70/20/10 Mindset:
Spending our time and efforts focused in the right areas creates confidence. Teams and individuals can find comfort knowing that the time they spend on tasks and efforts made towards commons goals are in alignment. The 70/20/10 Mindset is a general framework that helps set the stage for this to happen. We can leverage passion, courage, and social awareness to create fulfillment, growth, and intellectual stimulation.
We should allow our minds to freely spend quality time focusing on each of these areas: executing in our areas Core Expertise, seeking out and facing Challenges, and exploring Radical Ideas. These three areas are not mutually exclusive, they often overlap and interplay. In many cases one may discover a radical idea while facing a challenge. Or, by succeeding at a challenging task it becomes a part of your core expertise. The foundation of this mindset is rooted in three correlated areas of emotional intelligence: passion, courage, and social awareness (or empathy):
We should allow our minds to freely spend quality time focusing on each of these areas: executing in our areas Core Expertise, seeking out and facing Challenges, and exploring Radical Ideas. These three areas are not mutually exclusive, they often overlap and interplay. In many cases one may discover a radical idea while facing a challenge. Or, by succeeding at a challenging task it becomes a part of your core expertise. The foundation of this mindset is rooted in three correlated areas of emotional intelligence: passion, courage, and social awareness (or empathy):
Core Expertise: Passion & Fulfillment - 70% of our time should simply be spent focused on the core expertise of our role, with passion. Our organization's mission depends on this and we don't want to distract from that. In fact, these should be the activities that "fill your cup". These things help to bolster confidence and make us feel good about our contributions, and chances are that there are a lot of people relying on you to focus on these things. These primary duties and tasks create fulfillment, and a feeling of mastery. After all, this is the career that you chose! Over time as we spend more time embracing challenges (20%) and radical thinking (10%), we will create opportunities for ourselves and our expertise will advance.
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Challenges: Courage & Growth - At least 20% of our time should be spent doing activities that are exceptionally challenging. We don't mean things that are out of your job scope, but you may have to be more candid and honest with yourself about what this means. These may be things that excite you and feel beyond your limitations, and your biggest obstacle is that you're afraid that you may fail. Or, they are challenges that you put at the bottom of your to-do list, or even avoid altogether. There is a good chance that somebody is depending on these things to get done, and it is up to you. These are opportunities for growth, and it is ok to fail as long as you learn something, and seek advice and support from those around you. It is easy to avoid challenges for a variety of reasons, so it is important to seek them out. To successfully face these challenges, you need to be courageous.
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Radical Ideas: Social Awareness & Stimulation - Lastly, you should dedicate 10% of your time to radical ideas and thinking outside-of-the-box. Not all of this thinking will be actionable or even realistic, but it stimulates your brain and may allow you to see things differently. This can also help teams get 'unstuck', or you may even come up with the next best idea. It is important to give yourself permission to think radically. Encourage others' creativity and join in the fun. This stimulation requires courage to reach beyond your comfort zone. You will also need to be socially aware while thinking radically (showing empathy towards others) so that you are not being offensive or overly critical of a status quo. This social awareness allows for curiosity to flourish and strengthens motivation. Just remember, there is still other work to get done.
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Harmonizing mindsets
Investment of time and effort into each of the three mindset areas correlates to an area of emotional intelligence. In many instances, the correlating E.I. aspect harmonizes the overall mindset. We can only be truly fulfilled in our area of core expertise if we are passionate. We cannot grow and face challenges without being courageous (otherwise, you are not truly challenging yourself). And, if you are stimulated with radical ideas without being socially aware (or empathic), you will not be successful in that area. Below is a diagram showing each mindset, and the outcome of an imbalance in each area: