Tweddle Group Outward Mindset

Here's the full interview with Jim.

In The Outward Mindset, we write about this. There is a basic outward-mindset pattern that people can apply in organizations. The first of the three parts of the pattern is to see others. What we mean by that is to become curious and attentive to the needs, challenges, and objectives of those with whom one interacts and affects. When my mindset is outward, I'm going to be purposeful about building my awareness and understanding about other people. And if I'm a leader, I'm going to open up space and create opportunity within my organization so people are learning about each other's objectives, needs, and challenges.

James Farrell, one of the principal authors of Arbinger's book, quotes a foreign political leader as saying: "You have to understand we and our enemies are perfect for each other. Each of us gives the other reason to never have to change."

Great article / reminder!

We're familiar with the basics of increasing productivity-setting clear goals, providing feedback, establishing standards, providing skills development-there's no shortage of advice when it comes to making the workplace a more efficient place. However, emerging on the scene of workplace productivity (and overall quality of life, we might add) is something less likely to be found on a "Top Ten" list: genuine human connection.

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." - Confucius

It was this occasion, this call for action, that was the opportunity to practice what I'd been talking about into my recorder all morning, lost in my own thoughts. These moments are choice points, when we determine our own way of being by whether we will respond to the humanity of another or not. The more consistently we choose to honor our sense of what we know to be the right thing to do, the more we discover the peace and deep naturalness of being right with others.

A genuine dialogue process is one in which people have significantly reduced their propensity to carry hidden baggage. Groups composed of such people create both a shared meaning and a common purpose, and their attitude toward each other is one of mutual respect and service. They communicate clearly because they live clearly; without blame and self-protection, they have the simple desire to help one another in achieving their common goal. When that is their way of being toward each other, productive dialogue always follows.

The Leadership Team of Spandex, the European subsidiary of an American multinational company, had become highly dysfunctional. Team members had become preoccupied with internal politics, had stopped listening to each other, and had become dishonest in their work with one another. According to Spandex President Rod Larson, things deteriorated to the point that the team became totally unproductive, leading to an inability to capitalize on business opportunities or solve organizational problems.

Some basics.

But there really is a way to conflict-free collaboration in our individual work lives-that is to say, an environment where individuals feel free to vigorously debate and challenge ideas, rather than "go along to get along." We typically think our ability to work without conflict depends on how others treat us, but Arbinger's work suggests something different: our ability to cut through conflict depends on how we see others. The structure, the nature of real collaboration, is the same at home, at work, or in our communities. And it all begins with mindset.

An outward mindset, however, focuses on being accountable and helping others achieve their goals and to the entire organisation (OUR results), seeing others as "people". This mindset promotes an attitude where the individual is focusing on collective success and the well-being of others by being helpful, responsible, and makes a real impact on the team effort.

Reflecting on the personal impact of the material, Zeck comments, "I am much more aware of my role in relationships, my role in these dealings with other people, my role in collusions I had with other people. [Over time] it became much more difficult to pretend that I wasn't responsible, and that I didn't have accountability and that I wasn't playing a significant role in those relationships like I had in the past. I could always find ways to blame other people, I could always find ways to excuse my behavior, excuse the way I was relating to other people and drat-the Arbinger material has taken all of that away from me! I can no longer do that in good conscience."

A long-time colleague of ours, Terry Olson, tells of the following experience that began in a workshop he was conducting for public-school teachers. They were using a room at a lockdown educational facility for elementary-aged children with severe behavioral problems. Some of the teachers from that school were eavesdropping at the back of the room.