Your mindset is a general collection of personal beliefs and assumptions that shape how you think about the world and yourself. It can influence how you think, feel and behave in any situation and can play a significant role in determining your life outcomes.
Research has shown that by understanding, adapting and shifting your mindset, you can improve your health, decrease your stress and become more resilient to life's challenges.
But did you know that mindset is catching?
That means if you work with people who have the tendency towards a negative mindset, you are at risk of having your mindset shifted that way too.
Whether the mechanics are through subconscious mirroring behaviours, empathy, the natural human desire to belong, or the impact of the collective socio-emotional network, you are likely to be influenced by the people with whom you spend the most time. Usually, this is at work.
And we are not the individualistic 'islands' totally separate to everyone else that we often think we are. Recent science has uncovered more about the collective impact in systems psychology theory which examines how human behaviour and experiences in smaller systems relate to one another within a larger, more complex system.
This means that it is even more important to put in what you want to get out at work and contribute to a positive workplace culture.
Try these things to help create a workplace culture that is rooted in positive mindset:
Model the mindset you want to see. Be optimistic, hopeful and inspirational, because your leadership determines how far the team can go.
Talk about the kind of mindsets you want to see, give examples of what that might look like and praise people who demonstrate them.
Get to know your team. If you invest time in them, they are more likely to invest time in you and your business.
Learn to spot the signs of burnout and intervene with support before it becomes a mental health issue.
Choose leaders and managers who have a 'glass half-full' or 'glass re-fillable' mindset and make time to ensure they continue to feel well supported and positive.
Use positive language when talking about work and what needs to be achieved and encourage your team to use positive self-talk too.
Reward people who demonstrate the positive mindset you want to see at work.
Good behaviours are just as contagious as bad, so spread joy, compassion and support and see where it takes you.
It doesn't take much to spread a positive mindset culture at work, and it is definitely worth the effort.
Positive, happy and psychologically well employees consistently exhibit a higher job performance. They are more resilient, engaged, productive and effective, they contribute more to success and the bottom line, and they are less likely to leave their job which means reduced health costs and reduced turnover costs.
Promoting a positive mindset at work won't prevent problems from happening, but it is likely to reduce how many problems you face. It is also likely to improve your organisation's resilience, because when people are happy and positive, they are more likely to think creatively to solve problems, overcome challenges and believe they can succeed. Which can only be good for business, right?
Find out more about mindset here.
If you want to know which automatic thought traps you keep falling into, download my free guide to the 16 most common traps and find out how you can Free Your Thoughts!