Performing Better At Work & Life With Robert Overweg #MakingBank #S7E06

In this episode of the Making Bank podcast, we welcome guest Robert Overweg. Robert has over a decade of experience in innovation and digital transformation with clients like Vodafone, Liberty Global, eBay Heineken, and various other startups and innovative schools. He is also a frequent speaker at MIT, SXSW, and the European Commission institutes. Robert speaks about how we can use tech to work smarter and add value to the world. He's the founder of the adaptable mindset program. He and his team aim to empower people and help them develop their own adaptable mindset to develop mental flexibility and learn how to create a mental space allowing them to find new possibilities.

This week on the podcast, Robert explains the adaptable mindset program and how you can use the adaptable mindset to eliminate stress and perform better in all aspects of your life.

Listen to Josh and Stephen discuss the adaptable mindset::

(1:26) What Is The Adaptable Mindset
There's a desire for change, innovation, experimentation, and trying out new things, but Robert noticed that there was a lack of openness and a lot of doubt instead. To bring about change and innovation, you need to be able to deal with the uncertainty and ambiguity the change brings. An adaptable mindset is the ability to find fresh perspectives and be open to new ideas. It's a mental space that allows people to connect their intrinsic motivation to what energizes them to create the proper foundation to be innovative.

(4:10) Most Common Challenges
The most predominant challenge faced by most people that Robert has worked with is stress. People are so busy nowadays, and none of them focus on having a vision for the future. Most people are just trying to get through their days. There's also a fear of failure that hinders people from being innovative and creative. People tend to compare themselves to the top performers — the best of the best, but usually don't live up to those expectations and make themselves feel like failures instead. The biggest problem is that they aren't creating an environment that enables them to flourish.

(7:19) How To Develop The Adaptable Mindset
Robert talks about a small hack that almost everyone can follow to develop an adaptable mindset. Most people spend a significant chunk of their time on their phones, watching TV, and all sorts of other superficial things. The hack is to spend less time distracting yourself with something superficial and substitute it with some of the things that have pushed humanity forward, like art, nature, or philosophy. Learn from other top performers and find something that resonates with you. Anything you can integrate into your life that enables you to have a different perspective on the world.

(10:38) Alleviating Stress
To unlock the adaptability mindset, you need to be able to get away from stress. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to lower your levels of stress. The easiest thing you can do is take some time out of your day to meditate and practice breathing exercises. Also, how you structure your day plays a major role in the amount of stress you may feel. How often do you have breaks and intervals that allow you to relax? The key is to actually relax, don't take a break and pick up your phone and distract your mind. Just relax, maybe even close your eyes — figure out what helps you relax and then do it regularly. 

(15:40) The Biggest Changes Robert Has Seen
Robert was able to see significant changes in the workspace when people were able to make the connection between their work and their own insights, input, and innovations. Robert also noticed that the more autonomous the organization, the better it was because it's hard for just one leader to have knowledge about everyone and know exactly how to steer the organization. The adaptability mindset allows for more openness which gives people a broader perspective enabling them to come up with new business models and opens up many new possibilities for that organization.

Links mentioned:
Robertoverweg.com
Twitter: @RobertOverweg
Instagram: @theadaptablemindset
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robertoverweg