Disappointing Executive Team Results? Maybe It’s Time to Improve Leadership Mindsets at Work.
Not all executive teams perform at their peak at all times. Ineffective executive teams tend to operate in silos, micromanage their teams, or make misaligned leadership decisions. When it is clear that senior leaders need to operate at a higher level to succeed, an underutilized performance lever revolves around the leadership mindsets at work that drive key behaviors and actions.
Leadership Mindsets versus Leadership Skills
Can’t top tier leaders just focus on improving certain leadership knowledge, skills, and behaviors? The short answer is: it’s not that simple. If there is not alignment between the desired new behaviors and mindsets in each situation, behavior change is unlikely to last – especially when the stakes are high.
Unfortunately, leadership mindsets at work are often overlooked because organizations can easily buy leadership simulation assessments, action learning leadership development programs, and executive coaching. While these leadership development tools can all be effective when implemented properly, they tend to not move the needle unless they also impact the underlying mindsets that drive the thoughts, behaviors, and performance of senior leaders.
How to Change and Improve Leadership Mindsets at Work
Recent research by Ernst & Young found that 79% of C-suite leaders agree that senior leaders will need to adopt a different set of mindsets for their business to succeed. Changing or improving leadership mindsets at work matters because a leader’s thoughts influence their actions, and their actions drive their performance. To reach a higher level of leadership behavior and performance, you must first improve leadership mindsets. Here is a high-level roadmap to follow:
The Bottom Line
Leadership mindsets come from individual and corporate beliefs, attitudes, and values. They implicitly and explicitly guide all leadership actions. Are your leadership mindsets misaligned or outdated? Do you need to improve leadership mindsets at work?
When you need to improve leadership performance, think about including mindsets as part of your leadership development and succession planning efforts.
To learn more about how to take your leaders – and their mindsets – to the next level, download How to Fast Track Your Leaders with Just-in-Time Action Learning
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