Creating a Shift in Your Mindset

Everyone’s been there at one point in their life: Just starting out in a new role and wanting to succeed, but not knowing where exactly to start. For many of us, we dive right in like a bull in a china shop, knowing mistakes will be made but charging in full force regardless. Others find themselves on the opposite end of the spectrum, worried about making a misstep, so they tiptoe lightly. Neither of these chosen paths is ideal—not by a long shot.

There has to be a better way to begin, a balance between the bull and the barely there. How do we best start in a new role?

There is NOTHING wrong with staying in a job your whole life if you want to and are happy with it, but what I am specifically speaking to is when we decide we want to change. The danger I found personally, and often see in my peers and colleagues, is that when you learn how to do the same type of role or the same thing repeatedly, that leads to complacency at a certain point. People reach a ceiling, and it is human nature to look for the next way to move up.

That’s the catalyst that pushes people to new roles. With new roles comes new opportunity, but also new challenges, colleagues, and anxieties. Not being completely familiar with everything is definitely a challenge, but an exciting and exponentially enriching one. Getting out of your old ways and habits, you have to take what works and what’s been successful for you in the past, then incorporate what you can in the new role while also being willing and open to leaving what doesn’t serve you or “work” behind. And to overcome ego, habits, and anxieties, we need to change our mindsets.

What else is required when beginning again?

A lot of patience; the ability to take a step back and take a deep breath every once in a while, and just affirm to yourself that it’s ok to learn in the beginning, rather than being the expert.

Active listening and (only after doing so) then asking the right questions also goes a long way. It can be humbling, so be prepared for—and accepting of—that. I was the most tenured person at my last organization, which meant running a lot of the client calls, mentoring some of my less experienced colleagues and helping drive strategy meetings.

Fast forward to now: I’m the most inexperienced person in these conversations, and I’m the one who’s not contributing. And it requires a change in mindset. Right now, my role is to learn so I can better serve my clients—that is absolutely ok.

I encourage you to do this as you begin new careers, but also any new endeavor. You’re not going to do everything the same way that you did in the past. You’re going to have to, once again, learn how to do it completely differently. Putting yourself into difficult situations where you’re forced to think about things in different ways that challenge you to solve new problems is good, and it’s healthy. By changing your mindset, you can walk the line between the bull and the tiptoer.