Jo Owen - The Mindset of Success: Accelerate your career from good manager to great leader (Second edition)

PRAISE FOR THE MINDSET OF SUCCESS

Makes a compelling case that a leaders mindset can count far more than their skills in achieving breakthrough success. It has profound implications for how we think about developing leadership potential within ourselves and our organizations.

Sharath Jeevan, CEO, STIR Education

Down to earth and very readable, this book is full of stories to inspire and remind us what leadership is all about.

Steve Munby, CEO, Education Development Trust

Jo Owen provides practical advice on how to ensure a leadership mindset pervades your work in this well-written, original book which was a truly enjoyable read. I would highly recommend it.

Brett Wigdortz, CEO, Teach First

SECOND EDITION

The Mindset of Success

Accelerate your career from good manager to great leader

Jo Owen

Publishers note

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.

First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2015 by Kogan Page Limited Second edition 2018

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:

2nd Floor, 45 Gee Street

London

EC1V 3RS

United Kingdom

c/o Martin P Hill Consulting

122 W 27th Street

New York, NY 10001

USA

4737/23 Ansari Road

Daryaganj

New Delhi 110002

India

Jo Owen, 2015, 2018

The right of Jo Owen to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 978 0 7494 8035 6

E-ISBN 978 0 7494 8036 3

Typeset by Integra Software Services, Pondicherry

Print production managed by Jellyfish

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

Everyday heroes and the seven mindsets of success

This book is about how you can fulfil your true potential.

Look around the places where you work, or volunteer or support. You will always find a few people who stand out from the crowd. These are the people who make things happen. They attract followers; they create energy and transform crises into opportunities. They are natures leaders, even if they do not have the formal title and position of a leader. They may not be the great leaders of history, but they lead anyway. They are the everyday heroes who make a difference to where we live and work.

This book goes in search of such everyday heroes, to find out what makes them special. After 17 years of researching leaders around the world, I suspected that leaders need more than formal skills to succeed. Of course, a skilled leader is normally better than an unskilled leader. But the best leaders all had something more than skills. They had an X-factor that set them apart from everyone else: you can spot such people at any level. These everyday heroes dont just improve things: they transform and disrupt. They take people further and faster than anyone expects. So how do they do it?

It soon became clear that they act differently because they think differently. This is the mindset difference. It is the invisible key to success: once you have it, you have an advantage that lasts a lifetime and works for you time and again. Mindset is the X-factor that all the everyday heroes have and that anyone else can learn.

The mindset X-factor is good news for five reasons:

• The success mindset was consistent across all the everyday heroes who took part in research for this book. There is a clear success formula. There is no mystery or magic to it.
• Mindset is something anyone can learn. Some simple routines will help you to build the habits of mind that will let you achieve more and do more. Like learning a musical instrument or a sport, it takes time to become world class. But even a little practice will set you apart from most of your peers.
• Mindset lets you make the most of your existing talent. In a world where there is an increasing glut of skills, you need more than skills and hard work to set yourself apart from colleagues who work just as hard as you and have as many skills. Skills can be copied easily; mindset is much harder to observe or copy.
• Mindset works at any level. With the right mindset you can lead and take control of your destiny, even if you do not have a formal leadership role. The right mindset gives you the power to accelerate your career.
• Mindset is the essence of 21st-century leadership. Increasingly, leaders have to make things happen through people they do not control. Leaders can no longer rely on formal authority to succeed. Todays leaders require a new way of thinking and behaving.

At first, mindset sounds dangerous. It sounds like we have to wire our brains into machines, change our personality or mess with our heads. Fortunately, the reality is not so dramatic. Mindset is not about changing who you are. It is about becoming the best of who you are. The right mindset lets you focus on your natural strengths. On good days, we can all be positive, bold, resilient and collaborative. That is the essence of the X-factor, and you already have it. The difference is that the everyday heroes are like that every day, and they take these qualities to an extreme. With some simple tools and techniques, you can acquire your own version of the X-factor.

This book is a journey of discovery. It lets you discover what works for you, rather than forcing you to apply a rigid formula. Mindset is not about what works in theory: it is about what works in practice. Each chapter lays out one different aspect of mindset, with real-life examples from the everyday heroes who took part in the research for the book. Each chapter also gives you practical and simple ideas on how you can build your own version of the mindset.

As with any journey of discovery, it pays to do some preparation. So before you set out, this chapter lays the groundwork for your journey. We will briefly look at why mindset matters more than ever, and how it differs from skills and education. The seven steps to prepare for our journey are set out below:

1. The mindset revolution.
2. Mindset and the nature of leadership.
3. Mindset versus skill set.
4. Mindset versus education.
5. The research behind the book.
6. Why this book is different.
7. The seven mindsets summarized.