Transformation: The Shift of Your Mindset, Your Belief System and Your Actions

You may have heard the saying, “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, the quote is a reminder that transformation doesn’t simply happen on its own. It requires a shift in mindset and a willingness to both acknowledge and redefine our mental models. Essentially, transformation means thoroughly examining, deconstructing, reconstructing, and observing thought patterns on a regular basis.

The same principles of transformation apply in the workplace, too. When leadership is able to enact change on a personal level, it has a way of trickling down to the culture and people within an organization. Below, we take a closer look at what it means to shift your mindset and your belief system —?and how doing so can benefit both you and your team.

Creating the Mindset Shift

Our thinking is the pathway to our emotions and behavior. The way we think can influence how we feel and act . So, if you want to experience a different kind of transformation in your organization’s culture, it starts with changing the way leaders think about themselves as well as about their people. This is where a mindset shift comes into play.

A mindset shift is a new way of looking at things — a new perspective on life or work — and it’s what allows us to see things differently than before. Rather than being random and haphazard, a mindset shift is an intentional change in our belief system or perspective on something. It creates a new way of thinking that leads to a new emotional reaction and subsequent behavior.

When leaders have a different perspective on their role as leaders and how they should interact with others in their organization, this can lead to positive changes in organizational culture over time. As people see leadership putting an emphasis on growth and change, people can begin to feel a sense of inclusion — like they’re all “in this together,” working toward a common goal.

Opportunities for Transformation

There are four areas where most organizations could stand to benefit from transformation, as outlined below.

1. Leadership and Workforce Mindset

A leader's mindset and belief system has a profound impact on how an organization works and performs. The leader's mental models, perceptions, values, beliefs and worldviews shape their behavior, which is then reflected in the culture of the organization. Culture is the sum of all behaviors that are considered normal within an organization.

?When we think about transforming an organization, we often focus on strategy and tactics, but we rarely consider that our mental models need to change as well. That's because our mental models have been shaped by our experiences, education, and socialization. But they're not static; they're malleable — they can be changed over time if we take deliberate steps to create a mindset shift.

?2. Leadership and Workforce Behaviors

The days of command-and-control leadership are over. Today's leaders must be able to influence and inspire their teams, while creating an environment where employees feel empowered to make decisions on their own. This transformation requires a change in behaviors for everyone involved — from the CEO down to the newest team member.

Look at it this way: If you look at any organization, it's very easy to see where there is a disconnect between what the leaders say they believe in and how they behave. For example, if you ask a leader, "Do you believe in diversity and inclusion?" they will say yes. But if you examine their hiring practices and how they treat others, then their behavior will reveal their true beliefs. In other words, it’s not enough to say you believe in a certain principle; you also need to reflect that belief in the way you hire, train, retain, and support employees.

3. Cultural Transformation

Culture is the way people in an organization think and behave. It determines how they interact with each other and with customers and employees. Culture can be defined as "the way we do things around here." Ideally, a company's culture should mirror its purpose or mission statement and be consistent with its brand promise. If it's not, there may be a mismatch between what the company says it stands for and what it actually does. And oftentimes, there is a disconnect between company mission, vision, and values and the culture that’s actually in place within an organization.

To transform culture in a way that aligns these two areas, leadership must first recognize that culture is made up of people and processes — not just values and mission statements on posters in cubicles. Culture is what people do on a daily basis because they believe it’s normal or expected behavior; it’s how they relate to one another; it’s their behaviors that can be examined scientifically and measured over time; and it’s how those behaviors impact an organization’s ability to achieve its goals.

4. Organizational Transformation

At times, an organization may be faced with the need to transform the very foundation on which it stands. This could include the strategy, processes, technology, operations, and other aspects of the business that impact the organization as a whole.

For example, if you are operating in a niche market but want to expand your customer base, you will need to transform your business model so that it can cater to a larger audience. If you want to expand your product portfolio or introduce new products into the market, then again there is a need to transform your existing products so that they match with modern day requirements.

Various factors can lead an organization towards transformation. For instance, a change in business goals requires a change in strategy and direction of growth. A change in market trends can impact an organization's growth strategy. A change in marketplace technology requires organizations to keep pace with these developments in order to remain competitive globally.

Tips for Transforming Your Mindset

Considering that transformation of an organization starts with leadership, it’s to your benefit to take a top-down approach to transformation. Here are some tips on how to transform your mindset and approach:

●?????Focus on what you can control. Leaders should focus on what they can control rather than worry about external factors that have no bearing on their organization's success or failure. They must also be aware of their role in driving change within their organization.

●?????Take responsibility for problems, Be Accountable. No matter who is at fault for problems within the organization, leaders must take responsibility for addressing them in order to drive transformation efforts forward.

●?????Work together. Leaders should work together with others to find solutions to problems as they come. This shows a level of critical thinking, strategic thinking, and personal mastery — a kind of personal self-awareness, if you will — when you are willing to work to problem-solve rather than blame anyone for mistakes or shortcomings.

●?????Be flexible. Leaders need to be flexible when implementing change within their organizations because there will always be unexpected challenges along the way that require you to adjust course accordingly.

The Fixed Mindset Vs. The Growth Mindset

If you want to achieve self-mastery and transformation both personally and professionally, start with an understanding that there are two distinct mindsets that drive performance, growth, and overall success. The fixed mindset has elements of fear, avoiding failure, perfection, and close-mindedness. The growth mindset is open, curious, and always engaged in critical thinking and learning new things.

The former leads to inaction because of a belief in one's limitations. The fixed mindset believes that potential is limited, whereas the growth mindset believes you have an expansive amount of potential. The fixed mindset believes that your worth is defined by your abilities which are static, whereas the growth mindset believes you can develop abilities over time through effort. The fixed mindset believes that effort makes you look dumb, whereas the growth mindset believes that effort makes you smarter.

A leader's mindset can be fixed or growth oriented. If you want to be successful in leadership or life more generally, then it's imperative that you identify your current mindset and make the shift toward a growth mindset. This promotes action because it acknowledges that through hard work, we can improve over time.

Conclusion

Great leaders know the importance of adapting to meet changing business conditions, and in the process, they expand their skills and realize new potential by means of transformation. To begin transforming their organizations and themselves, they must first recognize a need to evolve; one cannot transform into a great leader without first understanding that your work is never done. By taking on a growth mindset and working toward self-mastery, leaders can not only transform themselves but also their organizations — making everyone stronger in the process.

Dr. Terry Jackson is Executive Advisor, Thought Leader Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coach, Top 10 Global Mentor, and Thinkers50 Top 50 Global Coach Transformation Coach. Dr. Jackson partners with Executives and Organizations to align Strategy, People and Processes to transform and sustain Peak Business Performance