What mindsets help you to flourish and to help others flourish?

/ mkessenburg

International Christian school leader, use helpful mindsets! Why?

  • Because using helpful mindsets helps you to flourish and to help others flourish.
  • Because using helpful mindsets helps you seek growth opportunities, ask questions, focus on your purpose, and care for others.
  • Because not using helpful mindsets increases the likelihood that you will stagnate, have others frustrated with you, focus on avoiding problems, and see others as objects.
  • Because using helpful mindsets is a best practice.

As a Christian leader, you know that the Bible emphasizes the important of mindset—that you are to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2, NIV), that you are to use the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 3:16, NIV). You also know that there’s a long list of different mindsets (see this list of 110 mindsets), including lists of mindsets that improve your life, impact your career, and help you grow or show you what to outgrow.

Question: Given all of this, what mindsets do you want to use to help you flourish and help others flourish? 

Consider the 4 mindsets emphasized by Ryan Gottfredson in Success Mindsets: Your Keys to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership:

In his book, Gottfredson discusses what mindsets are and what their impact is, asking, “Do you think that your thinking is the best way to think?” (p. 4) Then he explains and shows you how to develop the 4 helpful mindsets that are fundamental to success. 

Gottfredson dedicates a section of the book to each of the 4 mindsets, encouraging  you to…

(1) Use a growth mindset (not a fixed mindset): This involves believing you and others can change, seeking growth opportunities, and putting out effort. A growth mindset helps you grow, instead of just maintaining and stagnating. 

Gottfredson says that “the hallmarks of a successful person are a lifelong love of learning, tendency to seek challenges, valuing effort, and persisting in the face of obstacles” (p. 51).

(2) Use an open mindset (not a closed mindset): This involves asking questions, seeking feedback, and recognizing that you are limited and need to practice interdependence with other staff. An open mindset helps you collaborate with and develop others, instead of doing your own thing while others are frustrated that you don’t take their ideas seriously. 

Gottfredson asks, “Would you prefer to follow a leader with an open mindset, someone open to the possibility of being wrong, interested in finding the best ideas, and willing to change their perspective? Or a leader with a closed mindset, who always thinks they are right, seeks to validate their personal perspective, and does not concern themselves with others’ thinking?” (p. 129)

(3) Use a promotion mindset (not a prevention mindset): This involves focusing your purpose and taking the necessary risks to achieve your purpose. A promotion mindset helps you focus on making progress, instead of focusing on avoiding problems. 

Gottfredson notes, “When we do not have a clear purpose, goal, or destination, we develop a prevention mindset and focus on not failing, avoiding problems and risk, seeking comfort, and playing it safe. But when our goals and purposes are clear and activated, we adopt a promotion mindset aimed at succeeding, anticipating problems, taking risks, seeking gains, and making progress, even if uncomfortable” (p. 157 ).

(4) Use an outward mindset (not an inward mindset): This involves addressing the needs of others, caring for others, and believing others are doing the best they can. An outward mindset helps you see others as human beings, instead of seeing others as objects. 

Gottfredson writes, “When we treat others as objects, are they going to work at their best, smartest, hardest, and most skilled level? No…. Conversely, when we have an outward mindset, our thinking is cued into doing what is best for those we lead. Rather than leveraging our authority and relying upon the use of rewards and punishments, we try to develop the characteristics of a leader that others want to follow and set an example” (p. 219).

Gottfredson concludes his book with this: “Be growth-minded: believe that you and others can change abilities, talents, and intelligence. Be open-minded: seek after truth and optimal thinking. Be promotion-minded: have a clear purpose and destination that you are shooting toward. Be outward-minded: see others as people of great worth and value them as such” (p. 244).

What can you do to further use helpful mindsets? I took Gottfredson’s free self-assessment on the extent to which I use the 4 mindsets (growth, open, promotion, and outward). I found it insightful, and I’m now working to use an open mindset when I’m stressed (instead of using a closed mindset). Helpful!

Here are some related blog posts:

What about you? What’s important about using helpful mindsets? What does the Bible say about mindsets? What mindsets do you want to use to help you to flourish and to help others flourish? What can you do to further use helpful mindsets? 

Get flourishing!

Michael