Today we know so much about the kind of work environments that stimulate employee engagement. Why, then, are there still such high levels of employee disengagement? Why is it considered a “win” when less than half of the global employees say they’re engaged? Is there anything employees and employers can do to increase the number of employees who feel fully engaged with their work?
This post will focus on why and how a winning mindset can lead to greater employee engagement and your organization’s success. We’ll also look at ways employee engagement activities such as gamification and competition can help employees develop a winning mindset. At the same time, creating a culture where they want to excel and drive their—and your—success forward.
Importance of Employee Engagement
Organizations that make employee engagement central to their business strategy see significant results, including a boost in productivity, leading to greater business success. There’s plenty of research to back this up and lots of advice on measuring how well your engagement efforts work.
When figuring out how management can best engage and develop employees, things get a bit more challenging. But figure it out they must because managers account for an incredible 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement. In other words, a manager’s experience plays a huge role in defining the employee experience. Managers can inspire employees to be more engaged by helping them develop a winning mindset.
Why is an Employee’s Mindset Important?
There’s a strong link between attitude and performance. Ask any successful athlete, artist, or entrepreneur about their key to success, and they’ll likely mention how they “set their mind” to reaching their goals. You’ll also hear, “If you want to win, you have to prepare to win,” and “I believed in myself.”
A winning mentality is when a person believes in their ability to achieve what they’re setting out to do. It doesn’t come naturally to many people. But the good news is it can be developed through hard work and proper guidance.
Qualities of a Winner
Before we dive into what determines a winning mindset, let’s talk briefly about what qualities define a winner, particularly in the workplace. Five traits of winners, no matter which field they work in, are:
- A positive attitude.
- High but achievable goals.
- Self-motivation.
- Emotional mastery.
- Persistence.
Most importantly, while winners may love earning a reward or public recognition, they consider winning an attitude. And they love proving to themselves they can set and surpass self-defined goals that bring them one step closer to success.
What Is a Winning Mindset?
The psychology of winning has fascinated researchers for decades. Known in psychological circles as “the winner effect,” this biological phenomenon occurs when feel-good chemicals are released in the brain after a person wins at something. Over time, changes to the brain’s structure arise, and the person becomes more confident and able to take on more significant challenges.
People with a winning mindset tend to display four core elements:
- Great goal clarity.
- A high level of self-confidence and self-belief.
- The ability to take personal responsibility for successes and failures.
- High levels of resilience and tenacity let them manage their state of mind during challenging situations.
A winning mindset helps employees take more risks and feel confident about reaching their goals. Each achieved objective boosts their morale and increases their job engagement.
How Can You Develop a Winning Mindset?
A winning mindset helps people make more intelligent decisions that result in better business and personal outcomes. Strategies that help develop a winning attitude include:
1. Put yourself in challenging new situations.
People gain confidence by overcoming challenges but must be willing to put themselves in a position where the outcome might not be as successful as they hoped. Growth is only possible through success and failure. In the workplace, that can be as simple as offering to be involved in a new project.
2. Find a mentor who has a winning mindset.
Mentorship is a proven way to build confidence and job success.
3. See failure as a learning opportunity.
People who succeed at everything they do are rare. If you’re always “winning,” it might be a sign you aren’t challenging yourself enough. Reframing failure as an opportunity for growth makes it easier to take risks.
4. Memorialize your efforts.
Keeping a list or file of moments, you can be proud of (and ones that didn’t go quite as planned) can be a great source of inspiration for current and future projects.
5. Surround yourself with other “winners.”
Spending time with other people with winning mindsets can significantly influence your positive attitude. Look for those who can teach you new things and encourage your efforts.
6. Take the time to de-stress.
Work-related stress is well-documented. It’s essential to find a work-life balance that allows you to disconnect. Doing so reduces the effects of work stressors and helps you stay motivated, productive, and engaged.
7. Develop routines.
What you do and how you think when you first wake up sets the tone for the rest of the day. Simple morning routines like working out, meditating, or eating a healthy breakfast can produce a positive state of mind you carry throughout the day.
8. Set achievable goals.
If you’re serious about developing a winning mindset, take a different approach to goal-setting. One of the main reasons New Year’s resolutions often fail is because they’re vague. Creating goals with a fixed deadline can reshape how you handle projects, build confidence as you achieve them, and change your mindset to “I can do this.”
9. Learn to trust your instincts.
First thoughts and gut instincts are two different things, with gut instincts often good predictors of what action we should take. Confidence in your instincts is a critical component of success and a winning mindset.
10. Don’t stagnate.
A sure way to become disengaged at work is to feel you’re not being challenged or learning new things.
Your mindset is affected by your work and life, and how you handle life and work affects your mood. Even small changes in attitude can increase work performance and reap incredible rewards in your career.
How Can You Change Your Mindset at Work?
How can you reach higher engagement, productivity, and success levels by changing your mindset at work? While no one tactic’s suitable for everyone, there are certain things everyone can try to see if they fit.
Change your internal conversations from “I’m not good, smart, or worthy enough” to “I can do this.” It works.
Remove the words “always” and “never” from your internal and external dialogues. A willing mindset doesn’t limit itself.
Act “as if.” When you believe you’re capable of something, you already have the mindset to succeed. Over time you’ll “trick” your brain into adopting new thought patterns that put you in a winning frame of mind.
How a Winning Mindset Can Improve Employee Engagement
People with a winning mindset look beyond the personal qualities they’re encouraged to leverage and seek challenges outside their comfort zone. They view these challenges as potential areas of growth and improvement. This type of mindset leads to excellent employee engagement.
Gamified Employee engagement programs effectively speak to a workforce that prefers instant gratification and rewards. Gamification works so well because it plays on the psychology of winning. Humans are naturally driven to compete, outdo, and improve.
Gamification drives engagement and increases productivity, even with remote workers. Done right, interactive promotions reward employees for their efforts, time, and performance. The good news is that gamification can work in almost any environment or department. Marketing, sales, customer service, training, and mobility are all areas that can benefit from gamification.
- Pop quizzes can keep employees on their toes.
- Use Online scratch cards to reward employees for meeting deadlines and goals.
- Use a spin wheel to thank employees for a job well done and track essential milestones, all while encouraging employees to strive to achieve rewards and level up.
About BeeLiked
BeeLiked creates employee engagement games that reward positive behaviors, build lasting relationships, and deliver improved productivity and profit value. We’re committed to the idea that gamification is one of the best ways to boost employee morale and your bottom line.
