A speaker argues mindset matters more than talent for business success, citing a 96% employer preference survey and corporate adoption of meditation at Apple, Starbucks, and IBM. He uses martial arts mastery as a model for deliberate practice and continuous improvement.
About 2,500 years ago, the ancient sage Lao Tzu said, "He who controls others may be powerful; he who controls himself is mightier still." So how is it that all of a sudden business people all over the world are somehow waking up to this "mindset revolution"? I guess the mindset fundamentals just aren't as sexy. Look, I want to break a brick over my head every time I read in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Inc., or any of these other journals about how important mindset is to business success, or any other success for that matter. I should just save the brick and my head and just be grateful that business is finally waking up to the fundamental truth that Black Belts have known forever. Mindset is essential to any and all achievement. Not only do you need the right mindset to get to the top, but you need the right mindset to stay there. What the business world is really starting to wake up to is that mindset trumps talent. Someone with the right mindset can learn or develop any skill. Without the right mindset, you just can't operate at peak levels of creativity, productivity, or effectiveness, no matter what your skills or talents. In British Airways Business Life, Neil Webb of 3G Mindset shares the results of an extensive survey of business needs. Given the choice between someone with the desired mindset who lacks the complete skill set for the job and someone with the complete skill set who lacks the desired mindset, a total of 96% of the employers surveyed picked mindset over skill set as the key element in those they seek and retain. To boost these mindset capabilities, corporations are now turning to the same techniques we've been using ever since someone strapped on that first black belt. Companies worldwide are increasingly incorporating the use of meditation and mindfulness into their human resources toolbox to boost productivity, improve leadership skills, combat the rigors of high stress and its deleterious effects on employee health, and foster innovation. That's what John Ostic wrote in Success magazine. He continues: Apple Computer, Target, Deutsche Bank, Raytheon, Reebok, Hughes Aircraft, Starbucks, Xerox, IBM, and Aetna International are among 44 major corporations adopting some measure of mindfulness practice. Harvard Business Review on point says genuine experts not only practice deliberately but they think deliberately. That's the purposeful mindset of continual self-improvement embraced by everyone who wears a black belt and everyone who thinks like one. More from On Point in "The Making of an Expert" from winter 2013: "New research shows that outstanding performance is the product of years of deliberate practice and coaching, not any innate talent or skill." Yeah, that's what we call mastery. It's not mind over matter. It's that mindset shapes what matters. If you want to perform to your full potential, become a leader in your field, and stay on top, work continually on developing a productive, effective, and relevant mindset. If you want to create a powerful, innovative, and profitable culture in your organization, install mindset training. Teach everyone in your organization how to think like a black belt.
Think like a black belt for yourself. For your business, or your next conference or event. Learn more at ThatBlackBeltGuy.com.
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