Hello and a very warm welcome to Episode No 1 of ‘Your Bravo Career’
My name is Mark Crossfield, I’m a Professional Career Coach helping you to love your job and build a great career.
This podcast is about why your career matters why we often aim so low and put up with so much and what you can do about it.
I’m going to be talking about how you can approach your career so that you enjoy what you are doing day to day
As a Career Coach, I know that aspiration is achievable for you. I have got high expectations for your career.
Your career can provide you with opportunities to meet new people, travel, learn new skills, grow and develop as a person and find happiness most days.
But, that’s not to say our careers don’t come with some challenges, many challenges actually.
They do.
Careers can be unpredictable, and the world of work and employment is changing.
In this episode, I’m going to be talking about the mindset, in fact, mindsets, that you can adopt to help you along in your career.
But first, who am I?
Well, I am a UK based Career Coach, but I now work in many countries by video of course.
My background is civil engineering, and I am Chartered Engineer and also a Chartered Manager having work nearly 3 decades in local government leading highway service functions.
I’ve always been interested in career issues and having qualified as a coach over 15 years ago I now get to help people, mainly one to one to, get career clarity, make big shifts and improve their overall happiness and satisfaction at work.
I’m sure this might come up at some point in a future episode, but I also love walking every day and I’m also learning to play the drums, after being in a band when I was a teenager. I wasn’t a very good drummer then and I’m just trying to get bet every day now.
Ok, so onto the main part of the episode where I’m going to discuss your Career Mindset.
So, what is your Mindset?
Well, your Mindset is just a collection of thoughts and beliefs that shape your attitudes and how you typically think about things.
And how you typically think about things affects how you feel, and what action you do or don’t take. It impacts how you make sense of the world.
So, as you can see,
Your Mindset is actually a big deal.
From coaching people in their careers, I have come to see that there are 3 mindsets, that can support you to build a great career.
I’m going to go through these 3 mindsets now.
The First Mindset shift is to take responsibility for your career.
It’s easy to buy into the idea that your career and how it turns out is somebody else’s responsibility - maybe the organisation you work for or even the government.
It’s not. It’s your responsibility.
And I think maybe you know this, but it’s good to be reminded of this and to make it a decision to adopt a mindset of responsibility when it comes to your career.
The Second Mindset shift is to adopt a Possibility Mindset rather than feeling limited or stuck in your career.
To see that a better, more enjoyable opportunity is possible for you is vital. And it goes a long way to pushing through the transitions in your career that often hold us back.
Think of this. If you are stuck in your career right now, one of the reasons is probably that you have an unconscious mindset that change isn’t possible for you.
But it is! Trust me on this one.
Ask yourself - is what I am seeking possible for other people? Is it possible that other people could make the changes that I want?
So, for example, if I’m looking for a job that gives me more flexibility and at the same time more income, is that possible? Have other people done this?
Normally this is an easy answer. Yes
Next, can you see that if it’s possible for somebody else then it’s possible for you? You don’t need to know the ‘how’ yet, but just be open to the idea that if somebody else can do it, so can you.
Once you realise that it is possible for you, you can nurture this Possibility Mindset.
This will help move you towards what you are seeking in your career.
Ok, that’s the second Mindset, a Mindset of Possibility.
The Third Mindset shift is from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset.
Much of our understanding
of Fixed and Growth Mindsets comes from
Carol Dweck, and her book
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Dweck showed how changing to a Growth Mindset can have
a profound impact on nearly every aspect of your life.
This is a very helpful summary of the Growth Mindset which I recommend that you watch.
Those with a growth Mindset recognise that challenges can be overcome with persistence, strategy and learning from mistakes.
With a growth mindset you embrace challenges and persist in the face of setbacks. Effort is seen as a path to excellence and mastery.
For your career, this results in higher levels of achievement, satisfaction and a greater sense of free will.
OK, so those are the three Mindsets you can adopt to help you have a great career.
Responsibility Mindset, Possibility Mindset and Growth Mindset.
But how do we actually adopt a new Mindset? Well, in a moment, I’m going to give you 4 ideas to get you started.
Ok, in the first part we talked about 3 mindsets to adopt for a great career.
Now, I am going to give you 4 ways to implement these new Mindsets.
The first one is to
1. Change your Self-Talk
Our internal self-talk does matter. These conversations are a direct reflection of your mindset.
And at the same time, our self-talk also influences our Mindset. If you are telling yourself “I am never going to find a job I love” or “work is not meant to be enjoyed” your mindset is likely to hold you back in your career.
So instead, start telling yourself that “you are in charge of your career, and how it turns out” and “You are moving towards a job that you will love”, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet.
It might sound cliché, but whether you like it or not you are having internal conversations all the time with yourself. Why not have conversations that support you.
The second thing you can do is ...
2. Change your outward communication
Listen to what you are saying to the people around you.
Are these words reinforcing your ideal Mindset or are they lessening the impact?
How can you talk to people in such a way that you genuinely feel excited and motivated in your career?
So, avoid phrases like “I hate mornings” or “I hate Mondays” or even “I’m just getting through the day”
and instead, talk about your career in a positive and aspirational way. This will encourage a mindset of possibility and growth.
Ok, so the third thing you can do is
3. Reinforce your Mindset
There are so many resources available that can support your career progress.
These books, podcasts, videos etc. can reinforce your new career Mindset.
Links to resources are shown below.
And finally
4. Get around some people that have a similar mindset to the one you’re looking to adopt.
For example, you could network with other people that are looking to change their careers.
Or could you seek out some people that buy into these principles, for example, people that understand the importance of a Growth Mindset?
Remember, like-minds and like-mindsets think alike and for your career, that’s great news.
OK, there you have it, 4 ways to implement a change in your mindset.
Ok, so I hope you have enjoyed this episode
The world of work and jobs and careers can be enjoyable, rewarding and life-affirming. But you do need to manage your careers and the first place to start is with your Mindset.
You are responsible for how your career turns out. Including the mindsets, you adopt.
So, the Mindsets we discussed today are:
• The Possibility Mindset
• The Responsibility Mindset
• The Growth Mindset
Decide today that you are going to adopt this Mindset cluster and see how your career develops. Change how you talk to yourself and others and reinforce these mindsets by seeking out confirmation elsewhere that …
Maybe even create a few new habits.
I also give you 4 ways to implement these new Mindsets.
The first one is to
1. Change your Self-Talk
The second thing you can do is ...
2. Change your outward communication
The third thing you can do is
3. Reinforce your Mindset
And finally
4. Get around some people that have a similar mindset to the one you’re looking to adopt.
That’s all for now. You can find more information about me at bravocoaching.co.uk
Please reach out to me if you want to discuss these ideas further.
If you have enjoyed the podcast, I would love for you to share the episode with a friend or share on your social media
And if you haven’t already subscribed, why not do that now before you forget.
That way you won’t miss an episode and it will pop into your feed as if by magic.
I will speak to you all again in 2 week’s time
when I will be discussing what you can do if you feel stuck in your career.
Ok, Bye for now.