Shifting mindset: How to get more from your technical teams

Traditional leadership development approaches are falling short for technical teams, particularly where different cognitive styles and ways of thinking are not well understood or supported. This is prompting managers to rethink how they lead and develop STEM talent.Research from City & Guilds found that 40 per cent of neurodivergent employees say their condition impacts them on most days in the workplace, highlighting the day-to-day challenges many face. At the same time, evidence suggests neurodiversity remains under-represented in STEM education and career pathways, not due to a lack of capability but because of insufficient support and inclusive development practices.A 2024 literature review found that neurodivergent individuals – including those with autism, ADHD and dyslexia – can bring valuable cognitive strengths to STEM disciplines, such as pattern recognition, problem-solving and innovative thinking. Yet, it also concluded that barriers within education and the workplace continue to limit their participation and progression.At the same time, many STEM professionals are developed for technical excellence rather than leadership and interpersonal capability. This leaves managers leading teams that are highly skilled but may lack the support structures needed to build psychological safety, collaboration and long-term performance.For managers, this creates a specific leadership challenge. Technical teams are often made up of highly capable individuals with different thinking styles, working under pressure in environments that prioritise expertise and delivery. Traditional leadership approaches – which tend to focus on process, outputs and technical excellence – can overlook the conditions people need to feel safe, collaborate effectively and perform at their best. This is where mindset-led emotional intelligence development is gaining traction.“We see managers and leaders being over-reliant on intellectual ability and a drive to push things through – managing results through process and systems and continuing to be the expert,” says Rich Cook, CEO and chief psychologist at Mindset Practice. “This can be at the expense of leading results through people by creating an environment where people feel heard, connected and cared for.”Survival vs GrowthCook believes the key to releasing the full potential of technical teams is by transforming the mindsets of STEM professionals from ‘Survival’ to ‘Growth’. Mindset Practice’s research shows that only 31% of adults have a mindset of Growth, while 69% have a mindset of Survival, rising to 85% among some STEM teams. Central characteristics of the Survival mindset include being defensive, judgmental and critical, feeling emotionally detached and disempowered and staying in their comfort zone. Meanwhile, key attributes of a mindset of Growth include compassion, curiosity and adaptability, acceptance of feelings and emotions, being solution-oriented, and stretching one's own comfort zone. Cook believes that STEM professionals are particularly prone to a mindset of Survival, largely because their sense of self-worth tends to be tied to expertise and correctness. This, combined with a preference for hard data over emotional intelligence and the constant pressure of demanding deadlines, creates fertile ground for that defensive orientation to take hold. “Anything that makes us feel different to the norm, less effective, less ‘normal’ than others has the potential to push us into a place where we don’t feel okay when compared to others. That’s part of being human: we can accept our differences as strengths or see them as something that’s horrible about us. The neurodiverse STEM professionals we work with often feel their differences as a weakness and evidence that they are not okay,” says Cook. “Our experience shows that this often leads to a lower sense of self-worth and leads them to show up from a mindset of Survival more often than they would like to.” Rowing in the same directionWhen managers cultivate an environment of Growth rather than Survival, the impact on STEM and technical teams can be transformative. Growth creates space for honesty, with people speaking up, owning their mistakes and extending compassion to others instead of pointing fingers. Blame gives way to accountability, elephants leave the room and psychological safety takes root.Cook cites a team leader who described the difference between Survival and Growth using a rowing analogy. In Survival, it felt like some colleagues were dropping anchor or actively rowing the wrong way. But when the team moved into Growth – even when not everyone had made the shift – something changed. Those still in Survival became more self-aware, honest and accountable. The boat steadied, and rowing in the right direction suddenly felt possible. “Our research backs this up,” says Cook. “When teams shift into Growth, psychological safety and performance increase significantly, and this happens without everyone in the team moving into Growth at an individual level.”These outcomes were achieved when Mindset Practice worked with Thales, a global technology leader in defence, security, and aerospace solutions, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Both organisations had reported high levels of Survival that manifested in a tendency to stay in their own comfort zone, low collaboration and burnout. After working with both organisations to move to a mindset of Growth, Thales reported improvements in teams raising problems and having challenging conversations, while evidence from Dstl finds it has avoided at least 15 staff resignations and has played a transformative role in enabling neurodiverse talent. Taking tangible action How can managers help move their technical team from a mindset of Survival to a mindset of Growth? Cook suggests three practical behaviours that can kick-start the process. Ask yourself, “How am I feeling right now?”Managers should allow themselves to notice what their feelings are trying to tell them and choose to act on them mindfully. Also, get into the habit of regularly asking how others in your team are feeling. “Our experience shows that if you give people the encouragement and tools to do it, they will embrace it,” says Cook. “Feelings are the lifeblood of a team.”Notice when you have slipped into Survival If managers start to feel withdrawn, inflexible, overly critical and want to have the last word, then it’s time to take action to return to a mindset of Growth. “The more you can do this visibly and consistently, the more likely you will earn the trust of your team to do the same,” says Cook.Own and share what is trueManagers should ask themselves whether they’ve avoided sharing or given little time to exploring challenging or more negative issues. “Very often the fear of what might happen if the team spoke about the elephant in the room is usually very far from the relief we see when people begin to address what really matters mindfully and respectfully,” says Cook. Rich Cook is CEO and Chief Psychologist at Mindset Practice. Mindset Practice develops the mindset, capability and psychological safety your organisation needs to shift from Survival to Growth. Our award-winning mindset-led EI psychometrics, programmes and tools build adaptive leaders and high‑performing, collaborative teams. Join the organisations choosing Growth. Start your Mindset Practice journey today. https://www.mindsetpractice.com/

Shifting mindset: How to get more from your technical teams

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