From Challenge to Triumph: A Case Study on Closing the Mindset Gap for Peak Performance

You’ve seen it before.

Your team is smart. Motivated. Capable.
They’ve had the training. They’re not new.
But something still isn’t working.

You push more tools.
More how-tos.
More practice.

 

And still, performance doesn’t shift.

Here’s the truth we don’t talk about enough:
Sometimes, what’s holding people back isn’t a skill gap. It’s a mindset gap.

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The Situation

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This was exactly the case with a group of highly experienced and deeply engaged account managers at a fast-growing tech company.
They knew the product inside out. They had long-standing relationships with their customers.
They were trusted, respected, and genuinely cared about the people they supported.

 

Then came a change:

Their role expanded to include a sales component, not with new clients but existing customers.

The ask?
Help expand usage, connect the dots across departments, and proactively introduce new teams to the product.

It wasn’t a full role change, but it stretched the role in a new direction.
From supporting → to influencing.
From servicing → to expanding impact.

And that’s where things got stuck.

 

Despite their commitment and experience, something in their behavior didn’t match the new direction.
They weren’t asking enough questions.
They weren’t initiating broader conversations.

And after three months of weekly training on how to do just that, nothing really changed.

 

What Was Really Going On
 

When I came in to assess the situation, it was clear: this wasn’t a knowledge or skill issue.

It was a mindset gap.

The team believed that “selling” meant “manipulating.”
And no amount of technique could override that internal resistance.

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They didn’t want to pressure, pretend, or compromise their values.

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Reframing Selling as Service

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Instead of forcing more skill-building, we used a few short exercises to unpack what “selling” really meant to them.

They didn’t see themselves as salespeople.
They saw themselves as service providers.
The intention was good: don’t push, don’t manipulate, just help.

 

We looked at a real conversation where not enough questions were asked.
By chance, the customer mentioned a challenge they were facing.
It turned out the solution was already included in their existing package.
The team offered it, and the customer was thrilled.

But it could have easily been missed.

Not enough questions would have meant not enough value. Not enough impact.

They saw that asking questions isn’t about pushing. It’s about caring enough to understand.

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One participant summed it up perfectly:
“Now I feel like I’m asking questions for us, not just for me.”

When the mindset changed, their behavior followed.

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From New Mindset to New Action

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Once the team aligned around a new perspective, one they believed in and connected to,
we asked a new question:

“If this is how we see the role now, how does that change what we do?”

 

We mapped out how their customer conversations would sound different:

• What kinds of questions they would now feel comfortable asking

• What checks they would do before a meeting

• How they would prepare to bring real, relevant value to the conversation

 

That step changed the game.
Because when mindset shifts, everything else becomes easier to apply, and more meaningful.

 

But Isn’t Mindset Work… Complicated?

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It’s a common assumption.
That mindset is “too personal,” “too psychological,” or “too messy to touch.”

 

But in reality?
Shifting mindset can be surprisingly simple.

Sometimes all it takes is a short exercise followed by a thoughtful discussion.
That’s it. No therapy. No drama. Just clarity.

 

​The Core of the Approach: Pull, Don’t Push

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Instead of pushing more content, more expectations, more pressure,
I start with something simple: curiosity.

• How does the employee currently see their role?

• What story are they telling themselves about what’s expected of them?

 

When we take the time to uncover that story, we unlock the lever for real, lasting change.

Real learning always touches mindset, whether we mean to or not.
We often treat it like it’s just more knowledge to transfer.

 

But it’s not the same.

 

Addressing mindset directly isn’t a bonus, it’s what makes everything else stick.

We simply open the door, and people walk through it on their own.

 

Want to see how it’s done?You can download my free Workshop Design Playbook where I walk through exactly how to design exercises that spark real mindset shifts in workshop sessions.​
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Curious About Leadership Development that Actually Changes Behavior?

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Explore my Leadership Development Programs, designed to create real behavior change through mindset-first experiential learning.
Or book a free discovery call to talk through what’s possible.
No pressure. Just clarity, ideas, and an honest conversation about your team’s next step.