Change The Mind-Set And Change The Game

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."-Wayne Dyer

We several times repeat, “If you think you can, you can!” In fact if we have will and determination we can always find the way to success. No hurdles can affect the spirit if your mind is strong enough to reach the peak of glory. Will power is the most essential ingredient of success.

Placebo Effect

During my working hours of public sector bank, we had a little troubled situation as renovation was going on in ground floor of the premises. All the air conditioners were also removed and employees had to climb over the steps and visit wash rooms at upper floors even for natural calls. Most of the employees had ill effects of working conditions as they were almost sweating during the working hours especially during hot summer.

I had a chance to address them during morning briefing as service manager about the day task. But I took the privilege of experimentation as I was student of psychology. I emphasized the importance of taking steps in stead of service lift whenever they got the chance. Although there was no lift in the premises but employees enjoyed the exercise of climbing steps as I had explained the benefits of improving thigh muscles and need bones ultimately leading to extra fat loss.

After the end of my studies based on psychological implications with respect to their behaviors, I found that their proficiency increased, they looked healthy and showed reduced amount of leave, their loyalty towards organization increased, negativity towards the work reduced and there was increased amount of job satisfaction among them.

Effect Of Medicines

When two groups of patients were given morphine during their surgical operations and treatments, the amount of doses and qualities were same but the first group was given instructions and benefits of the injections and second group was not given any instructions or information about the benefits. It was found from the studies that the first group of the patients had their pain levels comparatively subsidized, worried less, stress level reduced, pulse level improved but very less amount of these effects were noticed in second group. No doubt that there is effect of medicines but it gives greater effects when they are made familiarized with the effects after the doses of medicines.

Effects Of Exercises

Two groups of sportsmen were given same set of exercises but first set of them were instructed about the benefits of particular set of exercises and other group were not given any specific instruction. First group were performing the exercise with enthusiasm and individuals were very happy and satisfied with the exercises. The other group were monotonous and no much benefits were found related to their physiological aspects. Although the exercise was for the same time and strenuous in nature but the effects were different due to the specific instructions stored in their mind.

Effects Of Food

Two groups of people were given the drinks of Chocolates. First group was instructed that the drink will reduced fat and improve cardiovascular activities but the other group were not given any specific instructions. After few days of continuous servings, first group was observed for reductions in fat and positive effects on their physiological aspects but the second group did not show much improvement in similar readings. The ingredients of the drinks were exactly the same for both the group but with specific instruction there mind gave the effects on their bodies.

Effects On Stress Level

Two groups of workers were given same kind of task. One group was shown a video clip with positive effects of work and other group were shown the clip with negative effects of work. Ultimately on observation it was found that the first group were more energetic and liked their work but the other group had fatigue and did not love the work in comparison with first group.

The same amount of medicines, exercise, food or stress were planned and executed on groups. No doubt that medicines, food etc. have significant effects on physiological aspects and curing the illness or improving the health respectively but the interpretation in the mind-set make a lot of difference with respect to various effects.

Mind-set Matters

Gary Klein[1], Ph.D., a Senior Scientist at MacroCognition LLC has given interesting studies after his experimentations,

A mind-set is a belief that orients the way we handle situations—the way we sort out what is going on and what we should do. Our mind-sets help us spot opportunities, but they can also trap us in self-defeating cycles.

This essay isn’t about all the beliefs we might hold. It is about the beliefs that make a difference in our lives—the beliefs that distinguish people who are successful at what they do versus those who continually struggle.

The Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck (2006) popularized the idea of mind-sets by contrasting different beliefs about where our abilities come from. If we have a fixed mind-set and think that our ability is innate, then a failure can be unsettling because it makes us doubt how good we are. In contrast, if we have a growth mind-set, then we expect that we can improve our ability—and a failure, therefore, shows us what we need to work on.

People with a fixed mind-set are out to prove themselves, and may get very defensive when someone suggests they made a mistake—in other words, they measure themselves by their failures. People with a growth mind-set, on the other hand, often show perseverance and resilience when they’ve committed errors—they become more motivated to work harder. You can imagine how much having a fixed or growth mind-set can affect our lives.

My investigation of the nature of insight turned up a major difference between people (and organizations) who concentrate on ways to reduce errors versus others who, in addition to worrying about errors, are also excited about chances to make discoveries. The preoccupation with errors—the belief that the only way to improve performance is by reducing errors—seems to fit the fixed mind-set paradigm, and the interest in discoveries—the belief that performance improvements depend both on cutting errors and on making insights—maps onto the growth mind-set.

Other types of mind-set can also make a big difference.

A few years ago, my wife Helen and I studied police officers, soldiers, and marines who had shown outstanding skills in dealing with civilians. We wanted to see what set them apart from colleagues who typically intimidated civilians in order to get them to comply. We discovered that these "Good Strangers" (as they were called) shared one trait—they all had a mind-set that their colleagues didn't.

Sure, they worried about their own safety and that of their buddies. Sure, they wanted to achieve the mission and to follow the rules. But in addition, the Good Strangers sought to gain the trust of civilians. One police officer explained to us that in every encounter with civilians, even when he was arresting a lawbreaker, he tried to conduct himself so that the civilian trusted him more at the end of the encounter than the beginning. He believed that being a professional meant doing his job in a way that fostered trust. Think back to your encounters with police—I suspect some of these encounters did not increase your trust in the officer.

We found a fourth important mind-set in our work with police and military. Many of them believed that the way to get someone to do what you want is to command obedience, through intimidation or in other ways. But the Good Strangers believed that they often could get cooperation voluntarily. It took skill, as well as more time, but it had a long-term payoff—it built trust.

Mind-sets aren’t just any beliefs. They are beliefs that orient our reactions and tendencies. They serve a number of cognitive functions. They let us frame situations: they direct our attention to the most important cues, so that we’re not overwhelmed with information. They suggest sensible goals so that we know what we should be trying to achieve. They prime us with reasonable courses of action so that we don’t have to puzzle out what to do. When our mind-sets become habitual, they define who we are, and who we can become.

We’ve looked at four mind-sets that distinguish people who are doomed to struggle versus those who can be successful:

fixed/growth

preoccupation with failure versus eagerness for discoveries

wanting to build trust

seeking voluntary cooperation

Here is a fifth mind-set that emerged from a project my research team did with Child Protective Services caseworkers. The mediocre caseworkers believed that their job was to follow procedures, but the best caseworkers saw the job as continually solving problems.

We found this same following procedures/solving problems contrast in other groups, such as nurses and petrochemical plant operators. We also found it in another study of police officers. Recent academy graduates tried to add to their playbook, believing that if they learned enough procedures, they could do the job.

In contrast, the seasoned police officers appreciated that there were never enough procedures, and they had to be ready to solve unique problems. In fact, some of the seasoned police officers got a little bored when everything went too smoothly. They appreciated a good challenge—obviously, they had a growth mind-set.

The wrong mind-sets can get in our way. A fixed mind-set about our ability will inhibit our progress. So will a procedural mind-set, governed by the belief that adding more plays to our playbook will turn us into experts. A mind-set to eliminate mistakes will stifle our curiosity. A mind-set about dominating civilians will damage a police officer’s interactions with the community and will result in more physical fights and reduced safety.

One of the most powerful aspects of mind-sets is how quickly they can be shifted, and how powerful the consequences can be. Unlike skills that have to be practiced again and again, mind-sets sometimes show dramatic shifts. Reading Dweck’s book Mind-set for an hour or two is enough to alter our beliefs about our abilities and motivate us to change to the growth mind-set. In my work with police officers, I heard many stories of officers who expected to demand obedience—until they saw a supervisor speaking quietly and getting compliance.

One police officer remembered an event, decades earlier, at the beginning of his career. It was a dark night in a dangerous neighborhood. He and his supervisor, Raymond, had spotted a suspect and were closing in to make the arrest. On the way, they passed a mildly inebriated homeless man, sitting on a stoop, and the man whispered, “He’s got a gun, Raymond.” Sure enough, the suspect was armed and they were able to make the arrest safely.

Afterwards, he asked his supervisor why the vagrant had warned them. Raymond explained that the man was harmless; he tried to look out for him and get him to shelters when necessary. In that instant, the rookie officer decided he wanted to have that kind of Good Stranger relationship with the people in the community. He wanted them to trust him and look out for him, rather than fear him.

Of course, it doesn’t always go this easily—some of the police and military I encountered were just too determined to take no unnecessary risks. And I suspect some of the people Dweck has encountered couldn’t let go of their fear of failure. But others are able to shift their beliefs and mind-sets.

Dweck tells the story of Jimmy, a junior high school student who had shown little interest in his classes. When he sat through a session describing the growth mind-set, he tearfully asked, “You mean I don’t have to be dumb?” From that point, Jimmy became a hard-working student. Mind-sets are powerful, and shifting them can be sudden and transformative.

Take Away

1. The biggest thing making you unhappy is your thoughts. Change them.

2. There are two ways to be happy: Change

Build Better Version Of Yourself

Master Your Managerial Behavior

[1] Source: www.psychologytoday.com