Thank you to those who responded to our poll asking you what ‘I Have Got This!’ means to you. We wanted to know what thoughts it created as whilst the phrase has been something Cathy and I use daily, what it means to us and what it means to others may indeed be different.
At the end of 2019, Cathy and I came together as we recognised we both had a desire to create development programmes that would empower individuals who had been knocked by Change. Our goal was to strengthen their mindsets for the future challenges Change presents. We had originally focussed on women returning from maternity and illness, areas that Cathy and I had experience of but then lockdown happened. We realised that the I Have Got This! mindset programme we had put together could help so many more people navigate their way in these changing and challenging times. And so we adapted our approach to create the It’s The Thought That Counts Bootcamps as well.
The challenge of Change at that time wasn’t just a theoretical idea. We were experiencing the impact of Change ourselves in our personal and professional lives:
For me (Alison) as a trainer professionally my working world has changed significantly in the last 12 months. The joy of a buzzing training room was in the short term replaced by the uncertainty of a virtual learning space. But I quickly realised that I had got this! Reflecting on 20 years of L&D experience I recognised that my approach had evolved significantly over time already, this was just another adaptation to how I worked and what I didn’t know I was confident I could develop either on my own or with the help of others in my field. The buzz is back! and I am now a convert to the virtual world and it’s benefits for developing individuals and teams.
For Cathy coaching leaders on apprenticeship programmes came to a dramatic halt and coaching became 100% virtual overnight with many struggling with the technology to begin with. Conversations became very different with people feeling anxious about the future, lost or finding it hard to visualise their future or goals as their survival instinct kicked in. She found her coaching approach needed to become much more holistic, going from working through challenges at work to talking about life in general and bringing an I Have Got This! way of thinking into every aspect of her coachees lives.
All great changes are preceded by chaos
Deepak Chopra
The I Have Got This mindset has really helped ourselves and others in the last 12 months. So back to the poll, which one of the phrases does having an I Have Got This mindset refer to? I’m sure it won’t come as too much of a surprise to find out it covers all of them and more!
Its starts with a mindset that says – ‘I know I can do this’. Our first cognitive habit, I embrace change and personal growth builds on Carol Dwecks work around the value of a growth mindset. Alongside this is our fourth habit I am positive and optimistic, based around the importance of an optimistic mindset to build those virtuous thought spirals that we all need to thrive in uncertainty.
The second aspect of the I Have Got This! mindset is about how you represent yourself and engage with others. The second and third I Have Got This! cognitive habits are focussed on valuing yourself and being open to others, creating a collaborative mindset that says ‘You can leave it to me’.
We also know that when it comes to successfully navigating your way in a changing world, we need a resilient and driven mindset. ‘I will persevere no matter what’ is about being motivated and driven as well as bold and courageous. That is why Habits five and six are so important to us. When we created the 6 thinking habits we knew that to build and maintain an I Have Got This! mindset we needed to find our motivation (habit 5) and always be prepared to take that final step out of our comfort zones (habit 6).
Change is inevitable, the outcome isn’t – it all depends on your mindset. Every thought has an impact, which is an empowering perspective to take. We are living in uncertain times, thinking I Have Got This! will help you to successfully navigate your way no matter what happens.
If you would like to find out more about the I Have Got This! mindset and why it really is the thought that counts we have a free 20 minute training video which can be found here
Remember You Have Got This!