What Are You Thinking?

I have a question for you. What are you thinking?

Not right now.

I mean, what are you thinking when you avoid making that prospecting call? What are you thinking before you walk into an important presentation? What are you thinking when you decide not to coach someone because you don’t want conflict? What are you thinking when you assume a customer can’t afford your idea?

Chances are those thoughts have far more influence on your performance than your skill ever will.

For years, I’ve helped develop sellers and leaders. During that time, I’ve taught a simple performance model. Most sales and leadership problems come down to two questions: Does the person have the skill? Do they have the will? If they don’t have the skill, we teach them. If they have the skill but choose not to use it, we’ve traditionally called that a will problem.

Lately, I’ve been asking myself a different question.

What if many of the problems we’ve labeled as “will” problems aren’t will problems at all? What if they’re thinking problems?

That question first surfaced while I was reading the feedback forms and comments from thousands of people who attended RAB workshops, leadership programs, webinars and sales courses. I wasn’t studying the satisfaction scores. I wanted to know what people actually took with them after the class was over.

I kept reading things like, “I’m changing my mindset.” “I look at my job differently now.” “I’m more confident.” “I’m excited about what’s next.” “I’m going to approach my clients differently.”

Those aren’t comments about what people learned. They’re comments about who they became.

Then I thought about a Leadership MasterClass I taught a few years ago for a state broadcasters’ association. Months later, I learned that several participants returned to their television station with a completely different perspective on leadership. They developed the courage to have an honest conversation with their general manager about the culture in their newsroom. That conversation ultimately resulted in a leadership change. Later, the station president told the association president, “You probably just saved my station.”

I’ve thought about that conversation many times. The class didn’t save the station. The participants did. The program didn’t magically give them courage. It changed how they thought about leadership. Once they saw what great leadership looked like, they couldn’t unsee it. Their thinking changed. Their actions followed.

The more I reflect on that story—and hundreds of others—the more convinced I become that we may spend too much time trying to teach new skills and not enough time helping people think differently. Maybe that’s because we don’t change results by pushing harder. We change results by thinking differently.

Consider the salesperson who won’t prospect. We often assume they lack discipline. But what if they’re thinking, “People don’t want to hear from me,” or “I’m afraid of being rejected.” Consider the manager who avoids accountability and coaching. We assume they lack courage. But what if they’re thinking, “If I confront this person, they’ll quit,” or “Conflict always damages relationships.”

Those aren’t skill problems. They may not even be will problems. They’re thinking problems. And if that’s true, it changes everything.

Interestingly, psychologist Albert Bandura spent decades studying what he called “self-efficacy”—our belief in our ability to successfully perform a specific task. His research found that people are far more likely to take action, persist through challenges and ultimately succeed when they believe they are capable of doing so. In other words, what we believe about ourselves often influences our behavior as much as, or more than, our actual skill.

Maybe the role of a coach isn’t simply to teach better techniques. Maybe it’s to challenge limiting beliefs. Maybe the role of a leader isn’t simply to hold people accountable. Maybe it’s to help them see what’s possible. Maybe the role of professional development isn’t just to transfer knowledge. Maybe it’s to transform thinking.

I’m still working through that idea. But I know this much.

• When thinking changes, decisions change.
• When decisions change, behaviors change.
• When behaviors change, results change.

And eventually…

People change.

So let me leave you with the same question I asked at the beginning.

What are you thinking?

Because the answer to that question may have more to do with your future success than any new skill you’ll ever learn.

And leaders, maybe before we ask whether someone has the skill or the will, we should first ask…

What are they thinking?

Think Big. Make Big Things Happen.

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.