Utilizing Mental Models

Happy May, and welcome to Spring!

One consistent trait I’ve learned in reading biographies of great entrepreneurs and business/military leaders is that they all utilize mental models to make informed decisions. A mental model is a simplified framework that helps you understand complex situations and solve problems by drawing on proven principles from various disciplines. Depending on the topic, the model may be based on a number of disciplines for complex topics, or a more basic model for less complex issues.

Over the past months, I’ve gone back to the Mentor Mindset model we discussed at the end of last year in Driving FPP #14 - The Science of Motivating Young People and used it as a basic mental model to kick off most every new meeting I’ve had - Network Office day talks, advisor and leadership study group sessions, coaching client sessions, etc. While I expected it to be useful for context setting, it really exceeded my expectations!

I attached the #14 email if you’d like a refresh yourself before going on:

Read Driving FPP #14: The Science of Motivating Young People

The kick-off conversation we have utilizes the visual below, where we cover the idea of Standards and Support and the resulting Mindset represented in each quadrant. Not surprisingly, when asked where they wanted to live as a leader/advisor, and where they wanted their leader/coach/partner to live in helping them grow, everyone is up and to the right. Now that they know where they want to be, I have them reflect for a few minutes on where they would honestly put themselves, both as a leader and as someone being led.

[Image from the original email: the Standards & Support quadrant (Mentor Mindset model visual). Add the image here.]

Having had this conversation, regardless of the topic we’re covering that day, we can use this model as a framework for them to continually test themselves against. For example:

• GDD/CUD/Leadership teams: we mostly follow the outline in FPP #14.
  • The “gift of high expectations” isn’t much of a gift without the impact of high support!
• New Advisors: How do you want to be led, and what is YOUR responsibility to your mentor in a high standard/high support model?
• Advisors: what does your planning process feel like to deliver on the high standards/high support model for prospects and clients?
  • This changes Fact-finding from just focusing on gathering information to input into a PX, to deeper-level conversations and engagement on what prospects really want.
  • This changes the PX from a calculator exercise to conversation aligning prospects’ actions to their values.

Obviously, we cover a ton of additional content under each of these items to actually skill build around specific topics, but when they have this Mental Model and understand the context of “why” before we work on “how”, it significantly increases in both engagement and retention of the learning!

Imagine your office culture if everyone wanted to grow and lead in a Mentor Mindset environment!

This model is relevant to every leader and advisor, regardless of their age or stage in the business, and is equally important whether you are helping them develop in their role as a leader or an advisor. Which brings me to a new core belief: All learning should be leadership development!

Advisors need to know that we are helping them develop as leaders at every stage of their career, not just when they are looking at a specific contract. Each of us is a leader in all of our roles in life - advisor to clients, MP/MD/GDD/etc, spouse/partner, parent, sibling, community member, etc. - and these skills are transferable between them all. Having a strong base understanding of a model like this will make every skill you layer upon it easier to understand and utilize across disciplines!

Let’s have a 15 minute conversation. If I can help you improve the learning effectiveness in your office through that conversation, awesome - If we can partner and I can help you deliver that improvement, even better!

Cheers to a strong May and finish to your Awards Year!

Think Differently,

Steve