. I also want to identify key aspects to focus on as we develop mindsets that enable success within rapidly changing business demands. So, let's embark on a journey to unlock the secrets of a positive and growth-oriented mindset that can truly transform your world and the worlds of those you lead.

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Over the last decade, as I worked with businesses across the globe, I have witnessed the profound impact a leader’s mindset has on individuals, teams, and organisations. I have seen it bring about amazing change that strengthens, enables and energises people, especially during our recent turbulent times. But I have also seen their mindset bring about harm, anguish and fear.

So how does our Mindset have such an impact? Well, for me it is because it forms a major part of a defining loop that has an immense influence on the way we see and interact with the world around us.

This loop of mindset defining our behaviours, behaviours creating our culture, and culture forming our mindset, develops a powerful cycle that shapes the fabric of organisations and the individuals within them. The mindset we hold influences the attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions that drive our behaviours. Our behaviours, in turn, contribute to the collective culture that emerges within our teams and organisations. This culture then reinforces and moulds our mindset, shaping our perceptions, choices, and in turn, our actions.

As an example, a growth mindset leads to behaviours such as embracing challenges, seeking feedback, and persisting in the face of setbacks. When these behaviours are consistently practiced by individuals, they start to define the culture in the organisation that values continuous learning, innovation, and resilience. On the other hand, a fixed mindset can lead to behaviours such as avoiding challenges, resisting feedback, or hiding failures. Over time, these behaviours become ingrained in the organisation’s culture and blocks growth, experimentation, and adaptation.

Recognising this loop is crucial for encouraging positive change. To transform an individual, team or organisation, we must address mindset, behaviours, and culture in tandem. By consciously cultivating the right mindset and encouraging behaviours aligned with the desired culture, we create a loop that propels us towards continuous improvement, innovation, and success.

But how do we break these negative cycles and create an enabling loop? Well, from my experiences working with leadership, teams and individuals, I have identified seven key aspects we should focus on.

The first two aspects set a strong foundation for us as we reflect on our mindset. Both are becoming well known in many industries, but let’s have a quick overview.

The first aspect has us take time to identify and apply the right principles that will help shape our mindset. For me the 12 Principles of the Agile Manifesto and the 9 Principles of Lean Portfolio Management are an excellent start. These give clear direction on customer focus, value centred delivery, and creating a working environment that’s attentive to rapidly changing demand and is open to experimentation and innovation.

For the second aspect, we need to always have at the back of our mind a couple of questions that also align with those principles. Am I doing or delivering something of real value? Have I clearly defined that value and to whom it applies? These are vital because if your customers or employees do not feel they are receiving something of value, they won’t hang around for long.

For the rest of this article I would like to go into a bit more detail on the remaining five aspects.

Language holds immense power. The language we use shapes our thoughts, moulds our beliefs, and influences our behaviours and actions. Through the words we use, we make our thoughts and ideas visible and meaningful. By defining concepts, expressing emotions, and conveying ideas, language not only enables us to communicate but can also frame our understanding of truth, morality, and acceptable behaviours. In this way, language possesses the remarkable ability to define our perception of the world, influencing the boundaries of our knowledge and shaping the very fabric of the way we live and work.

“Language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation.” - Angela Carter

Our language also plays a crucial role in shaping and defining an organisation’s culture. It serves as a powerful tool for expressing and reinforcing supportive shared values and beliefs within a company. The words and phrases used by team members, and especially leaders, contribute to the creation of our own unique vocabulary. The words we use reflect the organisation's empowering characteristics, they can establish a sense of cohesion and unity, strengthen the sense of belonging and influence how individuals positively perceive and interpret their daily work life.

Of course, the opposite is also true. The words we use can be immensely destructive.

Abusive, degrading or negative language within an organisation can perpetuate or influences how ideas are communicated, decisions are made, and actions are taken. It shapes the narratives, stories, and symbols that guide behaviour and shape the organisational environment. Our choice of words can convey power dynamics, false values, and damaging expectations. They can be misused or manipulated to marginalize certain groups or maintain power imbalances, thereby impacting the way employees interact with one another and the organisation.

Pick your words carefully and think of the different ways they can be perceived before you open your mouth.

This is a huge one for me personally and is linked to the Language point above. It is why I took my first steps into the world of Agile over twenty years ago. In my long working life, I have been seen and used as a ‘thing’. I have been heartbroken as I first tried to lead teams, watching individuals burnout and the relationships with their families dwindle, as senior managers dealt with these people as resources to be ‘used up’ to deliver a finished project. Forcing us to meet ridiculous delivery dates and objectives, which we had no input into, just so management could gain recognition and get their bonuses.

