Your schedule for the day is probably pretty much set. You have a task list of things you are going to get done. What you are going to do today or tomorrow is, for the most part, set in stone.
The activities or meetings for the day won’t change, but the mindset you bring, or the posture you come to those activities with, can change.
And that can make all the difference in getting better results and improving outcomes.
Are you familiar with the books and the work of Arbinger Institute? Give this video a spin to get up to speed:
The video talks about how our mindset drives our behaviors, which leads to results.
We all know that our behaviors and activities are the things that bring about results.
In sales, we know that to increase business we need to make sales calls.
In leadership, we know that if we want to build our people or our teams, we need to spend time with them. This may be one-on-ones or holding team meetings to bring people together.
When we want different results, we tend to think that doing more or changing our behaviors is the answer. However, when we focus on our mindset and trying to improve this, we bring about much greater results.
According to the Arbinger Institute, we change our mindset by going to what they call an Inward Mindset to an Outward Mindset. An Inward Mindset is focused on ourselves and sees others as a way to achieve our objectives. With an Outward Mindset we see other people and take into account their goals and needs and desires; focused on helping other people.
What does it mean to put on the mind of Christ?
In biblical terms, this would be going from being self-centered to Christ-centered. We mature and grow in Christ-likeness as we put on the mind of Christ.
As a Christian, I am fascinated and somewhat perplexed about putting on the mindset of Christ.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5-8
By no means do I think I have this concept nailed but one of my guiding principles is by doing things by faith. In a previous post, I wrote about the connection between faith and optimism.
The meaning you can take from the above scripture is endless. We are talking about driving results and improving outcomes by changing our mindset.
In the picture of Christ described in Philippians 2, the words did not…use to his own advantage, jump out for me. He wasn’t doing things to serve himself, but to serve others.
In sales and leadership, there is pressure to drive results, as we are accountable for what we produce. The trap is in taking advantage of others, our customers or team members, to drive results.
For me, taking advantage of others to drive results, stems from finding my self worth in what we achieve. I need something to point to as proof of Gods favor in my life, so I point to my sales results and the activities I did you achieve them, instead of pointing to Christ and the Cross.
When this happens, I take my eyes off my achievements and my results and put them back on Christ.
I have to remind my self; you are more than what you do all day. What you do matters, but it is not who you are. You belong to Christ because he made you and he bought you with a price. And no amount of achievements are going to change his mind about you.
I am not saying that performance, production, or driving results are not important.
If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last.
John15:5 & 16
How we produce the results is what matters. The mindset or the posture that we bring to our work is what will create lasting results.
Abiding in Christ and doing things by faith is how we bear fruit, and it is lasting fruit!
Only The Things Done By Faith Will Remain
Recently I have been reflecting on the things I have learned from my mentor, Dave. He has had a big influence on my life since I became a Christian in 2003. A pivotal conversation was years ago, and it revolved around doing things by faith.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he builds survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
When my mentor and I talked about this passage, I wrote in my bible next to 1 Corinthians 3, what we do in faith will remain. The way we do our work, whether by faith in Christ or to serve ourselves, will determine if it will last.
The key to this comes from verse 10 where Paul says by the grace God has given me, I…When we live and work out of freedom of God’s grace, we are producing fruit that will last.
So let’s serve people, just for the heck of it. Not so, they can somehow pay you back, but because of what has been done for you. Christ has done so much for us; we have so much to give. When we are serving others and not ourselves, we are serving the Lord.
I hope you are enjoying this post so far! It is about to get better because all great blog posts have a bullet list of actionable steps to take.
- Who is someone you can help today?
- What are the actions I can take, to create something of value that would make myself proud of my work?
- Do it.
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The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
Psalm 37:23-24