It’s not about who you “work for”. It’s about who you “work with”. Working together and collaborating is a successful team.

In an earlier post, we discussed people who want to share their knowledge. Now I want to discuss in more detail, people who are insecure and don’t want others to know what they know because it will threaten their position.

1. A Limited Mindset

The people who are insecure and don’t want to share their knowledge have a mindset that is limited. They believe that there is not enough of a particular thing for everyone. For example, if I was to get a promotion, then they believe that they won’t.

If I was to get a pay rise, then they believe that they won’t. If was to get an award or recognition for something, then they believe they won’t. A limited mindset is not a nice place to be.

I have worked with many people who have a limited mindset, and what is common between every one of these people is, it is never their fault. If they don’t get the promotion, it is because somebody else did.

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If they didn’t get the pay rise, it was because somebody else did. If they didn’t get the recognition or award, it’s because somebody else did.

People who have a limited mindset, never look within themselves. If they don’t achieve what they want, they look outwards and blame others. We talked earlier about responsibility, and these people are the ones who do not take responsibility for what happens to them.

They never embrace responsibility for that matter. Everything is always about them. It is ME not WE. You probably know people, or work with people who are exactly like this. It would be a good idea to share this article with them, and share my other articles.

As you are fully aware by now, I have written this article and created this website to help you, but I also want you to use this site to help others too.

2. Building Relationships

As we go through each article, you can notice that each post interlinks and there is a common thread…LEADERSHIP, PERSONAL GROWTH and INFLUENCE. So when sharing these ideas, please ensure that the same common thread interlinks through them.

I find that when teaching a person about the leadership principles that I share is to repeat them every so often when talking about a different topic each time. This keeps the idea’s fresh.

As an example; when working as an engineer for the railway and working on the trains, the first thing that I was taught was about train wire 13. This was when I was working in Liverpool on the Class 507 rolling stock. Train wire 13 goes from coupler to coupler on both ends of the train.

Then throughout the train, wire 13 interlinks everything electrical up. Doors, safety systems, brakes, power, everything. So, INFLUENCE is our train wire 13, and when sharing these leadership principles to another person we need to have that wire 13 (influence) interlinking everything we discuss.

Think of all the different relationships that train wire 13 will have with all the different components throughout the train. As a team member and being part of a team, we ourselves need to become train wire 13 and interlink with each person. In other words build relationships with each one of the team.

But also, we need to help the rest of the team do the same and interlink with everyone, or build relationships with each person. That is the foundation of helping ourselves, helping each team member and helping the team as a whole to SUCCEED.

3. Team Achievement

Imagine what the team could achieve if we were all like train wire 13, and we interlinked with everyone in the team, the other teams in our department, and the organisation as a whole.

I thought of this example a while back; the organisation as a whole is the train, each department are all the different components (doors, brakes, safety systems, couplers, power) and your team is train wire 13 interlinking all the different components (departments) together.

Imagine what you, your team and the organisation could achieve then? Skies the limit.

When going through these articles and through each leadership principle, work on the ones that appeal to you most first. You don’t have to keep them in the order that I have put them in.

Your influence will be just as powerful no matter the order, or what you choose to work on. The same goes to anybody else you want to help and share these principles with.

If you work with people who have a limited mindset, it’s important for them to know that the reason they have this mindset is because of them, and nobody else. They have decided to think this way, not their boss, not their teammates, and not their family.

It is up to them to change their mindset, but it is up to us to help them do that. By sharing these leadership principles and increasing your influence with them, that is the best way to help them change their way of thinking.

The people I have worked with in the past who have a limited mindset, also ensured that the job they did was limited. In other words, the job they did was average. We discussed average a little earlier. They are not bad people.

However, because they are limiting themselves with how they think, and the kind of job they do, they will never become excellent. That is the level we want them to get to.

You can help the people you work with who have a limited mindset to become excellent by sharing what you are learning from my website and my articles. But first, you have to get these principles correct for yourself before you share them. How do you do that? These principles must become habits.

The excellent team members who you know and have worked with do not have a limited mindset, they have a limitless mindset. In other words, they believe that everybody in the team is entitled to all the same opportunities.

There is not one person who is better or more privileged. If you and I were on the same team, and I got a raise, I believe you can too. If you and I were on the same team and I get a promotion, I believe you can too.

4. A Limitless Mindset

If you and I were on the same team and I got recognition for an achievement, I believe you can too. Not only that, if I were to achieve those things before you do, I am going to work my hardest to help you achieve them too. I have a limitless mindset, do you?

You’ve heard the term “limitless”. Know what it means, share what it means, live what it means.

When you make the decision to have a limitless mindset, then the knowledge you have is not yours but everyone’s. You are open to sharing what you know with others. By sharing your knowledge, you will help the team to succeed. You are thinking of WE not ME.

Imagine you were the boss and there was one position available to recruit for. However, you have to choose between two members of your team, and the only difference between the two people is; one is willing to share their knowledge and help others, and the other isn’t. Who do you choose?

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Obviously, the team member who is willing to share their knowledge and help others.

Again, if you were the boss but you had to let one person go, because the results have been dropping dramatically, and you had to choose between the same two team members. Who would you let go? Obviously, the team member who is not willing to share their knowledge and keep it all to themselves.

I find it amazing that the people who are not willing to share their knowledge actually think they are more valuable to the team and organisation. So, they believe that there job is more secure than the others who do share their knowledge. In fact they are insecure rather than secure.

The people who have a limitless mindset and are willing to share and help others are definitely the most secure, both in themselves and within the team and organisation.

With a limited mindset, you cannot be helped. With a limitless mindset, you must help others.

I welcome hearing how this post has influenced the way you think, the way you lead, or the results you have achieved because of what you’ve learned in it. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below.

Check out my other articles by Clicking HERE

All the best,

Tom (Lead, Grow, Influence)