Value in the AND Mindset

By Beth Campbell/ CEO, Wilson Associates

We live in a world of dualities. It is a simple principal of nature where good and evil, strong and weak, positive and negative are constantly at play. When you slow down and pay attention, you will discover beauty and strength hidden inside these tensions that result in amazing opportunities –– you simply need to open your mind. Realize that in times of darkness, times of conflict, this is where our character is refined and developed. You need only be actively looking for the opportunity. 

Recognizing Tensions.

To begin with, we should consider a few playing fields where tensions play out. 

Tension One: Business Priorities – Innovation or Profits. 

As Business Leadership, we are constantly confronted with the need to improve the bottom line, which frequently forces us to choose “people over profits” or “impact over dividends.” This thinking is terribly shortsighted. Don’t get me wrong, without a strong bottom line there is no company. I frequently tell my designers that if you don’t have clients and if you don’t have cash flow, then you don’t get to design those amazing spaces. The truth is that business isn’t always about the numbers, it rarely is. It is about people and emotion. The share price, profits and cash flow are all just byproducts. 

In understanding that business is about people and not the bottom line, you quickly realize that through the right environment – one of empowerment, authenticity, kindness and collaboration – innovation organically occurs. This includes innovation in design, or innovation in client service, or innovation in how your company operates. I have found that if you place talent in the right roles, engage leaders who are curious and empower others, and exude a dogged determination to create the right environment, you will not be able to stop the innovation. 

Tension Two: Business Practices - Established Practices or Future Trends.  

When you walk into an existing organization as a leader(as I have done a few times in my career), you will find established norms and a tendency to lean into what has always worked. Your role as a leader is to build on the legacy while providing vision for the future. 

It starts by getting to know your key leadership team and understanding their ability to envision the future. If they say things like “well, this is how we’ve always done it” or “we do it because it is the Company way,” you need to determine if they are fixed in that thinking or if they can evolve into building a bridge between the past to the future. You move forward with a mindset of growth and evolution, and your frontline team needs to live and breathe this concept. You must be looking forward, not backward. 

As leaders, we must always have an eye to the horizon, like the eagle with one eye on the prey below and one eye to the mountains ahead. Keep focus and understand your target, at the same time maintaining a deep appreciation of what lies ahead. It’s about putting faith in Finding, not Philosophy. 

Tension Three: Fulfillment – Personal Life or Career.  

All too often we are torn between work and our personal lives, and with it comes guilt in many forms. We feel guilty because we are away from our family, because we miss a friend’s wedding, or you just drop off the face of the earth causing your friends to give up on your friendship. Conversely, we often feel guilty when we are with our families, or we finally choose to take that long weekend only for a crisis to break out at work. The reality is that this tension will always be at play, but the beauty lies in your perspective. 

You should start by practicing Integration, and not Balance. When we use the word balance, we imply there is a precise recipe for success – which we all know to be an elusive concept. So, drop the label! By changing your mindset, you will quickly see that through integration you are able to allow the pistons of your life to naturally pump, the life side and the work side ebb and flow like tides in the ocean. Lean into it and allow that natural rhythm to occur. 

The second perception we must adjust is realizing that by taking care of ourselves, we are better at work. The flight attendant says “put your oxygen mask on first before helping others,” an instruction that transcends life saving matters at 30,000 feet. We must, as individuals, recharge and recalibrate; otherwise we quickly wear down. This burnt out state does no one any good – your company, your family, or yourself. It is imperative that you take time to do the things that recharge your soul; that replenish your passion. A long walk on the beach, a class that builds your skill sets for tomorrow, a hike in the woods, playtime with your children in the yard. Whatever it is for you – do it! Today. Make time for it. You must be intentional. Schedule it like a meeting and own the importance of centering yourself for future endeavors. 

Tension Four: Influence – Transactional or Transformational Leaders

Our job isn’t to get everyone to believe us, it's to give the right people something to believe in. Inside of this tension, you will not need to pick between Transactional or Transformational leadership styles, but you will need to know when to apply them. Transactional thinking is required in a crisis, or on a rapid-fire deadline; while Transformational Leadership will set your vision and inspire the team to achieve great things together. Evaluate the situation and determine how you will show up; this will make all the difference in the world. 

Success can be found when you empower front line workers to lead, decide, and act. Ensuring you have the right infrastructure to support this – corporate leadership and systems, and the right leadership in place to carry this out. You need to embody the management style that gives decision making to the teams who are as-close-to-clients as possible. This starts with simply being transparent; with information, people can take ownership and act responsibly. The results will astound you –– value add, quality, commitment, activity participation, communication all built on trust. Truly being an influential leader will result in the highest client satisfaction, the strongest teams, and the best return on investment.  

Tension Five: Impact – Solving for Today or Building for Tomorrow

Being a Leader is like owning a beachfront household. Ask yourself if you are responding to the “leak in your kitchen” or “addressing the shift in the rising tide waters that will reach your doorstep in 10 years?” Almost always, we just fix the leak. But after 9 years of patching leaks, your issue will be so big that a burst water line would be welcome, as your house will most likely get wiped out by the rising tide waters. 

In business, you must ask yourself the same question: "Do you spend your time focused on the business of today or focus on developing leaders, so you have a future?" The correct answer is a resounding, “both.” We, as Leaders, are Stewards of the Company; which means we must take care of today’s opportunities and outcomes, while we plant seeds for the future. This includes building up Leaders, germinating new business ideas, and developing strategic plans that allow your company to pivot and evolve as the landscape of your industry will most certainly evolve whether your organization chooses to or not.   

In Search of a Solution.

The “And Mindset”

In Western Culture we commonly look for the “win- win,” which is why it is astonishing to consider how often we settle for the “either / or” scenario. I personally believe that “in search of AND” should be a way of life. 

●       Business Priorities AND – we must take care of profits AND curate an environment of innovation

●       Business Practices AND – we must build upon our legacy AND provide for the future

●       Fulfillment AND – we must take care of ourselves AND integrate work

●       Influence AND – we must excel at Transformational and Transactional Leadership, AND remain agile, nimbly applying the right style based on circumstances

●       Impact AND – we must succeed in today’s opportunities AND build for the future

Inside the “AND mindset,” you will find opportunities for growth and expansion, for curiosity and discovery, for excitement and joy. Push yourself to find the crux of these tensions. There are times when you must settle for “Or,” but you will be surprised the number of times when “And” can be met. So always look for both…. always look for the And. 

Result of Finding Beauty in the Tensions of Life: 

Success in life can be found in simply leaning into change, longing for the moment of curiosity that is driven from the uncertainty. As leaders, we must pushing to create possibilities, movement and relationships, while finding joy and excitement in the discovery and exploration. And know that curiosity can only exercise its legs when uncertainty is shelved. 

Life is about resilience. Pain is unavoidable, while suffering is optional. Choose your mindset. Grow an odd excitement for when things must change, for in these transitions can you true self be grown through curiosity and passion. We know that emotions last for seconds, moods last in the vicinity of hours, and our personality is something that is forged over the years. 

BE CURIOUS. ENJOY THE JOURNEY. ALWAYS SEEK OUT “AND”.