CoachingOurselves co-founder Henry Mintzberg and Jonathan Gosling developed the Five Mindsets framework, which elaborates upon the five essential skills that are basic to the practice of management. Gosling describes management as “weaving a beautiful piece of cloth from different colours. In particular there are five different colours, five ways to think, five ways to approach the world.”

The Five Mindsets form the basis of the acclaimed International Masters Program for Managers at McGill University.  Founded by Henry Mintzberg, the IMPM is the #1 International Executive Program in North America and brings together experienced managers to learn from top professors at five leading business schools around the globe; at each location exploring one of the Five Mindsets.

Likewise, the Five Mindsets provide a robust framework for a CoachingOurselves peer learning program that is rooted in the essential skills needed for effective managing.  CoachingOurselves Five Mindsets programs are designed and delivered for middle to senior level groups in organizations.

Reflection:  This is managing ourselves. If we are not reflective, we cannot think or learn from our experiences - we bring no intelligence to our jobs. But reflecting alone is passive, the work of a monk or a nun, not the work of a manager.  This leads to…

Action:  This is managing change. We can’t get so mired in thinking about our problems that nothing gets done.  We must be very active to drive and make things happen.  We all know of organizations that are great at planning and organizing but slow to respond to market forces, and on the other side, organizations that are fast to react to every stimulus but are sloppy and constantly have to fix things.

“Everything that every effective manager does is sandwiched between action and reflection. Action without reflection is thoughtless; reflection without action is passive. 
Every manager must find a way to combine these two crucial mindsets – to function at the point where reflective thinking meets practical doing.”  
Henry Mintzberg

Analysis:  This is managing organizations. This process of acting and reflecting, acting and reflecting, develops a more thoughtful relationship between the process of what we do, what we think, and what actually happens.  Action must subscribe to a certain rationality or logic.  This is how we effectively manage organizations.

Collaboration:  This is managing relationships.  We cannot get anything done without other people.  Managing is all about relationships and working cooperatively with other people – in negotiations, for example.  There’s also our inner urge to connect with other people and to create something valuable and new together.

Worldly:  This is managing context. Action, reflection, and collaboration must be rooted in a deep appreciation of reality.  We can make sure our business works by putting ourselves in other people’s shoes.  This requires a generous spirit and means getting out of our offices to spend time where products are produced, customers served, and environments threatened.  

For us as managers, these Five Mindsets create the fabric of our world!