114: The Importance of Mindset for Managers with Ryan Gottfredson

08/04/20 • 30 min

Mindsets are powerful because they deeply impact our view and approach to managing a team. Yet, we are often unaware of the mindsets we hold and how they may be undermining our intent. When you understand a mindset and the fears, desires, and assumptions that it is grounded in, you can better align that mindset with your values and goals.

In this episode, I speak with Ryan Gottfredson. Ryan is a mental success coach and cutting-edge leadership consultant, author, trainer, and researcher. He is the author of "Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership," and a leadership professor at Cal State Fullerton. He has a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University.

Ryan and talk about what mindsets are and how they impact us as managers, the four typical manager mindsets that might actually be holding you back, how vulnerability comes into play, and how to begin shifting your mindset.

Become a member of The Modern Manager Community to be entered to win a free collective mindset report worth $1,500. This report provides you with information on the quality of your current culture and mental lenses of the leaders and employees. You must be a member by September 1st to qualify. To learn more about membership, go to www.themodernmanager.com/join.

Subscribe to the newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com

Read the related blog article: The Four Human Desires that Undermine Great Managers

Key Takeaways:

Mindsets are the mental lenses that we wear that shape how we see the world and how we behave.
How you approach a situation can make all the difference. Consider what happens when you view someone as not trying vs doing their best.
Intention and impact are not the same. A lack of awareness of your own mindsets can lead to negative impact, even if unintentionally.
60% of employees say their manager damages their self esteem.
Managers, and humans, typically have four desires that can undermine their ability to be great managers. These desires are (1) to look good, (2) to be right, (3) to avoid problems, and (4) to get ahead.
These desires stem from self preservation and are associated with four negative mindsets: (1) fixed, (2) closed, (3) preservation, and (4) inward.
We can replace our negative mindsets with positive ones: (1) instead of looking good, seek to grow, (2) instead of being right, seek truth, (3) instead of avoiding problems, aim to achieve goals, and (4) instead of getting ahead, strive to lift others.
You must be willing to be vulnerable because in order to develop these success mindsets, at times you will look bad, be wrong, have problems and get past up.
When managers struggle with vulnerability, they tend to develop a command and control style. This creates an unhelpful situation where team members are unhappy but don’t feel comfortable speaking up.
To become more aware of your mindsets, do the following 4 steps: (1) Identify a goal, (2) Reflect on what you are doing, or not doing, that is inhibiting your from achieving that goal, (3) identify the underlying fears, commitments, and assumptions, are holding you back, and (4) connect these to the negative mindsets or desires so that you can begin shifting them.
When you are aware of your negative mindset, you can begin to change your outlook and therefore your behavior.

KEEP UP WITH RYAN

Website: https://ryangottfredson.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangottfredson/
Assessment: https://ryangottfredson.com/personal-mindset-assessment
Book: Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership

[email protected]

Subscribe to the newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com

Read the related blog article: The Four Human Desires that Undermine Great Managers

Key Takeaways:

Mindsets are the mental lenses that we wear that shape how we see the world and how we behave.
How you approach a situation can make all the difference. Consider what happens when you view someone as not trying vs doing their best.
Intention and impact are not the same. A lack of awareness of your own mindsets can lead to negative impact, even if unintentionally.
60% of employees say their manager damages their self esteem.
Managers, and humans, typically have four desires that can undermine their ability to be great managers. These desires are (1) to look good, (2) to be right, (3) to avoid problems, and (4) to get ahead.
These desires stem from self preservation and are associated with four negative mindsets: (1) fixed, (2) closed, (3) preservation, and (4) inward.
We can replace our negative mindsets with positive ones: (1) instead of looking good, seek to grow, (2) instead of being right, seek truth, (3) instead of avoiding problems, aim to achieve goals, and (4) instead of getting ahead, strive to lift others.
You must be willing to be vulnerable because in order to develop these success mindsets, at times you will look bad, be wrong, have problems and get past up.
When managers struggle with vulnerability, they tend to develop a command and control style. This creates an unhelpful situation where team members are unhappy but don’t feel comfortable speaking up.
To become more aware of your mindsets, do the following 4 steps: (1) Identify a goal, (2) Reflect on what you are doing, or not doing, that is inhibiting your from achieving that goal, (3) identify the underlying fears, commitments, and assumptions, are holding you back, and (4) connect these to the negative mindsets or desires so that you can begin shifting them.
When you are aware of your negative mindset, you can begin to change your outlook and therefore your behavior.

KEEP UP WITH RYAN

Website: https://ryangottfredson.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryangottfredson/
Assessment: https://ryangottfredson.com/personal-mindset-assessment
Book: Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership

[email protected]

Previous Episode

113: Bridging the Millennial + Boomer Divide at Work with Hayim Herring

Research from 2012 showed that people of every generation were experiencing loneliness in growing numbers. At a time when so many people are feeling isolated due to COVID19, it’s more important than ever to find ways to connect with people and build bridges across generations.

