The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves

I am very fortunate to have a great mentor that tuned me in to Leadership & Self Deception which paved the way for me to read this and the Anatomy of Peace. I've read others; Mindset, Crucial Conversations, Start With Why, Five Dysfunctions of a Team and many others. I've listened to others, especially to the hugely impressive Jim Rohn. I like to think that as an introvert with a passion of listening and a growth mindset that I'm doing ok. However, this book has taken me to another level. It's both enlightening and embarrassing. Every few pages made me put it down and reflect on my actions on both past and current situations. Equally thought provoking and disturbing in a positive way, it has allowed me to self-correct but also correct others in a constructive and confident manner with great outcomes. For me this is a true game-changer. If you want to go from good to great then this is a must read.

This book is a must Read for any business owner, manager or leader. It will first change the way you think about people, change the way you work with people and change the outcome of your life experiences. The Arbinger Institute has done it yet again. I read their book on Self-deception and Leadership and the Anatomy of Peace. I would say that this book is the most business focused of them all, but interesting to read and has real applications even for a housewife and mother. Would highly recommend.

As usual from Arbinger a great toolkit for positive working practices delivered in a clear, lucid way, full of real life examples. Excellent

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There's a lot to like about this book - treat people as people not objects, is it my behaviour that's creating the problem, the self-deception gap, don't try to be perfect just try to be better and even the story telling/business parable style of writing.But there's a lot to annoy as well - the deification of 'Lou' with his "strong, lean hands" and the "look of gentle concern written in the lines across his weathered face". I also felt that the box metaphor was stretched so thin to try and cover every possibility that by the end it was virtually translucent. You know that the authors are struggling when even they admit that (to paraphrase) the 1st rule of box club is never mention the box....

As I began to read this book, I was again reminded of an observation by Dale Carnegie: “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”James Farrell and Mitchell Warner suggest that, from time to time, people need to ask themselves questions such as these: What can I do to be more helpful to others? To help those at work as well as family members, friends, and neighbors? With all due respect to the importance of answering these questions, what is even more important is what you then do when interacting with others. This is what Mia Angelou has had in mind when observing, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."In this book, Farrell and Warner introduce a way of seeing others, a way of interacting with others, to which Angelou refers. They it an “outward mindset.” More specifically, “This book is about the difference between a self-focused inward mindset and an others-inclusive outward mindset. It will help you become more outward in your work, your leadership, and your life. It will guide you in building more innovative and collaborative teams and teams. And it will help you see why you like many of the people you do and what you can do to become more like them.”A year or two ago, Susan Cain published a bestselling book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, in which she explained why people who are introverted really do have an outward mindset and reveal it if and when in what they consider to be an appropriate situation. They tend have a more highly-developed emotional intelligence. They nourish relationships in which there is mutual respect and trust. They are intense listeners. The most effective business leaders all have an outward mindset, demonstrating what Robert Greenleaf characterizes as “servant leadership.”In the interest of fairness, it should be noted that extroverts can also develop an outward mindset and still have all of the defining characteristics that Cain celebrates. If you have ever had an encounter with Herb Kelleher, you know exactly what I mean. The former chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines can bound into a room filled with hundreds of strangers and make each of those he meets feel like they are the most interesting person he has ever met.Developing the outward mindset requires major changes in how you view the world and, especially, what you value. Probably during a process that began in childhood, most people develop an inward mindset. Changing that mindset is very difficult and often painful. By what process? Farrell and Warner recommend a pattern of transformation, SAM, an acronym for these initiatives:o See, [begin italics] really see [end italics], the needs, objectives, and challenges of otherso Adjust efforts to be more helpful to otherso Measure and hold yourself accountable for the impact of your effortsIn this book, James Farrell and Mitchell Warner shares wealth of information, insights, and counsel that they and the Abridger Institute have accumulated over several decades. They reach out to others who read this book, helping them to “change lives and transform organizations.”

I like this book and I say that as someone who is often skeptical and irritated by leadership/management books. It is anecdotal which works well for me and offers a simple and direct method of thinking that translates easily into action.I have noticed a positive change in some of my own ways of thinking and related behaviours and I see this also having an impact on people when I share some of the ideas with them.The underlying principle is simple - which again works well for me - is my attention on me or is it on the people who are affected by my actions.

Having read this book for a test for a job promotion. Even if I don’t get the promotion, it has enriched my ability to work hard and make a difference.

It made me realize the way I was treating others, not only in my job but in my house. It also presents how to benefit personally from an outward mindset. A win/win situation.

This book is awesome

Excellent read. Good explanation of Arbinger Institute's approach to working with others.

I've read a lot of books in the self-development arena over the years and this one's right up there with the best. So many areas of application: home, work (even though I'm self-employed), and personally. I will benefit from these principles for the rest of my life.