I’ve come across many people who are keen to progress their career. In the flat organisations that 
many of us work in these days, at first glance there seems to be fewer opportunities to progress up the career leader. I’ve met many people disappointed that they’ve gone for a job and not got it – some with no real idea about why another person got it over them. With a a recent survey saying that 1 in 3 people are actively looking for new roles there is a risk that there will continue to be the ‘war on talent’ that many business leaders and HR professionals fear – from an individual’s point of view, talking of a war on talent, when they can’t seem to progress their career seems odd. Not getting a job and not really being able to understand why is so frustrating – what did that person have that I didn’t? – you can only take responsibility and influence what you do and I would suggest the answer may lay in your mindset, rather than your ability to do the job ….
I’d like to tell you a story of 2 University students – both wanted to be primary school teachers. Both has similar background (in terms of work experience, A-Level grades, intellect, grades received at Uni, both had supportive families who believed in them, both had attended the university employability programme and so had attended mock interviews and had CVs – so technically there wasn’t much in it). One found it easy to get a job, and the other didn’t? – what made the difference?
I spent time with both young ladies, and the first thing that struck me about them both was their levels of confidence – when I listened to them talk the one that secured the job more easily, totally believed that it was possible – she was confident in her ability to do the job, she believed she could succeed and knew what she wanted (her goal). The stories the 2 young ladies were telling themselves (their internal ‘thought journeys’) were very different – the young lady that struggled, spent time worrying about what might be, was she good enough, what would happen if it didn’t happen for her etc. The next thing I noticed was the way they communicated – the way they sat or stood, the tone of the voice they used, the way they spoke (I was not listening to the actual words they said, because that is after only on 7-8% of our overall communication). With my HR hat on, I imagined being the interviewer of these two young ladies – and I knew which one I would have hired – she would easily be able to build rapport with the interviewer (she was doing it without knowing what it was), would have probably been able to listen to the questions more easily (because she’d have been less nervousness) and therefore better able to give me the answers I needed because her brain would have been more relaxed (and the chemicals responsible for our fight or flight response would have been much lower, meaning she could think more easily).
Why do I tell you this story – because I want you to know that this story was all about Mindset – it had very little to do with talent or ability to do the job. In the context of career progression – those that believe they are good enough, have little mind chatter and are motivated to push themselves will get career progression – even if there’s a detour or two along the way. In business it’s exactly the same – Mindset is what sets people apart. Our mindsets have a substantial influence and correlation to our success – FACT!
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Laura is passionate about helping people realise their potential, and achieve the results they deserve. She believes, if you change your thinking, you can change your results. If you’d like to find out more about Unleash Your Potential, you can check out our NLP courses and coaching options, and link up with us via our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter or link up with Laura via LinkedIn. You can of course also email us at: [email protected]
