3 Ways to Shift Your Thinking Before You Implode
Hardening of the thought process happens when established ways of thinking dominate conversations about change.
Thinking shifts when you admit:
- “It’s not working.”
- “Working harder won’t work.”
Thinking needs to shift when:
- A promotion means keeping old responsibilities while taking on new.
- Work loses its joy for more than a week or two.
- Values become clearer. It’s frustrating to keeping doing things that don’t matter anymore.
- Old strategies disappoint. In a changing world, repeating the past is deadly.
No map:
A shift in thinking is like changing direction without a map. You haven’t been there before.You can’t predict where you’ll end up.
All you know is current ways of thinking stopped working.
3 ways to shift your thinking:
#1. Thinking shifts after old ways of working stop working.
Hardheaded leaders pedal harder even when pedaling harder doesn’t work.
As long as working harder works, you’ll cling to old ways of thinking.
A shift in thinking always requires you to take something out of your basket. The challenge is old strategies worked in the past. For example…
Telling people what to do worked when the team was inexperienced. But an experienced team resents intervention.
#2. Thinking shifts when you learn to trust others.
Distrust keeps you pedaling harder.
Competent team members are waiting for you to get off the bike.
Pedaling harder worked when you were trying to prove yourself. But you created unrealistic expectations for yourself and others.
#3. Thinking shifts when you ask, “How might I achieve more and slow down at the same time?”
Set a goal that buckles your knees AND shifts your thinking. The goal needs to be so big that working harder to reach it isn’t an option.
First shift:
The first shift of leadership happens when blame turns to responsibility – you stop blaming others for YOUR frustrations.
What keeps leaders thinking the same way?
How has your thinking shifted?
Added resources:
Signs that you’re being too Stubborn (HBR)
12 Ways to Shift Your Mindset and Embrace Change (Inc)
New Results Using Old Methods is a Frustration Myth (Leadership Freak)
Great tips and timely. It isn’t just about a role change. Change in organizations is a constant, whether role or project related. This is great advice for all levels of within your organization.
Thanks Lyn. It’s so true. Change is a constant.
Thank you Dan. I am doing a lot of work in the area of adaptive leadership and everything you write today resonates with what is required to take on an adaptive challenge.
Thanks Ken. It feels good to align with your work in adaptive challenge. The terminology you use is evocative. If a challenge doesn’t call us to adapt, what language would you use for it?
What keeps leaders thinking the same way?
Perfection – we need to do the same thing, the same way, every time, because that’s what we do, and it’s “right”. Zero-tolerance thinking: don’t think, just do!
Thanks Mitch. It seems we need to separate the pursuit of excellence from perfection.
Something as simple, yet challenging, as shifting the way that you think really does have the power to change your life. More and more it seems that the world is thriving on being constantly busy, and somehow this equates to hard work and progress. In my experience, when I find myself adding bandages to things, that I know for a fact are not going to be permanent, just to give myself more time or to get by “just a little longer”, is when I need to shift my thinking. Waiting until the point of physical exhaustion and mental depletion to slow down is not sustainable, and eventually can result in the inability to recuperate. Committing to intentionally slowing down and re-shifting your thinking is crucial for your mental and physical well being, which affects every aspect of your life including work. Personally, I have found that giving my mind the time to relax and recover not only allows me to perform better, but also be more creative and open minded.
Dan, I really appreciate the decision to use the word “shift” as opposed to “change” when discussing personal and mental growth. Something about this word choice seems more encouraging and manageable. Shifting your thoughts and reshaping the way your mind works enables you to be the best version of yourself!