“Others Matter Like I Matter”
An outward mindset, a phrase used by The Arbinger Institute, means to look for others' needs, challenges, and opportunities. An inward mindset means to think of myself as better or worse than others.
When I (Sarah) was at the Pursuing Excellence conference at International Community School (Singapore) last week, Jamil Khan from Arbinger presented about the outward mindset. There were some personal vulnerability moments! Jamil asked us to circle behaviours we see in ourselves when we take on an inward mindset. I notice that I can be inward in many ways, including criticising and avoiding others. I was inspired to replace my inward mindset with a focus on others and think of myself as a partner with them.
An outward mindset leads to better relationships, trust, and collaboration. I've recently been reading the Arbinger book, The Outward Mindset -- fortunately I found it at a favourite used book store (Books Beyond Borders) just last week. The book has tips and questions to ask yourself and those in your organisation or team to help develop and maintain an outward mindset. Self-awareness about my inward patterns, thanks to Jamil's talk, are helping me monitor and develop my mindset.
💡 Who is an outward mindset model in your life and what do you admire about them?
💡 What patterns do you notice in your mindset?
Back to the main post about ICS's Pursuing Excellence conference.
