The training is over, the real work starts now

You finish a workshop or training—whether it’s Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset (DIOM) or another training—and you feel different. The friction with that difficult colleague makes sense now. You see where you have been the bottleneck. You are energized and ready to lead differently.

Then Monday morning hits.

The inbox is full. The targets are looming. A crisis drops in your lap before 9:00 AM.

And suddenly, that clarity you felt in the workshop starts to fade. The "drift" back to an inward mindset—focusing on your own headaches, your own tasks, and your own justification—kicks in.

Here is the hard truth: Training is not the transformation. Training is just the invitation.

Real change doesn’t happen in the conference room. It happens in the messy, high-pressure reality of your daily work. If you want the results of the training to stick—if you want to stop managing symptoms and start solving root problems—you need a game plan for Tuesday.

Here is how you stop the drift and operationalize an outward mindset after one of our workshops.

1. Stop Guessing. Use the Lens.

The inward mindset is deceptive. It hides. You can be aggressive and inward ("Do it my way!"), but you can also be nice and inward ("I’ll just do it myself so I don’t bother them").

The only way to catch yourself is to ruthlessly check your lens. You don’t need a workshop to do this. You just need to pause when you feel frustration rising and ask three questions:

• Focus on impact: Who is affected by what I’m doing right now?

• Consider contribution: How am I making their job harder? (Not "how are they annoying me," but "how am I blocking them?")

• Keep trying: What is one thing I can do right now to be helpful?

This isn't soft skills. This is risk mitigation. When you check your lens, you stop silos before they start.

2. Don’t “Wing It.” Use the Tools.

One of the biggest mistakes leaders make post-training is trying to "be outward" in the abstract. That fails because it’s vague.

The DIOM workshop provides you with a toolkit for a reason. These aren’t homework assignments; they are precision instruments for solving business problems.

• Facing a conflict? Don’t just "try to be nicer." Pull out the Collusion Diagram. Map it out. 

• Starting a high-stakes project? Don’t just launch. Use the Start in the Right Way tool to align objectives before you spend a dime.

• Sensing misalignment? Schedule a Meet to Learn. Stop assuming you know what your team needs and actually ask them.

You don't need to use every tool every day. Just pick one. Apply it to the biggest headache you have right now. Watch what happens to the friction.

3. Scale the Language (The 8-Week Sustainment)

If you are leading a team or an organization, you cannot carry the culture alone. You need a shared language.

That is why every DIOM graduate gets access to the 8-Week Sustainment Series. These are short, video-based modules designed to keep the concepts top-of-mind.

Don’t just send the link to your team and hope they watch it. That signals that this isn't important.

Instead, dedicate the first 10 minutes of your weekly staff meeting to one video. Watch it together. Discuss it. Ask, "Where did we see this play out this week?" When you integrate the language into your operational rhythm, you signal that an outward mindset isn't an HR initiative, it's how you do business.

4. The Long Game: Systems and Processes

Ultimately, mindset must move from individual practice to organizational habit.

If you tell your people to collaborate (outward), but you rank them on a curve that forces them to compete (inward), the system will win every time.

As you move forward, look at your structures. Do your performance reviews reward helping others? Does your strategic planning process account for cross-functional impact?

This is the work of leadership. It is not easy. But it is the only way to build an organization that is agile, accountable, and capable of delivering sustained results.

Don't let the drift win. Check your lens, pick a tool, and let's get to work.

Get my copy of the Resolve Collusion Tool

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I’m the only one on my team who went to the training. Can I still make a difference?

A: Absolutely. In fact, the most powerful move you can make is to turn outward when no one else does. You don't need your colleagues to change for you to stop blaming and start helping. When you change your approach—when you stop provoking them—the dynamic shifts. We call this the "unilateral move."

Q: How much time should I dedicate to "mindset work" each week?

A: Ideally, zero extra time. This shouldn't be in addition to your work; it should be how you do your work. It takes 30 seconds to check your mindset before sending an email. It takes 5 minutes to prep for a meeting using a tool. The goal is integration, not addition.

Q: What if I try to be outward and people take advantage of me?

A: An outward mindset is not about being "soft." It’s about seeing reality. If someone is underperforming or taking advantage, seeing them clearly means you address that behavior directly and effectively. You can be hard on the problem while remaining respectful of the person. In fact, accountability is impossible without an outward mindset.