#351 Leading with a messed-up mindset.

Your mindset isn't just a personal matter—it's the foundation of your leadership effectiveness. Just as trying to sprint with a twisted ankle limits your physical performance, leading with a damaged mindset hampers your entire leadership capacity.

This episode explores how the power of positive expectations fundamentally transforms leadership outcomes. When two leaders walk into identical meetings—one expecting resistance, the other connection—they create entirely different experiences despite identical external circumstances. Your expectations shape everything from your body language to your tone of voice, and ultimately determine the responses you receive from others.

The self-fulfilling nature of expectations is particularly powerful in leadership contexts. As Zig Ziglar wisely noted, "positive thinking won't let you do anything, but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." When you expect the worst, you unknowingly encourage it through subtle signals that others instantly detect. Conversely, positive expectations create courage and permission for your team to rise to challenges.

This doesn't mean adopting blind optimism or ignoring potential obstacles. Rather, it means facing reality while maintaining faith in your ability to navigate challenges successfully. Your mindset as a leader gives permission—whether that's permission to retreat into cynicism or permission to pursue ambitious goals with confidence.

Ready to transform your leadership approach through mindset work? If your team culture is being shaped by negative narratives, I can help you shift to leading with expectancy. Visit growthinstigators.com or text 970-306-6432 to discover how we can work together to create positive expectations that drive better outcomes for your entire organization.

Chapters

• 0:00 Mindset Monday Introduction
• 0:19 The Power of Positive Expectations
• 0:54 Expectations Shape Your Experience
• 1:30 Leadership and Mindset Connection
• 2:39 Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

Have you ever tried to sprint with a twisted ankle? Yeah, that's what it's like leading with a messed up mindset. Welcome to message 351 of the Growth Instigators Hotline, where we ignite your personal and professional development. I'm Aaron Havens, your host and growth coach. Mindset Monday the power of positive expectations. All right, let me give you a quick picture. Two people walk into the same meeting. One expects resistance, the other expects connection. The same table, the same meeting, the same people, but wildly different outcomes because your mindset walks in before you do. Here's the one idea I want to land today what you expect often determines what you experience. Yeah, try it on for size. For your next meeting, your next conversation, look for moments that could go one of two ways it could go with resistance or it could go with connection. You'll notice them if you're looking for them and when you do lean into the part that leads to connection.

Speaker 0: 1:14

Your expectations shape your attitude, your posture, your tone and your follow-through. It's not about pretending everything is sunshine and roses, but it is about refusing to lead from a posture of dread or defeat. Zig Ziglar once said positive thinking won't let you do anything, but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. That's right. So here's what I've noticed in my life when it comes to attitude and thinking Expecting the worst usually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. People pick up on your energy, even if you never say a word. Positive expectations create courage. Yeah, you don't have to know exactly how it'll go, but if you believe it's possible, you show up different.

Speaker 0: 2:07

And the last thought today is your mindset gives permission. If you lead with dread, your team feels it, but if you lead with faith in the process, others borrow that belief. Woohoo, my friends, maybe we should all check ourselves before we wreck ourselves today. That's right. Hey, I'm here for you. If your leadership culture is being shaped by negative narratives, I help teams shift their mindset and lead with expectancy. Visit growthinstigatorscom or shoot me a text at 970-306-6432 and let's chat about how I can help. Thank you for calling Growth Instigators Hotline. I'd love to hear from you After the beep. Where do you need to shift from doubt to expectations this week and, as always, keep instigating growth in all you do?