We often hear leaders say, “We want our people to have a better service mindset.”

What is a mindset?
Here is one example. People often describe other people as either ‘glass half full’ or ‘glass half empty’. What they are referring to is a mindset, a fundamental way to view the world.

Mindset includes a person’s attitudes and assumptions, values, beliefs, preferences, standards, and judgments. These are the family points-of-view that filter our perceptions and create meaning in our lives. These familiar reference points are learned throughout our lives, and may not be easily changed.

So how can we foster a better service mindset, at home, in the community, and at work? Many leaders made the mistake of simply sending people for training and hoping to see some magical result, only to realize that the change – if any – is short lived.

If you want a better service mindset to permeate your organization’s culture, then much more than training is needed; a total and enduring commitment is required.

Why?
Because changing mindset means showing people another point of view, sharing a different perspective, a teaching them a better way of thinking and behaving. You need to show people what a service mindset looks like, hear what it sounds like, and help them discover what this new way of thinking and behaving feels like. This requires teaching, demonstrating, encouraging, and reinforcing with an eco-system to support these attitudes, beliefs and behaviors consistently over time.

Over many years of working with leaders and organizations, I have found the following 4 Es to be paramount in cultivating better service mindset: Empathy, Education, Eco-system, and Encouragement.