Mindset Development Tips

I've delivered 500+ keynotes. Here's a pro-tip for speaking/presenting. Your pre-performance ritual isn't optional. It's essential. The difference between good and transformational always comes down to those final 15 minutes. HERE'S MY NON-NEGOTIABLE RITUAL: T-minus 30 minutes: Tech check complete. No more logistics. T-minus 15 minutes: Complete isolation begins. This is when I start programming my nervous system for peak state. T-minus 10 minutes: Active preparation. I pace backstage, repeating my opening lines until they're cellular: "Change itself has changed..." "When we think about transformation..." "Let me tell you about the moment..." T-minus 5 minutes: Full state activation. No conversations. No distractions. Just presence. Why this matters: Your opening determines everything. If those first 30 seconds land perfectly, you're in flow for the entire presentation. If they don't, you spend 10 minutes trying to find your rhythm. THE SCIENCE: Your prefrontal cortex can hold 7±2 pieces of information. Your opening sequence needs all of that bandwidth. A "quick chat" deletes 3-4 of those slots. Now you're on stage trying to REMEMBER your opening instead of BEING it. FOR SPEAKERS/PRESENTERS: Protect your ritual. Write it into your contract: "15-minute isolation period before stage time required for optimal performance." This isn't being difficult. It's being professional. FOR THOSE HIRING SPEAKERS: Want maximum impact? Give us space to create it. We're not being antisocial. We're preparing to transform your audience. Think of us like athletes before a game or surgeons before surgery. The ritual isn't preference, it's preparation. THE FRAMEWORK: 1. Decide your optimal activation time (10-30 minutes) 2. Communicate boundaries clearly and early 3. Design your ritual for YOUR nervous system 4. Practice until it's automatic 5. Never apologize for protecting your performance Your boundaries aren't limitations. They're the architecture of excellence. What pre-performance ritual would unlock your next level?

I knew stepping into a Chief People Officer role would be a major undertaking. And boy, was it. But as with any big leap, there’s what you expect to learn... and then there’s what you learn by living it. Over the past few years, one of the most important shifts I’ve made is moving from a function-first mindset to a business-first one. As a VP, I focused on how I could build the most thoughtful, progressive People strategies out there — and rolled out some pretty darn awesome #HR programs if I do say so myself. (See: Our 'No Negotiation Policy' and our '$100 Bonding Perk') But here's the thing: I didn't often have the "overall business success" in mind when I pushed these initiatives forward. I started with what I thought was best for my function (AKA: the #People strategy), and then retroactively found ways to justify it to leadership. As a C-suite executive, however, you have to be a business leader first, and a function leader second. Your number one priority must be to empower the success of the business. Your job as a C-suite executive is to start with the business goals, and work backwards from there to determine how you can best empower the business through your function. In my recent piece for the amazing Jess Yuen's The Left Hand Column, I unpack what that shift actually looks like — not just in theory, but in practice — and offer tactical prompts to help other People leaders build their own business-first mindset and catch yourself when you start to go astray. Some of what I cover: ✅ How to spot when you’re working backward from your function instead of forward from the business ✅ How to level up your fluency in company vitals, general business acumen, and cross-functional strategy ✅ Why it’s so important to trade territorial thinking for true collaboration (especially in moments of budget tension) If you’re in the middle of this shift — or working hard to get yourself CPO-ready — this post should offer a useful framework for navigating what’s next. 👉 Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eZTxiQWb 👉 Want even more tips for leveling up your leadership skills? Check out my top tips and tricks here: https://lnkd.in/egBrc4Kj

