“The biggest challenge in shifting to a promotion mindset is letting go of the fear of failure and embracing the possibility of success” – Adam Markel
Do you find yourself more driven by opportunity or avoiding failure? Do you prefer to move towards your goal or away from something you don’t like? These questions may seem simple, but they can reveal a lot about your mindset and how it influences your behavior.
Prevention Mindset
The questions above may help you determine whether you have a Prevention or a Promotion mindset.
A Prevention mindset is primarily focused on preventing failure, loss, and change. Those with a prevention mindset are primarily focused on avoiding losses and may be driven by fear. While they may be protecting against risk, they may also miss out on opportunities that could help them reach their goals.
I have conversations with people in a Prevention mindset all the time, and here’s the irony – when you make decisions based on fear, you are actually MORE likely to cause the problems you are afraid of!
Promotion Mindset
On the other hand, those with a promotion mindset are focused on winning, reaching their goals, and seizing opportunities. They are willing to take appropriate risks to make progress, even if it means stepping out of their comfort zones. Instead of saying “we can’t afford it,” they ask, “what can we do to afford it?”
Of course you can take this too far and be too risky, but embracing promotion-minded actions is almost always a good idea!
Shifting Towards a Promotion Mindset
If you want to shift towards a promotion mindset, here are a few ideas:
- Imagine the positive results of accomplishing your goals. Spend some time each day visualizing the outcomes you want to achieve.
- Journal your goals and desires in different areas of your life. This can help you narrow down on primary goals in each category.
- Focus on what you can gain and develop, rather than what you lack. By seeing the opportunities, you can shift away from fear of loss and towards potential for success.
- Make a commitment to take action towards your goals. This may require taking appropriate risks, stepping out of your comfort zone, and focusing on your objectives.
By shifting your mindset, you can shift your actions and opportunities to improve outcomes in your leadership, career, and personal development.
If you’re interested in learning more about mindset and how it can shape your behavior, I’d love to discuss ways we can work together to reach your biggest goals either individually or as an organization!
Watch more in the video below:
Accelerate Your Career
If you’re ready to accelerate your career and leadership further and want some help doing it, here are a few ways I can help when you’re ready:
- Watch a FREE Engineering Career Masterclass – the 4 Keys to Intentional Engineering Career Transitions
- Enroll in the Engineering Career Accelerator – the exact system that hundreds of engineers have used to go from confused to thriving in their careers.
- Schedule a free call with me to talk about getting personalized 1:1 and group support on your goals.