We should always refer to employees as ‘people’ rather than ‘resources’ because it acknowledges their inherent dignity, worth, and potential. Recognising them as people highlights their unique skills, talents, and abilities, it emphasises their individuality and the value they bring to the organisation. Referring to them as ‘resources’ reduces their identity to mere inputs, stressing a transactional and utilitarian view of their contributions.

This viewpoint ignited a fascinating conversation with my wonderful friend Stijn Follet. He agrees 100% from a team and delivery point of view, but did raise a thought-provoking question. What about when a Staffing Manager is looking at the pipeline and needs the right people for the job descriptions? For me the same applies. A resource is just a body, a ‘bum on seat’, and this is not what a Staffing Manager wants. They need specific skills, abilities and experience. For this I would use ‘talent’ which still highlights their individual value and contributions. I would not use ‘resource’.

By using the term "people," we foster a culture of respect and empathy, promoting a more human-centric approach that values their well-being. It underscores the importance of their physical, mental, and emotional health, and that of their families. It ensures that work is approached in a balanced and sustainable manner, that time within the working day is allocated for their growth and development. This enables employees to thrive, be motivated, enhance their productivity, and contribute their very best to the successful future of the organisation.

?One of the key things we do as leaders is empower our people. But if I may paraphrase the literary masterpiece, Spiderman, with that great empowerment comes great responsibility. Empowered autonomy and ownership, or accountability, go hand in hand. When individuals are granted autonomy, they are given the freedom to make decisions, run experiments and exercise their wisdom to innovate.

However, for it to be truly effective, it must also come with a sense of ownership because this instils a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to the outcomes of one's decisions and actions. By combining autonomy and ownership, organisations foster a culture of engagement, innovation, and personal investment, it encourages individuals to unleash their full potential, to take pride in their work, seek continuous improvement, and proactively contribute to the success of both their team and the organisation.

One of the key attributes of a successful organisation is that they have created a culture that views failure as a positive opportunity for learning. It fosters an environment that embraces experimental research, continuous improvement, and open-mindedness. By valuing curiosity and experimentation, organisations can encourage employees to push the boundaries, take calculated risks, and go beyond sustaining innovation to embrace truly disruptive innovation.

To achieve this, organisations must promote psychological safety, allowing individuals to feel comfortable in sharing ideas, asking ‘stupid’ questions, and making mistakes without fear of judgment or retribution. This in turn encourages open communication, faster feedback loops, collaboration across all levels of the organisation and nurtures a culture of learning and growth.

Leaders play a crucial role in this cultural change by setting the example, by actively sharing their own failures and the lessons they learned, by demonstrating vulnerability and resilience. Moreover, leaders who empower teams with autonomy and trust, allow them to experiment, iterate, and learn. Implementing processes such as retrospectives, post-mortems, and knowledge-sharing sessions enables the organisation to capture valuable insights, identify opportunities for improvement, and adapt quickly. This iterative and psychological safety approach fosters a culture that values continuous learning and where failures are seen as valuable steppingstones towards innovation, growth and success within an ever-changing business landscape.

The last of these seven key aspects is psychological safety, which sits at the heart of all the others.

Psychological safety enables immense potential within any organisation as it creates an environment where individuals feel safe to take risks, share ideas, and collaborate without the fear of penalty or negative outcomes. By fostering an atmosphere of trust, respect, and openness, psychological safety enables teams to experiment, be innovative, express diverse perspectives, and engage in constructive dialogue. It allows individuals to take ownership of their creativity, problem-solving, decision-making and resultant actions, because if it goes wrong, it’s not the end of the world.

Within this environment, employees are more willing to contribute their unique skills and knowledge, they feel able to challenge the status quo, both offer and seek constructive feedback, and learn from their mistakes. It also promotes effective communication and collaboration within teams. It encourages active listening, empathy, and mutual support, allowing individuals to express their thoughts, concerns, and uncertainties without fear. This leads to stronger relationships and a shared sense of ownership and accountability for the team's outcomes.

Overall, psychological safety empowers individuals to be their authentic selves and contribute their very best work. It creates a supportive and inclusive environment where learning, innovation and collaboration thrives, it unlocks the full potential of high performing teams.

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So, in conclusion, what are our next steps.

Well, as we work to develop the first area of Sendatsu Leadership and create the right environment in which our teams can flourish, take the time to reflect on your own mindset and the impact it has had on those around you and your organisation. Review these seven key aspects and identify where you can make a conscious decision to break the cycle. Change the one thing you have the power to change, your own mindset and behaviours, then invite others to join you in this endeavour and watch the wonderful impact your new-found mindset and actions have on your surroundings.

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” - C. S. Lewis