Mindset vs Mechanics in Business

If I told you that I could waive a magic wand and give you the best business mindset or the best business mechanics, which would you choose?

If you chose mindset, you are probably already well on your way to achieving your true business potential.

Mechanics are important, but they can change and you can outsource mechanics. Mindset gets you up in the morning, keeps you focused, and causes people to know, like, and trust you.

The right mindset gives you a solid frame on which to build your business. Mechanics are the finishing touches that make your business more efficient.

The true potential for your business requires mutually-beneficial relationship with five categories of people: Customers, competitors, collaborators, colleagues, and contractors.

These people hold the keys to your long-term business potential. No mechanism or tactic can ensure you have quality relationships with them. Only your mindset can.

Having the right mindset—a growth mindset—will help you make sure each of the people who are vital to your business know, like, and trust you.

Having a growth mindset builds that trust and expands your network, filling it with like-minded and appreciative customers, collaborators, colleagues, and contractors, as well as competitors who respect and cooperate with you in a way that helps both of you grow your businesses.

Having a growth mindset requires you to believe the truth that there is plenty of business and good fortune to go around. Having a growth mindset requires you to believe the truth that money, opportunity, and success are like the flame of a candle: one lit candle has plenty of fire to light an unlimited number of other candles without
diminishing the size of its flame. 

 Growth-minded entrepreneurs are more likable, trustworthy, and easy to do business with. Customers feel less pressure and more important, collaborators are excited to help, contractors want to work with them, and colleagues and competitors feel respected.

The growth-minded entrepreneur is more confident and benefits from solid and stable relationships based upon mutual respect and trust. They surround themselves with the best people they can, embracing collaboration and criticism for the collective benefit. Because they accept others’ opinions, their products and services continually improve and their business speeds through obstacles that cause others to crash.

Too often in business, entrepreneurs limit their growth by going through life with a fixed mindset. Fixed-minded people believe that there is only a set amount of success to go around. If one person makes a sale, that sale comes at the expense of another. Money, opportunity, and success are like a cake. There are only so many pieces of cake available to eat. When someone eats a piece of cake, there is less cake for them to eat. Once the cake is gone, there is nothing left for them.

Fixed-minded entrepreneurs suffer from lower engagement and collaboration. They appear selfish, scared, and less confident. They avoid people who are talented because they feel threatened and insecure. Because of that, they surround themselves with people who are agreeable and will not offer criticism or alternative suggestions. Their business hits a wall fast and never achieve its full potential.

If you are stuck in a fixed mindset, it’s not too late. You, too, can develop a growth mindset and shift your business into overdrive.

Here are three things you can do to start pushing yourself from a fixed to a growth mindset. Go through this 3-Step Mindset Makeover exercise alone, with your leadership team, or throughout your organization, and you will begin to see a shift in perspective, and productivity!

1. Step out of your comfort zone.

There are few areas of business where you can achieve meaningful growth entirely within your comfort zone. Mindset is no different. Start small, taking on small challenges that you know are good for your business, but which you would normally avoid because they are slightly outside of your comfort zone.

Taking those limited perceived risks, and seeing the success that can come from those baby steps, will slowly begin to expand your mindset.

2. Collaborate with others who have complementary businesses to you.

At the extreme, fixed-minded entrepreneurs will go completely solo, not trusting anyone to serve their customers, build their products, or participate in their marketing activities. That leaves them needing to work more to make more money. Thus, they can only scale their businesses to the extent they can scale their efforts independent of others through technology and efficiency and the slightest roadblock brings their business to a screeching halt, as they are forced to stop production and maneuver around the roadblock.

To move towards a growth mindset, begin collaborating with others who serve the same customers in different ways. Attorneys and accountants are a great example of professionals who are not competitive, but who can serve similar clientele. Web developers and copywriters are another. Clothing designers and fashion consultants are another.

By identifying and collaborating with complementary businesses, fixed-minded entrepreneurs will begin to see the value of finding trustworthy collaborators to help each other improve their reach.

3. Look and listen for takeaways.

One of the biggest downfalls for fixed-minded entrepreneurs is an inability to get out of their own way. After surrounding themselves with people they feel superior to, refusing to stretch beyond their comfort zone, and giving up too soon, they exacerbate the effects of their fixed mindset by taking criticism personally, ignoring it, or writing it off as “wrong.”

Next time you feel like someone is criticizing you, force yourself to save your natural objections or personal feelings for later. Instead, just listen carefully for takeaways. Ask yourself if the person has a point, even if their delivery feels harsh. Is there something you can learn from their comment that they might not be communicating effectively? Usually there is.

By starting to consciously look and listen for takeaways that you can then use to improve your business, you will start to shift the way you receive criticism and work with others. Over time, you will see the value of additional perspectives and insights. You will want more of that and attract high-capacity collaborators and colleagues who will want to invest in a relationship with you because they will begin to see that their opinions will be respected and valued.

These three exercises are designed to help fixed-minded entrepreneurs slowly stretch beyond their comfort zone and begin to experience the extraordinary value of a growth mindset in business.

They can also help those who already boast a growth mindset fine tune their brains and unlock their full potential.

Author: Nick Pavlidis

Nick Pavlidis left a busy law practice at a large law firm in New York City to help high achievers write and publish books, articles, and social media content that helps them open doors, build their authority and credibility, and generate business. Connect with Nick at www.NickPavlidis.com.

Disclosure: I am an independent ClickFunnels Affiliate, not an employee. I receive referral payments from ClickFunnels. The opinions expressed here are my own and are not official statements of ClickFunnels or its parent company, Etison LLC.