A mind-set is simply the way we organize our thinking,
whether consciously or unconsciously. Most of the time, we
act based on unconscious mind-sets that simply repeat what
we’ve done most recently. In a new situation where our
conscious mind is engaged, we may also repeat past behavior
because when faced with a new choice, we often search
through our alternatives in a predictable pattern that
includes some perspectives while ignoring many others.
Organizations develop their mind-sets through rules,
processes, and rituals, as well as through the mind-sets of
those who work in them. The fewer people who enter an
organization, the more likely the organizational mind-set
is to become fixed.
The Individual Stall Mind-Set
Are you awake, aware of, and working on what you want to
accomplish … or are you usually daydreaming? It’s easy to
spend most of your day with your conscious mind turned off
while you endure your commute, struggle to stay awake
during meetings, listen to long-winded people on the
telephone, exercise, perform routine chores, and watch
television. The focus for your whole mind starts in the
conscious part of your brain. Keep that conscious focus
turned off, and the whole brain runs on automatic
instructions.
Overcoming that lethargy is pretty easy. Take these steps:
1. Create written goals for what’s important.
2. Read those goals aloud twice a day.
3. Write out plans to help you accomplish your goals.
4. Increase the number of hours a day when you are
consciously working on those goals.
5. Tell others what you want to accomplish and ask for
their help.
6. Check your progress daily against your goals to identify
where you need to shift to doing something more effective.
7. Get help in looking for ways to improve in those lagging
areas.
8. Put improvements in place as soon as you can.
Some people tell us they don’t have the time to add any new
activities. We suggest you check out that belief. Write
down everything you do and when over 24 hours a day for 14
days. Add up elapsed time totals for each category (such as
spiritual activities, sleeping, eating, commuting, various
aspects of work, activities around home and in the
community, exercise, and recreation). Then create an ideal
time allocation for how you would like to spend your time.
If you are like most people who do this exercise, you’ll
find that you can shift 25 hours each week from what you do
now into things you would like to be doing.
At this stage, some people are still confused about what to
do. They don’t see a role model or example that seems to
perfectly fit what they would like to be doing. Relax.
That’s a good sign! It means that a lot of people are
stalled in pursuing what you want to do. So there’s lots of
untapped potential for you to grasp. Try selecting some
ideas for improvement from one person’s example and other
ideas from a different example. Put the combination
together in a new way and try it out in a low-risk test.
Many such tests won’t work, but the ones that do will cause
you to zoom forward.
The Organizational Stall Mind-Set
Since the advent of military organizations, the goal of
many groups has been to focus and direct each person’s
attention to a narrow, predictable path. Since
communication used to be almost impossible in large
organizations, there was little choice but to try to do
little in order to accomplish anything. Such groups are now
called command-and-control-style organizations.
Today’s fast-changing world is filled with much better
educated people and more ways to communicate, so
organizations can aspire to be very responsive by having
those who first notice a problem or opportunity move
quickly to take appropriate action. This works better if
each individual knows that this should be done and develops
her or his ability to notice problems and opportunities and
to take appropriate, timely action.
Too often, however, the habits of command and control are
carried over intentionally or unintentionally into a
free-form world that most closely resembles a fast-break
opportunity in basketball. Here are some examples of
progress barriers created by command-and-control stalls:
• Meetings that focus on permanently fixed agendas drive
out time and initiative that could be used to work on more
important, but unperceived, issues.
• Compensation systems that reward you for doing only part
of your job    encourage you to ignore what else needs to
be done.
• Lacking a focus on learning, many organizations spin
their wheels by     superficially reexamining areas that
have been studied to death by predecessors.
• Rigid protocol often requires that you cannot speak
directly with your     counterpart in another part of the
organization, leaving your efforts isolated and
ineffective.
• Decision makers live in isolated bunkers with lots of
guards around to keep    others away, leaving decisions in
limbo.
Become a Stallbuster
You now have a better idea of what a stall is. You may
doubt that human beings can change mind-sets and become
vastly more productive in short periods of time. But such
quick changes may be easier than you think. “Necessity is
the mother of invention” is a motto that applies to
successfully dealing with crises. A big challenge can also
cause that motto to come to life.
Stallbusters
Be Aware of Your Habits
Most people are better at identifying others’ habits than
noticing their own. Ask others to tell you what habits they
see in you. Then keep a diary to see which of those habits
are done without much conscious thought. Next review what
you have learned and think about the patterns. When would
you have been better off changing the patterns?
Be Aware of Your Organization’s Habits
For the next week, write down everything that your
organization does without much thought. Pay particular
attention to how problems are addressed. Consider the
habitual items on your list and ask yourself the following
questions:
• Why are these things done?
• What is the benefit?
• When are these habits harmful?
• When might these habits stall progress?
• How should the habits be changed?
• Does the organization have an effective method for making
the changes?
Be Aware of How the Habits of Others in Your Organization
Affect You
Many ambitious employees soon begin to sound, look, and
think like the CEO ― down to the tiniest variation in
cadence and phrase. The more you think about habits, the
more you will notice them and create the needed
adjustments. Answer the following questions to gain
perspective:
• What habits do people in your company pick up from the
CEO?
• What are the benefits?
• When are these habits harmful?
• When might these habits stall progress?
• How should these habits be changed?
It’s a good idea to repeat this investigation for other
leaders who serve between the CEO and the bulk of those who
work for the organization.
Be Aware of How Your Habits Affect Others in Your
Organization
Habits can come from being with anyone. In fact, you are
creating quite a few habits in others through your actions.
Because you are the source, such habits will be easier to
change than the others we describe in this section. To
increase your awareness, ask yourself the following
questions:
• What habits do people in your company pick up from you?
• What are the benefits?
• When are these habits harmful?
• When might these habits stall progress?
• How should these habits be changed?
Practice Soaring Like an Eagle
Most impassable barriers to progress occur only in the
mind. In reality, there is usually a way around (over,
through, or away from) the barriers that will work just
fine. To improve in seeing past your habitual ways of
thinking and acting, you need success in doing something
that seems impossible. An example might be to sell more of
your company’s products at a higher price with less
marketing and to enjoy a higher profit margin. Pick such a
business objective that’s way beyond what anyone thinks is
possible and then address the following questions:
What would have to happen for this result to be possible?
If your organization had all of the resources and time in
the world, could it be     done?
How much would it be worth to accomplish this objective?
How much can your organization realistically afford to
spend to reach the     objective?
Do other people see this objective as being impossible, or,
rather, do they see it as difficult or inconvenient?
Assuming for the moment that you could know how to reach
the seemingly impossible objective (such as selling more
of your company’s products at a higher price with less
marketing while earning a higher profit margin), what is
the answer to the seemingly impossible objective?
Copyright 2007 Donald W. Mitchell All Rights Reserved
—————————————————-
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of six books including The 2,000 Percent Squared
Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, The Portable 2,000
Percent Solution, and The 2,000 Percent Solution Workbook.
You can read about his work on improving effectiveness at:
http://www.2000percentsolution.com .
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