Create Psychological Safety and Connection through a Gift Mindset

More than ever, we need to put people before process and progress. We need to create forums and a culture where people feel they can share their experiences and lessons. This helps build trust, psychological safety, and a connective and collaborative workplace culture.

Most of us experience challenges, crises, triumphs, and success in our professional and personal life. Life throws us curveballs. Some are made of glass and hard to catch, some bounce off us and others seem to fall straight into our hands. These experiences are ‘gifts. How we catch (or drop) these gifts depends on our mindset, perspective, beliefs, experiences, values and many other things.

Our biggest lessons come through embracing our challenges and successes. Positive psychology shows that 40% of our happiness is determined by how we think and act. When we adopt a Gift Mindset, we can approach situations with deeper self-awareness, viewing whatever we are faced with, good or bad, as an opportunity to progress.

Gifts can come from both people and situations. They can be hidden in the past; sometimes they are sitting right under our nose. Sharing the lessons could be a survival guide for someone else and can create connection and learning.

Never, have we lived in a such connected world, but at the same time been so disconnected. With the overload of technology, AI, social media, and people working remotely the Gift Mindset opens the portal to connection, contribution, and collaboration.

Did you know that more than 65,000 Australians attempt suicide per year, with more than 3000 suicide deaths in 2018? Reasons include stressful life events (imagine if we could share these openly), mental illness and substance abuse. In this age of distraction, we need to get back to human connection. The Gift Mindset could help us share more of ourselves, as a way of helping others.

The Gift Mindset is a wellbeing mindset.

When we deepen our self-awareness and acceptance of an experience we can deepen and develop any of these important 12 Gifts or soft skills, as summarised below.

The 12 Gifts of a Gift Mindset

1. Optimism
   Optimism can underpin resilience and sometimes just believing that what you have is good enough can increase optimism. Surround yourself with optimists, smile and laugh and ask yourself “What makes me optimistic?”
2. Courage
   Courage builds courage and layers upon itself and can transform fear, and even shame, into determination. Know your purpose, build a strong support network and know and align your values and self-belief to step out of your comfort zone and into your stretch zone.
3. Change
   Change is the only constant in life. It can be chosen or forced upon us. It can be the portal to growth, possibility and new direction. To deal with change, our why to change must exceed our why to stay the same. We need to get comfortable being uncomfortable by understanding the reason and benefit of the change.
4. Resilience
   Resilience results from a dynamic interaction between internal qualities and external experiences. It is a collection of skills that we can call upon when facing adversity, resilience can be built up. Develop supportive relationships, reframe the story and remember anything you have got through you can get through again.
5. Gratitude
   Gratitude works by reinforcing the positives, no matter how small, and can come from both positive and negative experiences or people. This forces us to focus on what we do have opposed to what we don’t have. Journaling, showing appreciation to others and building a culture of gratitude is key.
6. Connection
   Deep self-connection is vital before we can forge and grow meaningful relationships with others. Self-care and self-growth can contribute to this. Building rapport with others, being present, communicating openly and adopting a curious mindset can deepen connection and lead to more intentional interactions and relationships.
7. Growth
   Growth is a human need linked to contribution. When we grow, we can share what we have learnt and grow others. This in turn promotes further growth within us. Create habits around ways to contribute to your self-growth – create a reading habit, listen to podcasts, study, get a mentor and give and get value whenever you can.
8. Empathy
   Expressing and receiving empathy is vital in any interaction and relationship. Living the Gift of Empathy within the workplace helps us to lead from a place of understanding, care, and empathetic connection. To ‘feel in’, imagine the other person’s view on the world, be aware of their emotions, imagine feeling what they are going through and pay attention.
9. Contribution
   Contribution can create a legacy that touches others. Contribute to self through wellbeing, self-growth, reading, and learning to say ‘no’. Contribute to your home team through acknowledging the good, being spontaneous, and creating and sharing meals together. Contribute to your work team by supporting others, sharing skills and giving your time. To contribute to your community volunteer, help spread a message, start a fundraiser or mentor someone who will benefit.
10. Re-energising
    Living life as our full, energetic selves is vital to function at our highest level, both physically and mentally. We cannot pour from an empty cup. Be aware of when you feel most energised, so you know when you are depleted. Live with purpose, do what lights you up, get out in nature and make the time to practise positive self-talk and gratitude and fuel up with good food and adequate sleep.
11. Forgiveness
    Forgiveness is a conscious decision and can take us from pain to peace. It doesn’t mean justifying another person’s actions or a situation. Living a life where we hold onto anger and resentment can negatively impact our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Identify and acknowledge the hurt, forgive yourself and change the story to see the gift of the situation to move forward.
12. Curiosity
    Curiosity is a motivated desire for more information. It’s the engine that drives learning and achievement. Being curious requires us to ask questions of ourselves, situations, and others. When we become curious as a team this leads to provocation, and creativity with the by- product of this being collaboration.

Adopting a Gift Mindset and building on and sharing our lessons within the workplace can create openness, trust and the knowing that everyone is supported to move beyond challenges and mistakes.

It gives us the ability to grow others through our lessons and can assist us in progressing forward to deal with any positive or challenging experiences within the workplace.

Written by Renée Giarrusso.

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