Guiding your own mindset as a catalyst for change.
In these times, more than ever, we notice how little control we have over our surroundings. The only thing you can control is your own mindset.
What’s
more, your mindset is contagious. People can recognize and take over other peoples’ mindset flawlessly, and often without us even realizing it. The way you see things seeps into all our small expressions of behaviour, emotion, energy and language. People are trained to take over someone else’s behaviour because, just like other social animals, we have mirror neurons: brain cells that reflect the activities and experiences of others in our own brain. For example, when you see someone bumping their toe, your brain cells corresponding to pain fire as well. For more information on these neurons, see this TED Talk by neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran.
The contagiousness of behaviour makes the way you deal with change even more important as a leader. You are the one who is looked at in the organization when things go wrong or when they go well. Your mindset can help or hinder the company and its people. That is why in these turbulent times it is important to take a close look at your beliefs and behaviour.
There are many ways to invest in changing your mindset. For example, you can talk to friends, go on a trip or read a book. More about that later. Another powerful method is intervision, a method which gives you the opportunity to talk your problem through together with a group of people, get feedback and come to directly applicable insights and solutions.
With the HillFive intervision method we go into depth in one afternoon, so that after four hours you can go into the weekend with new insights. After that, we won’t let you go, but provide a landing discussion and reflection. During the afternoon, we will use various techniques, such as a quick interview, gossip and an in-depth method. Each method has its pros and cons. Prior to the intervision, we choose a method together that suits your personal situation and learning needs. After that, we really make sure that you are in charge of your story.
The participants all come from other organizations and for the most part from other industries than yours. Often another branch has tackled a problem before and this learning experience can be transferred. In addition, intervision with people from outside your own organization makes for more open dialogues.
The intervision can be confronting, but that is the power of it. You experience where your strengths and weaknesses lie and which beliefs can help or hinder you. After this afternoon you will know how to take the next step in leading your organisation.