Boost Your Leadership Skills by Having an “Outward Mindset”

When it comes to leading and succeeding in business, your mindset is the key. Your mindset encompasses how you look at yourself and how you look at the world around you. If you’re too focused on yourself, what is called an “internal mindset,” then you are blind to the needs of others and how you can achieve results as a team.

To improve performance, spark innovation and encourage collaboration, you need to have an “outward mindset.”

What is an Outward Mindset?

An outward mindset is the secret to successful teamwork. With an outward mindset, you look beyond yourself and see and appreciate other people. Instead of focusing on what they can do for you, you care about their goals, needs, and challenges.

Most people are a mix of two mindsets, inward and outward, and it can change from one part of your life to another. In terms of your professional life, however, having an outward mindset has a very positive impact on your ability to lead.

Outward Mindset and Transformational Leadership

For most people, changing from an inward mindset to an outward mindset can be difficult. This is primarily because people with an inward mindset typically blame other people for their struggles, even for their inward mindset itself. They believe that maintaining an inward mindset protects them from other self-centered people.

In fact, the opposite is true. When people choose to shift to an outward mindset, even if no one else around them follows suit, it demonstrates an important and powerful element of transformational leadership.

So, how does an outward mindset enhance your leadership skills? Changing your mindset to one of equality and inclusivity transforms your workplace culture and relationships. When other people matter to us as much as we matter to ourselves, we naturally treat people better. Others respond to this positive mindset in kind, and both work relationships and non-work relationship improve dramatically.

Shifting to an outward mindset also improves the ability of employees and leadership to work together. From teams and departments to the whole organization, engagement, customer satisfaction, and productivity all improve.

Conclusion

Boosting your skills as a leader begins with an appreciation of your employees. By valuing your employees as individuals with the same needs and goals as you have, you embrace an outward mindset that allows you to encourage and lead proactively, improving your employees’ morale and productivity and positively affecting your company in every way.

Are you interested in accessing more leadership and staffing advice? Contact Career Foundations!