Your mindset is your turbo

Have you ever watched an interview with professional athletes, astronauts or business leaders? They all have something in common. And for this, they didn’t need years of training or have lucky genes or start with lots of money.

They all have strong mindsets. And even if you don’t want to beat a marathon record, go to space or build a multi-billion dollar empire, a strong mindset can help you achieve your personal goals. Sounds good? Well then jump into this article.

Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset

You may have heard about this concept. It has been quoted quite frequently in the last couple of years. Have a look at the following visualization:

Do you recognize yourself in one of the two categories? Do you find yourself partly in one, partly in the other?

Now go on this little experiment with me: look back on the most recent 1-2 years of your career. All the successes and failures, how you feel with your development during that time, how you’ve acted in various situations.

Look again at the visualization above. What would have been different in these 1-2 years if you had applied the opposite mindset?

It doesn’t matter if you’re working in a startup, in a major corporation or not working at all. Mindset is what defines how you deal with whatever situation you are in.

A personal example

You might know my personal story. If not, here it is in a nutshell: I worked in supply chain positions in major companies for 8 years. In 2018, just before my 33rd birthday, I jumped out of the hamster wheel to become a self-employed career coach. Now, I support young supply chain professionals who want to get ready for their next career step.

While I was in corporate life, I felt like I was having a good career. And comparing to my peers, I was really progressing nicely, being one of the youngest team leaders around. And what was my mindset like? Growth mindset, no doubt.

Looking back, it’s crystal clear why I started feeling uncomfortable in a major company. I was surrounded by rigid rules and few opportunities to do what I felt was right. I was executing plans that other people made. I did it in a professional way and successfully, but it was not fulfilling.

I felt like a lion with handcuffs around his paws.

So it was time to remove the handcuffs and to start building something on my own. From scratch. Every day, I face questions I don’t have answers to. Most of my activities I do for the first time. The only way to find out what to do is by doing.

And doing means failing. A lot. I can’t count the number of times I did something wrong. But each time, I learned from my failure. Falling and getting up again is part of the growth process. No, it IS the process.

I don’t have plans to beat the marathon record, go to space or build a multi-billion dollar empire. I’m convinced that not all of us should have these goals.

But I do have my long-term vision, purpose and short term plans laid out. And I am making progress toward them. Bit by bit, day by day.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars on education these past 2 years. And I will keep investing in building my skills. It’s an investment that pays high dividends and can’t be taken away from me.

All that shows what a growth mindset is about.

Don’t get me wrong, I have also spent many days on the couch binge-watching series on Netflix and didn’t get anything meaningful done. And that’s fine. I enjoy those days without having a bad conscience.

How to make a change

So should you walk straight to your manager’s office, tell her that you quit and open your own business? Probably not. Unless you’ve been feeling the urge to do it for a while and have a solid idea of what you want to do and how you want to achieve it. (In that case, that might be an excellent plan.)

What I want to say here is that a strong mindset is an enabler for yourself. It’s what gives you a strong armor when you’re under attack. It’s what lets you get up on Monday morning looking forward to your work week. It’s what lets you take bold actions in uncertain times when others fearfully draw back.

Setting goals alone won’t get you there. Think of goals as a house. You can have plans to construct a very high and luxurious building. But its foundation is mindset. You can’t build a skyscraper on sand.

So before you start writing down all sorts of goals for 2021, consider if you have any blockers in you preventing you from achieving great things.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Maybe you’ve heard that I’m offering an online course on mindset together with my business partner Philipp Effenberger. There, you will learn how to work in line with neuroscience, so you don’t work against the forces of nature, but with them. And then it’s much easier to succeed.

Do you want to know more about this course? Drop me a private message here on LinkedIn.

Conclusion

There’s a great quote from Henry Ford which summarizes mindset nicely in one sentence:

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right.”

I am convinced that each and every person can get a growth mindset. It doesn’t come over night, but it does come once you decide that you want to have it.

What’s the best time to plant a tree? 40 years ago. What’s the second-best time to plant a tree? Today.

It’s the same story when building a growth mindset. Ideally, you started a few months ago. And if you didn’t do that, then start today.

Enjoy the ride!

About the author

I am a Career Coach who supports supply chain professionals to get ready for their first leadership role.

In my online coaching program you benefit from my years of experience in corporate supply chain combined with my passion to support people in their growth.

Do you want to get ready for your next career step? Then drop me a line on LinkedIn and let's talk!