COMMENT
A heart is a heart, the kidneys are the kidneys and the lungs are lungs; but the brain is the mind. The functioning of the brain is called the mind; no other organs function as a commonly known synonym to it and rightfully the brain i.e. the mind is the command and control centre in a human body. Any dysfunctional organ doesn’t impact upon the personality or the manner of thinking but God forbid; a dysfunctional brain impairs the ‘mind’ and changes the pattern of thinking. Dysfunctionality as a medical condition is not within an individual’s control but dysfunctionality as a consequence of changing the pattern of thought is within the realm of management and control.
The brain houses the nervous system which is an inherited inbuilt mechanism to respond with adaptively changed behaviour to a given environment. ‘Human nervous system contains certain characteristics which influences personality. Psychologists call this ‘temperament’. There are biological forces that affect sensitivity to stimuli, general level of energy and tendency to certain moods like depression and aggressiveness…but because temperamental characteristics are built into the nervous system does not mean they cannot be affected, modified and changed by life experiences. (Dr. Herbert Fensterhein).
‘That is the consolation of a little mind; you have the fun of changing it without impeding the progress of mankind’. (Frante Moore Colby in ‘Simple Simon’). It is the mindset that creates the world about us. All we need to do for success and satisfaction is to correct the direction of mindset rather than evaluate its progress. Those who imprison themselves to a given mindset deprive themselves of the opportunities to broaden the horizon of their own thinking and hence actions. An honest mindset envelops within itself a kingdom of opportunities.
To evaluate the mindset, begin by identifying the change in habits that you think are important to introduce. Determine and know first what habits are good to possess. Then study how to rid yourself of the undesired habits, as it is said, make a ‘contract of intention’ with yourself to possess the good and to rid the bad habits. Reinforce this thought with action and practice.
This resetting of mindset exercise can be made meaningful and enjoyable. Begin by rewarding yourself for pursuing a good habit and punish yourself for not relinquishing a bad one. Only yesterday a colleague said to me, ‘I reward myself for any good that I do with the purchase of a book regardless of its cost.’ This colleague knows the difference between value and cost!
A manager with growth mindset attitude will nullify through belief that talent can be developed in anyone and by not viewing talent as some as fixed, innate gift that some possess and others do not. Managers blessed with positive mindset will never hesitate to launch into high yielding projects. Thereby inculcating a culture of trailing new ideas and possibly with no fear of failure, but assured of following it up with significant learning. In encouraging this type of mindset, organisations can offer employees the chance to set outside their day jobs and develop leadership skills like collaborating across disciplines and advocating for ideas; e.g. an employee may have an idea with business merit and when he shares with others it becomes a joint idea of a team, may develop into a proper business plan, then create the prototype and pitch it across the organisation. Talent is dynamic not static. Those with a fixed mindset subscribe, and many a times to an unbearable degree of obstinacy that intelligence, character, proactive abilities etc. can’t be changed or improved upon. Either they exist or don’t exist in any individual. If these qualities do exist, then these are enshrined on stone slabs and hence can’t be changed, altered or modified. A manager with a growth mindset attitude to the contrary believes that presence of qualities is a given thing and it is the challenging nature of himself that will bring about the best in his team and co-workers.
The noisy world rarely hears the strongest mind (William Wordsworth). The differentiation between our respective faces at any time is outstripped by the differences in our thinking mind. A wise man changes his mind, a fool will never. ‘On the fragility of mind’- Richard Eberhert says, ‘mind is the most delicate evidence, not a soul has seen it yet.’ There is no harm in holding an opinion but it is lethally dangerous not to change it, if convinced. Obstinacy in behaviour is most undesirable trait in any supervisor let alone the growth mindset manager.
In my personal experience I have noticed that corporate environments are generally intolerant to people with fixed mindset. It is therefore imperative for those who wish to move up the corporate ladder to unleash with fury all efforts where the results will embarrass the gap between your talent and age.
Men become what they think. An empty mind is a very active factory of devilish thoughts. Fill your minds with positive energy and see how it assertively changes your behaviour and response to changing and challenging business environment.
John Milton in Paradise Lost notes, ‘the mind is its own place and in itself, can make a heaven of hell; a hell of heaven.’
The author is a freelance columnist
