Team Leaders, are you minding the gap?

Mindset proceeds action. When you mind the gap you are setting expectations for your team to focus on their progress from where they started – the gain, vs. the distance to the goal – the gap.

Goals are important. Goals create clear paths toward action.
But measuring a professional’s progress toward the goal alone can overwhelm, create a sense of inadequacy, and that the goal line is always on the horizon.

Combine your evaluation toward the goal, with recognizing the progress your team is making.

Think about the language you use, the practices you have, the incentives you have created. Are they creating a gap? Here are some ways to shift your mindset toward the gain.

1. Create a daily team practice – such as “New and Good” where each team member shares one thing that is new that they have done, and one thing that is good. There are a million variations of this type of gratitude ritual.
2. When you provide feedback, first recognize how far your team has come from where it started. Be concrete and specific. Ask the team to pull out an action or a strategy that really worked they could continue to build upon.

3. In the moment, focus on what is working rather than what is not.

4. Model gain mindset yourself. Quit saying, I did this, but I still need to do that….

Now You: How have you created a gain mindset in your life?
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