Why Mindset is Everything
“As long as you live, there’s something new every day”. Dolly Parton
Every time I read that quote, it makes me smile.
And it reminds me, each time, that we have a choice about how we are feeling; how we are showing up.
In all that I have done, learnt and experienced over my life so far, one constant has been how much I believe in the importance of our mindset. And I’m going to share two (very different) recent stories that have reinforced this for me.
The first comes from last month’s LegalTechTalk conference, billed as ‘Europe’s event for legal transformation’. I was there with my O Shaped hat on, as our CEO was involved in two panel discussions and we were showcasing some of our O List winners. (O Shaped is one of the organisations at the forefront of shaping the future of the legal industry, aiming to close the gap between law and business). The conference, as you can imagine, focused heavily on the impact of AI. One of the talks I attended in the afternoon was titled: ‘Driving Change within Law Firms with a Leadership Mindset Shift’. Speakers in this section included Managing Partners, Chief Innovation Officers, and legal technology consultants. As I sat in the room, looking around at the 100+ audience members, I got the sense that they weren’t really ‘getting it’. Much as the panel members were urging delegates to take an innovation mindset, and really embrace the opportunities that AI is going to bring to the legal industry with a positive mindset, alongside warning them that failure to do so would mean business models that were no longer fit for purpose, you could see the doubt (and in some cases cynicism) that ‘mindset’ really mattered. That the ‘mindset’ they brought to it would make any difference.
I reconvened with our O Shaped team after this talk, and shared my frustration with a very topical story from sport. (By way of context, the whole anchor for O Shaped is that lawyers need to display a more ‘O Shaped’ mindset in order to truly close the gap between law and business, and be the best that they can be, with the five Os being Optimism, Original, Open, Opportunity, and Ownership).
In my attempt to reinforce the fact that mindset is everything – how you approach things is fundamental to outcomes – I referenced Dan Evans, at the time having progressed through to the second round of Wimbledon. For those who know their tennis, Evans has been on the circuit for a long time, with a career high world ranking of 21 in 2023, but who has spent much of his time outside the top 100, and who came into this grass court season with a ranking of 217. Evans had had a strong run at his two pre-Wimbledon build-up tournaments, Queens and Eastbourne. When asked what had changed over the last few weeks, Evans referenced his change in mindset. He had told himself that he may not have that much longer on the circuit, so his absolute focus should be on getting the most out of his tennis whilst he still had the chance – effectively giving himself permission (and motivation) to just ‘go for it’. The immediate effect on his performances and ranking was startling – by the time he started at Wimbledon his ranking had jumped up to 154. Accustomed as they are to my enthusiastic sharing of sport-based stories, the O Shaped team duly nodded along, but I know they got the point as the whole team is as obsessed with mindset as I am.
The second story comes from the world of cooking, and was recently shared by Trust expert Rachel Botsman in her regular newsletter. A few years ago, she had the opportunity to interview the legendary chef David Chang. During their conversation, he told Botsman a story that had stuck in her mind ever since.
Whenever Chang hires someone, whether it’s a top chef or a waiter, he asks them to wash the dishes. Not to test their skills, but to observe how they go about it.
Do they stack the plates with care?
Do they run the water hot and properly scrub?
Do they clean the sink afterwards?
For Chang, the way someone approaches a seemingly small, overlooked task speaks volumes about their mindset, values and attention to detail. It's not about washing dishes; it’s about the how.
So as you go off into your summer break, think about how you have showed up over the last year. Has your mindset been one which has enabled you to get the best out of yourself? To do the best job, to find joy and happiness where you can, to grab opportunities with both hands, and to, in the words of Dolly Parton, appreciate that there is something new in every day? If not, how about making that shift?
For more on this or any aspect of leadership and performance, with a healthy dose of mindset, sport, and I hope usefulness thrown in, do feel free to browse through all the articles in the Huddle, or get in touch with me directly on catherine@sportandbeyond.co.uk. To order a copy of my book - Staying the Distance: The Lessons From Sport That Business Leaders Have Been Missing – click here .