Leaders, is your mindset eating your model for breakfast?

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What kind of school do you want your international Christian school to be known as? Choose 1:

1. A school where there is consistent compliance best practice.
2. A school where effectiveness is achieved.
3. A school where students, staff, and leaders flourish.

You might be thinking, “Of course I want #3. Who doesn’t want their students, staff, and leaders to flourish. And getting everyone flourishing involves consistently using best practice and being effective, right? So, of course I want #3.”

Sounds good to me. I also want #3: A school where students, staff, and leaders flourish.

And I know that to really get everyone flourishing I need a flourishing model, but even more I need a flourishing mindset. As Craig Groeschel says in Lead Like It Matters, ultimately “[i]t’s not the model; it’s the mindset” (loc 2517). Simply put and similar to Peter Drucker saying that culture eats strategy for breakfast, mindset eats the model for breakfast.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying the model is unimportant. Each model I use is very important. For me, ACSI’s flourishing model has been and continues to be vital. And the best thing it has helped me do is develop a flourishing mindset, one that helps me really use the flourishing model effectively.

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Let me explain, and let me start with this: According to Dr. Toby Travis (author of TrustED: The Bridge to School Improvement), about 70% of improvement initiatives do not succeed in both schools and businesses (see What increases the likelihood that an improvement initiative will be successful?). And according to the Arbinger Institute (see video below), a key reason improvement initiatives fail is mindset: 

The power of mindset comes as no surprise to us as Christians. We know the Bible teaches the following:

• “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7, NASB)
• “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may [b]prove what the will of God is, that which is good and [c]acceptable and perfect” (Roman 12:2-3, NASB).
• “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2, NASB).
• “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, NASB).

But let’s test out the power of mindset to see how it might affect implementing the flourishing model, to see if mindset actually eats model for breakfast. And let’s apply it within the context of using ACSI’s new accreditation instrument, Inspire (which will be used for accreditation visits starting in the fall of 2023).

Please note the following: (1) According to ACSI, Inspire is designed to “Inspir[e] Schools to Flourish Through Accreditation” (Inspire, p. 1). Additionally, ACSI says, “In keeping with our emphasis to help schools flourish, we have redesigned the accreditation protocol to focus on what contributes to a healthy school. Inspire has a more streamlined approach to accreditation while continuing a solid commitment to faith formation” (Inspire, p. 1). (2) While inspiration helps us flourish, inspiration does not equal flourishing.

(1) Compliance mindset + flourishing model: If I have a compliance mindset, I’m thinking, “I want to comply with best practice. Accreditation helps me do that, and by complying with best practice, I’ll get accredited. So, I plan to comply with Inspire in order to get accredited.”

This means that I’m satisfied with compliance and that I don’t need to achieve flourishing in order to be satisfied. Remember, complying with best practice supports flourishing, but it doesn’t equal flourishing. 

(2) Effectiveness mindset + flourishing model: If I have an effectiveness mindset, I’m thinking, “I know we need to comply with best practice as seen in ACSI’s new accreditation instrument, because doing so will help us be effective. But we really need to focus on being effective, for example, on effectively increasing student learning, not just on complying with best practices that help us increase student learning.” 

This means I’m satisfied with effectiveness and that I don’t need to achieve flourishing in order to be satisfied. Remember, effectiveness support flourishing, but it doesn’t equal flourishing.

(3) Maintenance mindset + flourishing model: If I have a maintenance mindset, I’m thinking, “I want to maintain our accreditation, and even more, I want to maintain what we are currently doing. We’ll use Inspire, but we’ll focus on finding ways to maintain our current practices. We’re fine, and we don’t need to grow and change.” 

No further explanation needed (but click here to learn from Carey Nieuwhof about leaders with a maintenance mindset).

(4) Adaptation mindset + flourishing model: If I have an adaptation mindset, I’m thinking, “Looks like ASCI is making a push for flourishing. Seems OK. We’ll make some adjustments, enough to get by so we can stay accredited. When the visit is over and we get reaccredited, we’ll resume business as usual. Experiencing more growth and change than that is just too uncomfortable.” 

