Change the Way You See the World In a Second

Imagine you’re heading into a meeting where you expect to hear a proposal you strongly oppose. You probably feel upset, maybe a bit anxious. You’re likely to default into a defensive or combative state. You are ready to fight, push back, and stand your ground because you believe the proposal is wrong or unjust.

Now consider approaching that same meeting with clear intentions about what is the most productive way for you to show up. If you know anything about persuasion or negotiation (read our previous newsletter), you know the best approach is to ask questions and learn more about the other side’s perspective before you disagree. So you choose to embody a curiosity mindset.

Even if you feel triggered before the meeting, committing to curiosity will guide you to different behaviors: asking thoughtful questions, practicing deep listening, and showing empathy. Adopting this mindset will improve your chances of achieving your goals. It will also shift the meeting’s dynamic, creating a more constructive and collaborative experience for everyone involved.

By taking a moment to check your current mindset and shifting toward one that serves you better, you'll become a far more effective leader.

We can teach you techniques—how to ask powerful questions or active listening—but if your mindset is off, these tools will feel hard to practice or insincere. With the right mindset, such as genuine curiosity, these strategies will flow naturally. Your mindset will guide you toward empathy, learning, and understanding. It will align your body language and tone so others see you as more collaborative.

☝️ What is a Mindset?

Mindset is a conscious or unconscious setting of your mind—a lens through which you observe the world or a particular situation. Since the world is very complex, mindsets are a natural way for us to simplify it by focusing on certain parts while ignoring others. Mindsets make us pay attention to different sets of facts and details in the same situation. When we change our mindset, the same situation or person might look completely different. Consequently, our interaction will change too.

Imagine walking into a team meeting thinking, “No one here respects me or my ideas” At first, you zero in on the people checking their phones, the few who seem distracted, and the one colleague who never makes eye contact with you. Every subtle sign reinforces your belief that your contributions don’t matter.

Then you shift your mindset to: “Curiosity about how to make my idea better and get support” Suddenly, you notice details you ignored before: a teammate nodding when you speak, another taking notes on your suggestion, and the project lead’s feedback that now sounds like building on not shutting down your idea. These details were always there, but because you’ve changed the lens through which you view the situation, the same meeting now appears different.

🔍 How to Identify Mindsets?

Do this as you are preparing for a meeting. It will take only 2 minutes! Try to recognize your current mindset by pausing to notice your emotions, inner dialogue, and physical tension. Write it down cos that will push you to articulate emotion and mindset more clearly. Now ask yourself - Will this mindset serve me well in a meeting or conversation I am about to have? If the answer is NO, then you need to shift.

❓️ How to Shift Mindsets?

Think about what kind of mindset would serve you better in that situation. Once identified, you can shift by taking a few deep breaths, setting a clear intention, and consciously choosing a new, more productive mindset. Consider writing it down and keeping that note in front of you during the meeting or conversation to remind yourself of the mindset you aim to embody.

⬇️ Go Deeper

You can practice daily reflection where you notice which mindsets you embodied yesterday in meetings or conversations and how they served you. You will start noticing patterns of the mindsets you embody in certain situations. Maybe you will notice that every time you attend a staff meeting, you embody a shy, silent, defensive mindset. Ok, now what is behind that? How is that serving you? This is a great opportunity to learn something about yourself.

Shifting your mindset is the fastest, most effective way to change your behavior. Your actions will align with your mindset, so make sure that you align your mindset with your goals & values!

✔️ Example: What do I do?

As I prepare for a meeting, I write down these things:

1️⃣ What are my (up to 3) goals for this meeting?

2️⃣ What is a commitment (the ask) I am looking for from others?

3️⃣ What is my main talking point?

4️⃣ What kind of mindset do I need to embody to be successful with the previous three points?

💥 Action Item: Shift Your State Today

Before your next meeting or event, take five minutes to reflect: What state of mind are you in right now? Are you reactive, curious, upset, rushed, nervous, scared, optimistic, distracted, etc.? Write it down. Shift intentionally and choose the mindset that will serve you better in that situation. Reflect on what happened afterward.

🎙 TED Talk: Change your mindset, change the game | Dr. Alia Crum

Learn more about how mindsets affect our lives in this interesting talk by Dr. Crum: LINK

Ready to tackle the week with a new mindset? Hit reply and let us know: Which mindset shift are you focusing on this week?

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