What’s Next, After an Arbinger Training?

The Arbinger Institute
after arbinger training

“What’s Next?”

A few years ago, we were talking with a client who had participated in Arbinger’s fundamentals workshop a few months prior and really took to the material. Her question was, “What’s next?”

This is a fairly common question. The foundational Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset (DIOM) workshop gives participants the motivation—and some initial opportunities—to apply Arbinger’s concepts to real-life work challenges. Once we’ve seen the negative implications of having an inward mindset and the benefits of an outward mindset, we’re often motivated to be more outward, more often. Thus, many people come out of the workshop thinking, “That was great! I’m inspired…but how can I keep learning?”

Here are three ways individuals can practice implementing an outward mindset right away.

Outward Mindset Lens

Framing our daily problems through an Arbinger lens is one way to practice having an outward mindset. From small, run-of-the-mill challenges to our biggest headaches, problems pop up regularly, allowing us a simple way to frequently check in on our mindset…and practice shifting to an outward mindset if we discover we’re inward.

There are three steps to framing a problem through an Arbinger lens:

  1. Focus on impact
  2. Consider your contribution to the problem
  3. Keep trying!

Outward Mindset Tools

Workshop participants can download from a portal on our website many of the tools covered in the session. These tools support outward mindset implementation in a variety of situations and challenges. There are tools for resolving collusions, starting meetings the right way, helping other teams, managing performance, and more. We encourage participants to try the tools to see what works best for them and those they impact.

Sustainment Videos

A more structured way to continue the journey is leveraging the eight-week video series we make available to anyone who participates in the DIOM workshop. Each video illustrates an aspect of outward mindset in practice and includes exercises that invite viewers to consider, implement, and operationalize an outward mindset in their day-to-day work. The videos pair with the guidebook that is included in the workshop packet and that contains the exercises for each video.

Longer Term

As we’ve written elsewhere, developing an outward mindset is a practice—a journey—not a destination. Knowing this, and keeping in mind that we always have a choice about how we respond to our circumstances, can help us return to an outward mindset when we realize we are inward. The goal is to be more outward more of the time. A coach or mentor—formal or informal—can help us move toward this goal. In addition, it can be very helpful to set up systems and processes that reinforce outward mindset ways of operating.

This quick overview provided three ways that individuals can begin practicing an outward mindset immediately after the introductory Arbinger workshop, Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset.

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