No further explanation needed (but click here to learn from Carey Nieuwhof about leaders with an adaptation mindset)

To learn more from Carey Nieuwhof, check out this description of the mindset of a leader who fully embraces flourishing, and read this article on leadership mindsets. You may want to consider taking Nieuwhof’s helpful course on leading change.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

As you can see, I believe that mindset eats model for breakfast. I also believe that a flourishing mindset in combination with a flourishing model and Inspire can propel you and your international Christian school toward flourishing. 

So, what is a flourishing mindset? It’s a mindset that…

• Focuses on flourishing, while recognizing the importance of complying with best practice and being effective.
• Focuses on students, staff, and leaders consistently experiencing the 5 elements of flourishing: passionate purpose, resilient well-being, healthy relationships, transformative learning, and helpful resources. And it is not satisfied until this becomes an actual reality.
• Embraces growth and change. (Click here to learn from Carey Nieuwhof about leaders with this mindset).

To learn more about flourishing and the flourishing mindset, explore a tutorial: accredited schools / unaccredited schools.

Photo by Ann H

What about you? What kind of school do you want your international Christian school to be known as? What’s the relationship between model and mindset? How does mindset impact the pursuit of flourishing when using ACSI’s new accreditation instrument, Inspire? What is a flourishing mindset?

Here are some related blogs:

• How important is mindset?
• What mindsets help you flourish?
• What’s your focus?
• What mindset do you use to think about what you’re thinking about?
• What helps you actually be the change you want to see?

Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash

Here are some related resources from my toolbox:

• Leadership Code: As facilitator-in-chief (not commander-in-chief), lead by connecting, communicating, and collaborating.
• Multipliers (assessment, videos): Multiply leaders (instead of accidentally diminishing them).
• Outward Mindset (video, SAM process, free online course): See others as people (not objects/tools) and use SAM (see • adjust • measure) to work in ways that make life easier for others.
• Scout, Not Soldier (article, video, graphic): When addressing a conflict, think like a scout (open, curious, seek truth), not like a soldier (closed, defensive, seek evidence/winning).
• Trust and Inspire (video, website): Instead of using command and control, flourishing leaders serve as role models, use trust to lead, and inspire others by connecting to why. These trust/inspire leaders hold these 5 beliefs.

Get flourishing!

Michael

P.S. Bonus! Here’s a list of 10 quotations from things I’ve read that contain a form of mindset:

1. “How well is this mindset serving you, given the changes you would like to make?” (The Power of Flexing, loc 2929)
2. “Have a mindset of experimentation” (100 Things Successful Leaders Do, loc 1230).
3. “Successful leaders are made, not born—I’m sure of it. The difference between successful leaders and unsuccessful leaders is the mindset to learn, apply, and go. It’s training and enthusiasm” (The Three Chairs, loc 174).
4. “Command & Control leaders often don’t see the greatness in others, let alone communicate or develop it. Consider the demoralizing impact this has on people, teams, and cultures. With such a mindset, a leader might maintain the status quo or even get some incremental improvement. But that leader will get coordination only between silos, at best, and will rarely achieve real collaboration and creative innovation. Apathy reigns, leading to subpar results and eventual burnout” (Trust and Inspire, lov 1328).
5. “Our mindset in turn limits the kinds of questions we may ask and therefore the possibilities we can see” (Flourishing Together, loc 2952).
6. “Most of us have a growth mindset—until we don’t” (Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company, loc 952).
7. “Lead with a service mindset. It’s your job to help other people be successful” (Welcome to Management, p. 184).
8. “…if you want long-term sustainable impact, you have to challenge your mindset” (Everyone Deserves a Great Manager, loc 262).
9. “…three important realms of leadership every church leader must master to lead like it matters and maximize their ministry’s God-given potential: Why we need to prioritize mindset over model. How to create systems that empower it. A balanced way to lead so you stay centered around it” (Lead Like It Matters, loc 356).
10. “…scout mindset: the motivation to see things as they are, not as you wish they were” (The Scout Mindset, loc 72).