In this episode, I speak with Hayim Herring. Hayim is a rabbi and Ph.D. in Organization and Management, and is CEO of HayimHerring.com, whose mission is “preparing today’s leaders for tomorrow’s organizationsTM.” Hayim is a prolific author, presenter, and organizational futurist, specializing in nonprofits and values-based organizations.

Hayim and I talk about building relationships with people outside your generation, stereotypes and realities of boomers, gen Xrs, millennials, and gen Zrs, how we might all approach people of any age with curiosity and the value they bring to the conversation, and how to build a truly intergenerational workplace that engages people of any generation.

Become a member of The Modern Manager Community to get 30% Hayim’s book Connecting Generations: Bridging the Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial Divide which offers real-world strategies to strengthening intergenerational relationships in our workplaces and communities. Members also get Hayim’s recent report on how COVID-19 is making Gen Zers and Millennials rethink personal and professional priorities. To learn more about membership, go to www.themodernmanager.com/join.

Get 10% off The Modern Manager’s Guide to Effective Delegation you register before August 31st, 2020. Use code Early10! -- Members get 20% of this course. Learn more at www.themodernmanager.com/courses/effective-delegation

Subscribe to the newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com

Read the related blog article: How To Bring Generations Together In The Workplace

Key Takeaways:

Every generation develops stereotypes about the other generations. These stereotypes can inhibit us from seeking relationships with people outside our own generation.
To build relationships with people outside your generation, ask someone to join you for a (virtual) coffee, find places to volunteer with people of other generations, or join a friend who has cross generational relationships.
Millennials say Boomers are obsessed with working hard so that they can retire and have fun. They are tough and tenacious, and Boomers are entitled, feeling like they worked for a long time and therefore earned or deserve leadership roles.
Boomers say Millennials only want to have fun now, they don’t have tenacity or grit, they don’t have big goals, and Millennials are entitled, feeling like they should be given responsibility right from the start.
There will always be a tension between those with experience and the wisdom gained over time and those with fresh eyes who aren’t beholden to any past experience.
Just putting people of different generations on team or in an office does not make for an intergenerational workplace.
Learning how to collaborate with and learn from people of every generation is a critical skill.
The responsibility of every generation is to hold on to what is good, let go of what isn't, and plan the seeds for a better future so that other generations will thrive.
Companies should rethink how the offer benefits to better meet the need of each generation.

KEEP UP WITH HAYIM

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayimherring/
Blog: http://hayimherring.com/blog/
Website: http://hayimherring.com

[email protected]

Shop the Modern Manager store: www.themodernmanager.com/shop -- Use code LAUNCH10 to get 10% off until August 1st

Next Episode

115: Send the Right Signals to Your Team with Kit Krugman

You’re probably familiar with the old saying, “do as I say, not as I do.” Unfortunately, when it comes to building a healthy team culture, how you act as a manager is significantly more important than the mission, vision or values you espouse. We must ‘walk our talk’ to ensure our team members see and feel our values, in addition to hearing them.

In this episode, I speak with Kit Krugman. Kit is the Head of Organization + Culture Design at co:collective and the former President of WIN:Women in Innovation.

Kit and I talk about the difference between story-telling and story-doing, the power of simply asking, a culture of psychological safety, the idea of being on a quest, and so much more.

Become a member of The Modern Manager Community to be entered to win a free coaching call with Kit Krugman. In addition, you’ll be entered to win a collective mindset report worth $1,500. This report provides you with information on the quality of your current culture and mental lenses of the leaders and employees. You must be a member by September 1st to qualify for both drawings. To learn more about membership, go to www.themodernmanager.com/join.

Subscribe to the newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.

Have you worked for a rock star manager? Be part of the research for my next book - schedule your 45 minute interview at www.managerialgreatness.com

Read the related blog article: Are You Sending The Wrong Signals To Your Team?

Key Takeaways:

The story you tell about your company mission, vision and values is only as powerful as the actions that follow it. That is ‘story-doing’ instead of story-telling.
When actions don’t align with espoused values, people read the signals and follow what the leadership role models, incentives, and rewards.
Reflect on your own behaviors. Are you acting how you expect others to act?
Engage your team members in the conversation. What do they want to do? Ask for their feedback and input rather than dictating to them.
In order to get honest input and feedback, there must be psychological safety. To develop that trust, ask for critical feedback and take it without being defensive. If you respond negatively, you undermine that psychological safety.
Explore what makes you defensive? Get to know yourself and what triggers an emotional response.
Prepare to hear critical feedback and to accept it without a defensive or emotional response. Pause to let the emotion pass, say thank you and that you want time to consider it and/or ask for guidance on how to improve.
Set your company on a quest that is larger than your products, services, and goals. Establish a Northstar to guide your work that inspires people and opens up possibilities. Create a mission for your team that contributes to that quest.
Culture is always a competitive advantage. Culture is about engagement, productivity, attracting and retaining talent.
Managers must create a sense of community within their team, especially during this time of physical distancing. Over communicate, invest more time in relationship building individually and collectively.
When times are uncertain, people will create their own narrative if you don’t tell them the story. Create the narrative and live into it.