I was once given a great piece of advice. If you don’t like it, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude towards it and if you can’t change your attitude, leave.
It’s something that has stuck with me throughout my career. We are all change agents whether we like to label ourselves or not. We all have the ability to change our situation...but whether or not have the courage to do it, well that’s another thing. Courage is greatly affected by what mindset we are in.
Our work dominates a good chunk of our weeks, it takes us away from our family and friends - that’s why it’s so important to actively make choices.
To be clear I’m not an inherently optimistic person. In fact, I can probably tell you five things that need to improve before I tell you what’s great -but I do this because I want things to be better. I can see a different, more positive future and I want to get us there. I honestly believe that we can play a hand in shaping the future of the people we work with, in helping them find their version of fulfillment. I’ve been told that I see the world from a growth mindset perspective rather than a fixed one.
This mindset thing is something worth investigating more, as it can have a massive impact on how you “show up” both personally and professionally and how much enjoyment you get out of life. I know we keep banging on about this, but it’s because we truly want you to live a fulfilled life whatever that looks like to you! Hence our catch cry of you get one life, don’t treat it like a dress rehearsal.
I was recently hiring for my own team here at Clear Search and was excitedly telling the person across the table about our values and our belief in helping others find fulfillment in their work. They said point blank, “I don’t believe work can be enjoyable”. I was so saddened to hear this, not only because it meant that they weren’t right for our company… more so that they honestly believed in what they said. This is a perfect example of a fixed mindset.
A lot of people live in this space though just imagine for one moment thinking... “What if? What if it could be different”? By asking yourself this simple question,what is the worst that could happen?
Here’s an exercise to try:
Fast forward a year down the track, what does your life look like?Where are you at? Is it different or the same?
Now reflect on this... does this view have you in a fixed or a growth mindset? If life hasn’t changed then ask yourself:
● Are you ok that it hasn’t changed?
● Will you be happier and more fulfilled than you are today and why?
● What could change the outcome to something even better?
The point is that your mindset is everything - it affects the biggest of things like where you’ll be in a year’s time to how you present at an interview, for example: If you go in thinking it is solely about them interviewing you - you’re going to put yourself on the backfoot from the minute you start talking.
Let’s explore this example a little more as it is a really interesting lesson in having the right mindset. It’s my experience that those actively seeking a new role are often prepared for the questions they are going to be asked and do not spend enough time determining if the position, company and environment are right for them. As a result, the 80/20 rule comes into effect - 80% focus on what they will be asked and 20% on what they need to find out. For the ‘passive’ jobseeker it is around the other way as their approach is very different, their confidence levels are often higher and their mindset is typically coming from a place of investigation to determine whether the company, role and environment is going to be more suitable for their needs and aspirations than their current position.
By taking the approach of switching your mindset to becoming the person in control and bringing the value you have to offer back into the equation, a much better outcome is achieved.Something to think about!
A good tip that I recently heard to help you start thinking differently is to work on your second thought not your first. Your first thought will be your default thought which is inherently linked to your mindset and it’s hard to change this cold turkey so don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Once you’ve had your first thought, focus on how your second thought could be different – led by a growth mindset.
I’m by no means suggesting that shifting mindsets is an easy thing, though with some coaching and the right tools a shift is possible and it can open up so many options and choices that you may never have thought existed! For more resources in this space or to have a chat, give me a call or book a time directly here to catch up.
Cheers,
Eric and the Clear Search team
