The previous lesson was about initiatives and going from noticing to thinking to doing. But noticing what? This lesson is about looking for opportunities.

When all we can see is things-as-they-are, that’s called a fixed mindset. There is nothing wrong with being observant, the problem is if you believe that there are no other alternatives, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

To level-up, we must go beyond the fixed mindset – like the football player, if you remember, who thinks about a good spot to run to rather than mindlessly running after the ball. Levelling-up is not about working harder – it’s about getting more out of the effort we put in. To figure out how, we need a learning mindset.

A learning mindset is when you can see how-things-are, but also what they could become. You see a problem and figure out a way to prevent it from happening again. You see a way to do something that our customers would appreciate. You think of a way to make things easier for our factories, or to save time for your colleagues, or something else that improves the way we work. So, the first step from a fixed to a learning mindset is openness, as in widening your focus and noticing opportunities.

A good way to open your mind is sharing knowledge and ideas across functional and geographical borders; meeting, sharing and collaborating. Different backgrounds, viewpoints and experience are known to improve problem solving and creative thinking. So, call somebody you don’t know!

So, the first step in a learning mindset is openness; the second step is to do something – leveling up to exploring your ideas so you can evaluate them and learn something new. We may not all invent the next iPhone, but we can all find ways to improve our work.

What could this mean for you? In NCAB, we want people in all countries, from all functions, to level-up. Turn on your learning mindset openness and when you notice something interesting, level-up and explore it. This is an opportunity, don’t miss it.