By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Mindsets are powerful in our leadership practice. They determine how we see our work, our relationships, and our world. This is foundational to how we lead. The Arbinger Institute is globally known for its work in leadership development. Their research indicates that leaders operate at any given time from one of two mindsets: an inward mindset or an outward mindset. When we use an inward mindset, we focus only on our own personal goals and objectives, without consideration for our impact on others. With this self-focused inward mindset, we see others not as people with their own needs, challenges, and objectives, but as objects. We see them as:
- Vehicles to achieve our own objectives and results
- Obstacles that are in our way or causing problems
- Irrelevancies that can be ignored
With an inward mindset in leadership, we ignore what others need causing our followers to be frustrated. Inwardly focused leaders often blame others for their frustrations or failures. We may think we are doing a good job when we are inwardly focused but we hamper the effectiveness of our staff.
By contrast with an outward mindset, leaders see others as people who matter. Their needs, challenges, and objectives are important. Outwardly focused leaders care about collective results. Outwardly focused leaders feel responsible to do their job and do it well, but in a way that supports others in doing their jobs. There is a recognition that all staff contributes to the organization’s results. When we have an outward mindset—when others matter to us—we naturally want to be helpful to them. So we adjust our own efforts to make their work easier however we can. Rather than blaming others for our frustrations or feeling like victims of our circumstances, we begin to see new possibilities and solutions to our most vexing or long-standing problems. We are willing to tolerate conflict for a better result.
Shifting to an outward mindset is the one change that most dramatically improves leadership performance, sparks collaboration, and accelerates innovation. Leaders who have an inward mindset are often their own worst enemies. Ultimately our mindset drives our behaviors. Arbinger research has found that when leaders can adopt and hold an outward mindset even with the most difficult staff – it can lead to desired behavior change. Generosity and focusing on others also helps to promote leadership resiliency. Taking the time to listen to others is a powerful force.
The next time that you find yourself in a situation where you are angry because you feel your leadership has been challenged – just stop for a minute. Ask yourself what would happen if you stopped focusing on the impact to you and refocused to the impact on the other person. Just this simple shift in attention and mindset could change the situation the better.
Read to Lead
Arbinger Institute (2019). The outward mindset: How to change lives and transform organizations. BK Publishers.
Read Rose Sherman’s new book – The Nurse Leader Coach: Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave
© emergingrnleader.com 2020
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