The Introvert's Survival Guide to Actually Enjoying (or at least surviving) Networking Events. I avoid networking events like they're tax audits or root canals. But sometimes you have to show up. (By have to, I mean, your business kind of depends on it.) Here's my "battle-tested" playbook for introverts who'd rather be home cleaning the litter box: Pre-Game Like an Athlete (or a Coward) • Set a timer for 47 minutes Not 45. Not an hour. 47. It's specific enough that you'll honor it. • Create your "Clark Kent Exit Strategy" Park near the exit. Know where the bathrooms are. Have a fake emergency ready. • Arrive unfashionably on-time Not early (too much small talk). Not late (everyone stares). Exactly on time when everyone's distracted. The Art of Strategic Positioning • Become furniture Find a high-top table. Claim it. Let extroverts come to you (they need a place to rest their drinks). • Master "Documentary Mode" Don't network. Observe. You're David Attenborough studying extroverts in their natural habitat. • Power Pose Like a Pro Stand near the food. Everyone comes to you. Plus, mouth full = legitimate reason not to talk. Conversation Hacks for the Socially Exhausted • The "Reverse Interview" Ask them 3 questions. They'll talk for 20 minutes. You nod. They think you're brilliant. "What are you most excited about doing this weekend?" • Deploy the "Introvert Card" "I'm actually an introvert, so this is my Olympics." Be transparently vulnerable. They laugh. Pressure's off. • The "Teaching Pivot" Turn every conversation into a mini-lesson. You're not networking, you're educating. Advanced Introvert Techniques • The "Phone Prop" Hold your phone like you're about to make a call. You look busy but approachable. Or, have a drink in your hand so they have something to do. • Find Another Introvert We can smell our own. Make eye contact with the person hiding by the plants. Form an alliance. You will both be relieved. • The "One Real Conversation" Rule Forget collecting 20 contacts. Have one meaningful conversation. Quality > quantity. The Grand Escape • The Irish Goodbye Just leave. Don't announce it. Disappear like Bruce Wayne. They'll think you're mysterious, not rude. • Leave on a High Had one good conversation? That's enough. You've won. Go home. • Recovery Protocol Schedule nothing for the next day. You've earned 24 hours of silence. Most "successful networkers" are performing too. They're just better actors. Not convinced? There's an alternative. I've built more meaningful connections through content than 1,000 networking events combined. Let people come to you through your content. Like they're doing right now. Who else is team "I'd rather create content than attend another networking mixer"? Drop a like if you've ever hidden in a bathroom stall to recharge. P.S. - My record for "shortest networking event attendance" is 3 minutes. Beat that. P.P.S. - Yes, I once brought a book to a networking event. No, I'm not sorry.

*Seek your Mirrors* My Board presentation was a flop. I had prepared well. The slides were crisp, my talk engaging. Yet, the response was … unenthusiastic. Polite, but lukewarm. No follow-up questions. It was all a bit … deflating. I sat down limply at the lunch table, and that’s when I saw it. A prominent, white shirt tail where there ought to have been dark trousers. A peekaboo no one wants to see at the work place. My open zipper! I had been strutting around, talking about windows of opportunity, when a whole other kind of window was wide open in front of my Board! Aargh! No wonder there were no questions after my presentation. Who’d want more of THAT show? Once I calmed down, I felt curious - why hadn’t someone told me? Why the collective pretension of normalcy? Politeness? Maybe. After all - What do you say to a speaker with an open fly? And when? The Bystander Effect. That’s another reason. Research shows that individual bystanders are less likely to intervene and help when multiple others are on the scene. Had I been speaking one on one with a board member, they might well have told me right away. Whatever the reasons - ultimately, I didn’t receive a crucial piece of feedback that morning. And that let me … exposed, so to speak. “How do I truly know what to change in myself?”, a colleague asked me rhetorically, “Reflection is so hard!” A-ha! Reflection. That question, my friend, answers itself. If you’re wondering your hair isn’t combed straight, what do you do? Do you sit and recall your combing technique? Do you pat-feel your hair gingerly? No. You seek a reflection - you go find a mirror! In our search for personal effectiveness at work, the solution is similar. You want to know what you can do better at work? Don’t just sit there and ‘reflect’. Take the simplest, most powerful step - find people you trust and ask them! Your weaknesses might be hidden to you, but to your colleagues and friends, they are on full display. So - you genuinely want to improve? Find some well-wishers at work and make them your mirror. Up, down or sideways in the hierarchy, that’s immaterial. What matters is that you trust them. And not “anyone can give me feedback anytime!” … that’s just a cop out. Remember the bystander effect. Once you identify such trusted colleagues, co-opt them. They are your mirrors. Seek them out regularly for feedback, ask them what your rough edges are, where you are screwing up. Two caveats: 1. You might not like what the mirrors show you. From open zippers and bad breath to rudeness and micro management. Be prepared for bitter truths. 2. Mirrors might be slightly distorted. It is not the obligation of a mirror to show you perfect reflections. It is not your friend’s job to give you ‘perfect’ feedback. It is YOUR job to extract value from what you hear. Remember - Only one person in the world cares truly deeply about your development. To know who that is, seek your mirrors.

I still remember my first job. I was young, eager, and convinced that working harder and longer than anyone else was the way to stand out. I was wrong. Hard work gets you noticed, but it does not make you indispensable. Over time, I realised something powerful: what organisations truly value cannot be bought. Initiative, ownership, trust- these are earned, not demanded. The turning point for me came when I stopped asking, “What do I need to do today?” and started asking, “What problem can I solve today that no one else is solving?” That small shift changed everything. Being good at your job makes you competent. Being competent keeps you employed. But being indispensable? That’s a different league. It’s about moving from doing tasks to anticipating needs, seeing the gaps before anyone else does, and becoming the person your team can count on when stakes are high. In my journey, I have found that being indispensable is less about doing more and more about being more, more curious, more committed, more consistent. The truth is, every organisation has hundreds of employees. But very few people leave the imprint of reliability, vision, and trust. If you want to move from being just another employee to someone your organisation cannot imagine doing without, start with this: act as though the company were yours. Think like an owner, deliver like a partner, and care like a custodian. #Leadership #Ownership #BeingIndispensable

