This is a YouTube interview-style video (host and guest Peter Natra) introducing the concept of mind games in organizations. It defines mind games as conscious or unconscious behaviors people use to gain advantage or perceived payoff, outlines negative impacts on responsibility, power balance and morale, gives banal everyday examples, and previews a follow-up video on the “power play” mind game.
Chapters
Do you play games or has anyone played games on you? It's no secret that we love to play games. We're really quite competitive. It's part of our DNA, if not who we are. We like to show maybe our superiority. We like to adduce, you know, other people. We're very orientated towards team sports. But even with team sports, even games like tennis, where it is one on one, there's still mind games taking place. And from a business context, a lot of organizations and management are really not aware of mind games that are taking place in their own organization. So we're going about tim bark on 11 different unique mind games that actually take place within an organization. And for this we have a special guest, Peter Natra, who is one of the best NLP practitioners, trainers and masters in Australia.
Thank you guys.
Welcome, Peter.
Thank you very much.
Well, let's start by first identifying what is my games.
Mind games is something that we play either consciously or unconsciously that gives us some form of an advantage or some sort of a perceived payoff. In other words, what's in it for us? So mind games can take a lot of shapes and forms and not just in business. We play them everywhere.
We do, we do. What is the impact or the negative impact or the effect that mind games take take place within an organization?
Basically, when somebody is playing a mind game, there is some kind of transfer of either responsibility or power that takes place. That doesn't necessarily equate to where that should be at this point in time.
Yep, yep. From an organization perspective, when mind games are taking place, the impact also from the one that's being played at the morale, the negative situation that causes.
Yes. So business is known for mind games from one organization to another or from client to organization. And that's almost part of the process. But when you start having mind games being played within the organization, most of them are to get one party to have some sort of an advantage over another party inside of the organization, which kind of breaks down a lot of the team effort that many organizations believe that they're actually pushing or they're promoting.
Okay, so what happens? What's the result if you have someone that's pushing the agenda onto someone else?
So what's in it for them? That's the quickest way to answer. And those things can be just pure. I don't want to do this to. They don't want to take responsibility to. Actually I want to take responsibility on and get all the glory. So you do all the work, I'll give all the glory thank you very much. So these are all the different kinds of games. It really comes down to what's the payoff, what's in it for the individuals?
How does someone know that they're being played at or they're part of that mind game?
Very subtle. Versus oftentimes people who are, especially people who are willing and keen and wanting to shine inside of an organization can actually fall victim to being played mind games with. Eventually though there will be that sneaking suspicion that there's something going on here. And the moment that you have that consideration that there might be something not quite right in the transaction or imbalance. Imbalance in a transaction between work colleagues. Obviously a manager will devolve work down to people, but there's a balance that takes place in almost every transaction. Once that balance kind of feels, and it's a very subjective way of looking at it, you can't quantify it. But once that balance feels one sided then you need to have a think about what game is being played.
Okay, cool. And I suppose just in terms of wrapping up, so why, what's the overarching reason that people play mind games?
To get advantage. So let's take it right out of the, let's take it right out of the business sense. You know, it's. Whose turn is it to do the dishes tonight?
Yeah, the finger pointing.
And it's not only that, but we have these soft games that we play and say. Oh yeah, yes. You know, it's just so comfortable sitting here at the moment and at the end of the day if one person doesn't pick up the ball, the dishes don't get done and somebody has to do it still.
Yes.
So I mean that's a really banal example but it's what's in it for the individuals.
Okay, so what is the underlying key message of mind games?
The underlying key message of mind games is that they are played all the time. You as a, as a recipient of being or you might even unconsciously being playing mind games need to be very aware of what those games have as an impact in your environment. Yeah, that's about sums it up at the moment.
Okay, so in the next video we're going to be starting at power play.
Yes.
Which is probably one of the most common mind games that you will find in any organization.
Absolutely.
I can't wait. So look below you'll find the actual link to the actual next video. See you then.
