Shifting mindsets in leaders and teams - improve leadership

Are you wondering how to shift the mindset of your leaders and teams?

A mindset shift, the A-HA moment of seeing things differently, a new and deep realisation about the nature of things, is called Satori (a Japanese word in the Zen Buddhist tradition). Witnessing this brings us joy in our work as OD consultants and is vital for the change so many of our clients want to see - hence the name of our new business 😊

It can be tempting to look for simple solutions to complex problems: a different toolkit or a 3 step plan to improve leadership, but bolting a quick fix or new behaviour onto an old mindset is a waste of time.

We must go deeper, to the source of behaviour, to our beliefs, our disposition and orientation to create real change.

The inconvenient truth is we cannot tell someone to change their mindset. They must come to this themselves.

A new mindset emerges from new conditions, situations, or contexts – it’s the difference that makes a difference. And once you see things differently, it’s worth a thousand tool kits or action plans.

I recently witnessed this in a client who had conceptually explored the value of deeper listening, it wasn’t until they experimented with a different orientation to a conversation with a colleague in their work, from listening to learn rather than to solve, that they reached their own A-HA moment - their own mindset shift, which in turn prompted a change in their colleagues’ mindset and behaviour!

So if you’re frustrated by perennial challenges such as low accountability, avoiding difficult conversations, solving rather than coaching, we’d love to share what we’re learning about how to create the conditions for a mindset shift to emerge.

Get in touch!