When organizations aim to elevate their performance and culture, one of the most overlooked yet transformative areas to focus on is the quality of mindsets across the organization. As someone who works with organizations to help them gain clarity and take meaningful steps toward growth, I have found that assessing and improving mindsets can unlock extraordinary potential. Here, I’ll share three case studies to illustrate the power of mindset assessments and how they can drive impactful change.
Case Study 1: CVS Health – Preparing for a Successful Merger
In preparation for their merger with Aetna, CVS Health sought to assess the quality of their executives’ mindsets. Using my Personal Mindset Assessment and the resulting Collective Mindset Report, we uncovered a significant insight: a majority of the executives were operating with fixed mindsets. This was a critical finding, as navigating the complexities of a merger requires leaders to approach challenges with a growth-oriented mindset.
Armed with this information, CVS Health’s leaders and HR partners gained clarity on what to prioritize. They could now focus on developing their leaders’ mindsets to ensure they were equipped to foster collaboration, embrace innovation, and navigate the uncertainties inherent in merging two organizations. This proactive effort provided a strong foundation for their merger strategy.
Case Study 2: Cantey Foundation Specialists – Aligning Culture with Incentives
Cantey Foundation Specialists, a thriving construction company, is a standout example of an organization that views culture and mindsets as strategic priorities. Despite already investing heavily in mindset work, the results of their Collective Mindset Report revealed an unexpected challenge: a prevalence of inward mindsets.
This finding surprised both the leadership team and me, given their existing efforts to cultivate outward mindsets. However, it allowed us to take a deeper dive into the root causes. We discovered that certain incentive systems were inadvertently encouraging behaviors aligned with inward mindsets. This revelation led to meaningful discussions about how to better align their incentives with the collaborative, customer-focused culture they wanted to nurture. The outcome was not just increased awareness but actionable steps to elevate their organizational culture further.
Case Study 3: Agricultural Industry Organization – Small Interventions, Big Impact
In the agricultural sector, I worked with an organization that wanted to introduce mindset concepts to their employees. We began with an initial mindset assessment in the Spring, followed by book clubs involving one-third of their workforce during the Summer. In the Fall, we conducted a reassessment to measure progress.
The results were striking: we observed significant improvement in three out of four mindset sets, such as a shift from 30% growth mindset to 45%. This demonstrated that even modest interventions, such as workshops and book clubs, could lead to significant changes in employees’ mindsets and positively impact the organization as a whole.
Interestingly, there was no improvement in the Prevention-Promotion mindset set. This prompted further exploration into how this mindset might be holding the organization back. Our recommendations focused on developing a clear, inspirational, and stakeholder-centric purpose to help drive growth in this area. The organization’s leaders were excited to implement these strategies, further solidifying their commitment to continuous improvement.
The Power of Mindset Assessments
These case studies underscore the transformative impact that mindset assessments and the resulting insights can have on organizations. The Personal Mindset Assessment and Collective Mindset Report not only reveal the quality of an organization’s culture but also provide leaders with actionable clarity on what to focus on to elevate their teams and outcomes.
If you’re curious about how the four sets of mindsets—Growth-Fixed, Open-Closed, Promotion-Prevention, and Outward-Inward—shape your organization’s culture, I invite you to learn more here, or in my book, Success Mindsets. And if you’re ready to explore the mindsets within your organization, try my Personal Mindset Assessment.
By assessing your organization’s mindsets, you’ll gain valuable insights into the fears, cultural strengths, and opportunities for improvement that can set the stage for transformational growth. I would be delighted to partner with you on this journey. Let’s work together to elevate your organization to its highest potential. To explore this further, connect with me here.