Confession: I'm a nervous public speaker… (yet I’ll make $1M+ from keynotes this year). Here are 9 strategies that turned my deepest fear into a powerful strength: PHASE 1: PREP WORK Strategy 1: Study the Best. We have the world's best speakers at our fingertips. Use them. Find 3-5 speakers you admire. Watch their talks on YouTube at 0.75x speed. Take notes on their structure and pacing, voice modulation, movement and gestures, audience engagement. Strategy 2: Create Clear Structure. Great speakers don't deliver speeches, they tell stories. Map your journey explicitly: opening hook, 3 key points, memorable close. Tell the audience where you're taking them. Strategy 3: Build Your "Lego Blocks." Don't memorize your entire speech. That's a trap. Instead, perfect these moments: your opening 30 seconds, key transitions, punchlines and closers. Practice in segments, not sequences. When things go sideways (they will), you'll adapt instead of freeze. Weird trick: Practice once while walking or jogging. It simulates the heart rate spike you'll feel on stage. PHASE 2: PRE-STAGE Strategy 4: Address the Spotlight. The Spotlight Effect: We think everyone's watching our every move. They're not. Use the "So What?" approach: Name your worst fear, ask "So what if it happens?", realize it's never that bad. You'll stumble? So what. Life goes on. Your family still loves you. Strategy 5: Get Into Character. Create your speaker persona. Ask yourself: What traits do they have? How do they move? What's their energy? Flip the switch. Become that character. It's not fake, it's your best self. Strategy 6: Eliminate Stress. The "Physiological Sigh" kills anxiety fast: Double-inhale through your nose, long exhale through your mouth, repeat 2-3 times. Science-backed. Immediate impact. PHASE 3: DELIVERY Strategy 7: Cut the Tension. Last week, they asked what song I wanted to enter to. I said "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys. They thought I was joking. I wasn't. "It's my 1-year-old's favorite song. Figured he'd be more excited to watch if Dad entered to his jam." Instant laughter. Tension gone. Audience on my side. Find your tension breaker. Use it early. Strategy 8: Play the Lava Game. Your pockets and torso are lava. Don't touch them. This forces you to gesture broadly, open your body, project confidence. Big gestures early build momentum. Strategy 9: Move Purposefully. Don't pace like you're nervous. Move like you own the room. Slow. Deliberate. Purposeful. Use movement to create dramatic pauses. Let your words land. Start with one speech, one strategy: Pick your next presentation—could be a team meeting, a toast, whatever. Choose ONE strategy from this list. Master it. Then add another. Public speaking is a muscle. These strategies are your workout plan. The more you practice, the stronger you get. Remember: Everyone gets nervous. The difference is having a system. Now you have one. Use it. Practice it. Watch yourself transform.

Growth isn’t just about adding more. It’s about being brave enough to let go of what once kept you safe but now keeps you small. High achievers often cling to habits that used to work: 🚫 The people-pleasing 🚫 The over-preparing 🚫 The “I’ll just do it myself” reflex Those strategies can get you far. But at some point, they stop being assets and become anchors. If you want a different next chapter, something has to give. One belief you’ve outgrown. One habit it’s time to retire. One boundary you’ve been avoiding. Here’s a simple weekly practice to break the cycle. The 3-2-1 Strategic Reset: ✅ 3 minutes every morning: ↳ Ask: “What’s the one thing that moves my career forward today?” ↳ Block time for it before you get lost in your inbox. ✅ 2 strategic conversations per week: ↳ Not status updates or problem-solving ↳ Real dialogue about direction, your growth, and where you want to be ✅ 1 weekly review: ↳ Did I advance my goals, or just absorb everyone else’s chaos? ↳ What strategic work got sacrificed for urgent tasks? You don’t have to burn it all down to grow. You just have to stop letting yesterday’s version of you run today’s decisions. What’s one old habit you’re ready to release? ♻️ Share to help someone who needs this ➕ Follow Maryann (MJ) for more 📸 Image credit: @lawofattractionlive

