The Outward Mindset (2nd Edition): How to Change Lives and Transform Organizations [Large Print]

by The Arbinger Institue

The new edition of an international bestseller helps individuals and organizations shift to a new mindset that will improve performance, spark collaboration, accelerate innovation, and make your life and the lives of everyone around you better. Without even being aware of it, many of us operate from an inward mindset, a single-minded focus on our own goals and objectives. This book points out the many ways, some quite subtle and deceptive, that this mindset invites tension and conflict. But incredible things happen when people switch to an outward mindset. They intuitively understand what coworkers, colleagues, family, and friends need to be successful and happy. Their organizations thrive, and astonishingly, by focusing on others they become happier and more successful themselves! This new mindset brings about deep and far-reaching changes. The Outward Mindset presents compelling true stories to illustrate the gaps that individuals and organizations typically experience between their actual inward mindsets and their needed outward mindsets. And it provides simple yet profound guidance and tools to help bridge this mindset gap. This new edition includes a new preface, updated case studies, and new material covering Arbinger's latest research on mindsets. In the long run, changing negative behavior without changing one's mindset doesn't last-the old behaviors always reassert themselves. But changing the mindset that causes the behavior changes everything.

Genres: Leadership, Self Help

250 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2021

Reviews

[R.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for college! It is very informative, though a bit repetitive later on in the book. Definitely recommend it for business majors :)

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about what is an outward mindset, why is it worth changing to an outward mindset, and then finally how do you do that. As with most leadership type books, I always find an interesting nugget that is useful or helpful in some way, AND, I find these books lacking in the detail needed to actually make the change it's advocating.

Yes, to be fair, this book does provide a lot of tips on how to make the change to an outward mindset. However, I do not think it adequately addresses just how hard that can be, especially if you're surrounded by people who do not value that. It acknowledges that it will be hard and that you just need to keep doing it. Really? That's less than motivating, to say the least, even if you are presented with all the evidence that it's worth it. Honestly, I think all I'm asking for is a few examples, scenarios, and/or stories, where someone had difficulties and how they go through it. Just to know that I'm not the only one having a hard time and feeling all the unhelpful feelings (resentment, primarily), would be really helpful.

To conclude, I did appreciate this book and I did learn something, even if it wasn't as detailed as I hoped. I'd recommend this book to people who like to read leadership type or communication type books. It is helpful, but I think you already have to be motivated to learn about this subject.

[Echo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was unsure about this one at first. The beginning talked about things that felt really common sense to me. (You'll have better relationships with coworkers, clients, etc., if you treat them like people with their own needs and goals and not just like tools you can use to achieve your own ends. Um ... yes. Naturally.) However, as the book went on and more examples were provided, I found it to be so much more helpful than I'd first assumed. Like, even if you think you're really good at keeping others in mind, no one can be that way all the time, especially in stressful situations or working with difficult people. This book really helped show different scenarios and things to do/questions to ask to help keep an "outward mindset."

The graphics were not terribly helpful to me. After the first couple chapters, I stopped even paying attention to the graphics (what they were conveying was described in the text in such a way that I didn't need a visual representation -- though it might be helpful to folks who absorb information better through graphics). At times, the book felt a little repetitive. However, it's a short book, and it's written in a way that's very readable, so a little repetition isn't a horrible fault.

[Jessica Haessly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource for the eternal optimist! This book takes you through a number of stories that show with a little empathy, compassion, collaboration, and outside-of-the box thinking, people and organizations can be transformed.

This book is all about Heart-Centered Leadership and the Human-Centered (empathetic) strategies that move the needle on big picture and high impact success.

[Josh Wymore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the practicality and directness of this book compared to Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace. The wisdom at the core of the book is so sound. While I think the book could flow better, there are so many good things there.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some good stories in it and a good premise. I'm going to keep my eyes open for how I can have an outward mindset more.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth the read! Esp if you work in a team or lead one. Doing the after work is going to be challenging but hopefully beneficial.

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for work, on request of the associate superintendent.

[Katie Brindley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the concept of the book but it was painful to read.

[Holly McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I completely missed the point but it's a bit disheartening that there needs to be an entire book written to teach people to just think about someone else for one single second.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff.