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The Law

Mindset - VII

Individuals with closed mindset show reluctance in admitting mistakes, and, therefore squander learning opportunities. Such individuals tend to stagnate. Another common trait of closed mindset persons is averseness to risk. This is basically due to apprehensions around failures. they identify themselves with the failure. Their self worth and self image depend on not failing. They are also highly reluctant to go to a mentor. Their mindset tells them that going to a mentor is synonymous with admitting weakness. After all they know the best. These beliefs are extremely detrimental to the growth of a person.

In contrast, individuals with open mindset do not identify their self worth and their self image with failures or mistakes. They learn and push ahead.

Going back to my Steel industry days, I have experienced distinct behavioral patterns between a leader with closed mind set and one with open mindset.

A closed mindset leader either sets up a weak time or subjugates his team to passiveness in decision making process. Such a leader likes his decisions to go unchallenged. He prefers "yes men" on his team and not bother much about their competency. Any member of his team, who dares to contradict, becomes a personal threat to him. He interprets the contradicting behavior as an act of indiscipline and insubordination. Discussions are not allowed in his presence, or at best allowed perfunctorily. 

Such a leader , to prove his superior intelligence and strategic abilities, resorts to tyranny to keep his 'serfs" in line. He will devise ways to keep his people "off balance" to weaken their self confidence.

I know of a Managing Director of a public sector steel behemoth, who was a master at this game. He had fine tuned his skill of keeping people "off balance" to such an extent, that all his senior management team stood in terror of him. One such person, who literally shook in his pants in the presence of the Managing Director was JM , himself a fixed mindset tyrant.

JM was one person who professed himself to be an expert in whichever field he worked for a few months. He too surrounded himself with yes-men. very few dared to challenge his decisions because of his personality, smartness, presence of mind and his vitriolic tongue. How the Managing Director outsmarted JM has been a lesson to me in managerial gamesmanship, albeit for personal glory.

With such tyrannical leaders, the entire organisation runs the risk of entering into a fixed mindset. Debates and discussions stop. Innovations top. Long term views are shunned. People drag themselves from their bed to go to their jobs.

The growth of the company suffers.

To avoid being judged and humiliated by the boss, becomes the first priority.

A very common fallout of such a style is that the organisation suffers. All powers become centralised with the leader. The hierarchy becomes weak. Competent people exit. After such a leader leaves, the organisation may suffer severe setbacks, and even collapse.

The Managing Director died in an accident within a short while. After JM left, the plant collapsed. The same phenomena repeated itself when JM joined another plant and left that plant after a few years.

An open mindset leader works differently. He encourages debates and discussions to find out the root causes. He institutes processes and systems, develops his people, delegates power and authority and sets up an able competent hierarchy. His self image and self confidence allows him to stick his neck out, to take flak, to accept criticism and be proven wrong without malice. They learn from all possible sources irrespective of their status in the hierarchy. They will be seen to be seen moving from desk to desk, walking the shopfloor and meet as many people as possible.

Phir milenge

Prabir.