Take the leap 🚀 Golden handcuffs pose a significant barrier to realising our full potential. They come in various forms such as a steady salary, sticking to routine, remaining within our local area, and more. Often, we choose certainty over embracing the unknown, without fully understanding why. I've certainly been guilty of this myself 😅, and that inclination still lurks within me. However, altering our attitude towards risk and failure could be the key to unlocking a more fulfilling life. Here are some tangible steps to help you become more comfortable with taking the leap: * Reflect on Your Values: Take the time to identify what truly matters to you and what you want to achieve in life. Understanding your values can provide clarity and motivation to pursue your goals despite the uncertainties. * Set Clear Goals: Define specific, achievable goals that align with your values. Break them down into smaller, manageable steps to make the journey less daunting and more achievable. * Challenge Comfort Zones: Regularly challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone, whether it's trying new experiences, taking on new responsibilities, or pursuing unfamiliar opportunities. Each small step builds confidence and resilience. * Embrace Failure as Growth: Shift your perspective on failure from something to be avoided to an inevitable part of the learning process. View failures as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as setbacks. * Seek Support: Surround yourself with a supportive network of friends, family, mentors, and peers who encourage and inspire you to pursue your aspirations. Their guidance and encouragement can provide invaluable support during times of uncertainty. * Develop Resilience: Cultivate resilience by practising mindfulness, self-compassion, and positive self-talk. Building emotional strength and adaptability can help you navigate challenges and setbacks more effectively. * Take Calculated Risks: Assess the potential risks and rewards of different opportunities carefully. While it's essential to embrace uncertainty, it's also crucial to make informed decisions and take calculated risks rather than reckless ones. * Celebrate Progress: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Recognising your progress reinforces your confidence and motivates you to continue pursuing your goals. 💡Steven Bartlett

Eileen Gu just gave a masterclass in elite performance. 6 Olympic medals. 22 years old. And she trains her mindset as intentionally as she trains her body. Here's what stood out: 1. "I spend a lot of time in my head. But it's a nice place to be." -Metacognition (thinking about thinking) is a true human superpower, and can be used to fundamentally shift our emotions, actions, and results, leading to sustained peak performance. 2. "I journal a lot." -Physical handwriting is the most effective way to train your mindset, like a workout for your brain. -Studies show intentional handwriting increases clarity, reduces stress, increases self-trust, and improves performance. 3. "With neuroplasticity on my side." -Our brains have the innate capability to rewire our identity, beliefs, emotions, and behavior patterns through intentional training and repetition. -When used intentionally, you can use this to become the person you want to be. It might be the most powerful and under-appreciated skill for humans. 4. "You can control what you think, therefore you can control who you are." -Thoughts and beliefs shape and reinforce identity -You can intentionally choose what you think about who you are, what you're capable of, and what's possible. When trained consistently, creativity, motivation, and performance all rise. 5. "How cool and empowering is that?" -This is the part that's often misunderstood. Mindset training isn't for fixing problems - it's for becoming elite and living the life of your dreams. __ Top performers train their mindset as much as they train their skills. Everything she described - metacognition, journaling, neuroplasticity, identity training, and belief reappraisal - is exactly what we built ENCODED to do. Simple daily training routines for your mindset, identity, and beliefs. The best in the world already train this way. Now everyone can. #frequency #athlete #performance #training #mindset

Michael Jordan’s true superpower: ➟ Not his athleticism ➟ Not his shooting range ➟ Not his competitiveness It was his ability to live in the present. Mark Vancil, author of Rare Air, explains: “Most people struggle to be present… Most people live in fear because they project the past into the future. Michael’s a mystic. He was never anywhere else....His gift was not that he could jump high, run fast, shoot a basketball. His gift was that he was completely present and that was the separator." In the business landscape filled with noise, distraction and hustle culture, presence might be the most undervalued competitive edge. Here are ten ways to cultivate that same focus and clarity: 1. Practice active listening ➟ Focus completely on the person speaking, without interrupting or thinking ahead to your response. 2. Limit multitasking ➟ Focus on one task at a time, giving it your full attention. 3. Set clear intentions for meetings ➟ Enter every meeting with a specific goal or purpose in mind, staying engaged throughout. 4. Accept imperfections ➟ Release the need for everything to be perfect, and instead focus on doing the best you can without dwelling on outcomes. 5. Take regular breaks ➟ Step away from your desk to reset, refresh, and return with a clear, present mindset. 6. Engage in deep work ➟ Set aside uninterrupted blocks of time to tackle complex problems or projects without distractions. 7. Engage with your team ➟ Be fully present when collaborating with colleagues, offering them your undivided attention. 8. Stay open to feedback ➟ Be in the moment when receiving feedback, accepting it without defensiveness. 9. Reflect on your progress ➟ Regularly pause to assess your current work and goals, ensuring you’re not just moving through the motions, but truly progressing. 10. Use the "one thing" rule ➟ Identify one key task each day that will make the biggest impact and dedicate your focus to it until it's completed. In the words of Phil Jackson, one of the greatest coaches of all time: “A lot of athletes think the trick to getting better is just to work harder. But there is great power in non-action and non-thinking.” Not just a lesson for athletes. It’s a lesson for life. ♻️ Repost to inspire others. 👋🏼 Follow Daniel Abrahams.