The right mindsets that help set the tone
The right mindsets can help you execute your role with clarity, confidence, and energy, setting the tone for how you show up and lead.
In this blog Seana Tomlinson, Senior Accredited Coach, Counsellor, Consultant and Trainer of the Women in Data® LEAP Programme (Leadership Equity Accelerator Programme) explores the importance and role of 4 essential mindsets so you can approach your career in a way that feels authentic and sustainable to you.
Why the right mindset is so important
Armed with the right mindset, you’ll not only have practical ways to show up as your best self, but to make intentional choices with clarity and self-belief.
The most powerful mindsets and the best tips I can provide that will set you up for career success include:
Building confidence by taking action before you feel ready
Confidence is often the difference between staying stuck and moving forward. It’s easy to assume that confidence is something you either have or you don’t, that some people are simply ‘confident types’. But this belief itself can become a barrier. In reality, confidence isn’t fixed; it’s a skill that can be built, strengthened, and developed over time.
One of the most powerful mindset shifts is recognising that confidence comes from action, not from waiting. It grows through doing, through practice, saying yes to opportunities and becoming more comfortable with discomfort. When we intentionally step just beyond our comfort zone and into our learning zone, we expand what feels familiar. Over time, experiences that once felt daunting become part of our new normal, and confidence follows.
What often holds people back is the feeling of not being ‘ready enough’. Yet in most cases, confidence lags behind competence. We already have the skills, experience, and capability, even if our self-belief hasn’t caught up yet. The key is to lean in anyway. By taking the step, starting the conversation, or raising your hand before you feel fully ready, you give confidence the opportunity to catch up.
Building confidence doesn’t mean forcing yourself into situations that feel overwhelming. It’s about finding a way to set a stretch goal that feels manageable for you. Small, intentional actions taken consistently can create powerful momentum. Over time, those choices compound and can help you move forward with greater ease, clarity, and belief in what you’re capable of.
Leading with authenticity
Trying to prove yourself or live up to an imagined ideal can just be exhausting. Lead with authenticity and be unapologetically you. This means being clear on your values, strengths, and boundaries to create trust and consistency from the outset. When you show up as yourself, decisions feel clearer and relationships form more naturally.
But identifying your values and strengths isn’t a one-off exercise or a box to tick. It’s an ongoing mindset rooted in self-awareness and honesty. While tools, exercises, and even AI can offer helpful prompts and reflections, the real value comes from paying attention to what resonates over time.
Think about what energises you. Where do you consistently do your best work? What feels important enough to do right now or what are you willing to stand by, even when it’s uncomfortable? Staying curious about these questions helps you remain grounded in who you are, rather than who you think you should be.
Authenticity reduces exhaustion – copying leadership styles that aren’t “you” erode confidence
Being authentically you means holding this self-knowledge close when making decisions about your career and direction. Your strengths may deepen, your priorities may shift, and what matters most can evolve as your life and responsibilities change. That’s not a failure of clarity – it’s growth. The key is to keep checking in with yourself, noticing what still fits and what no longer does. The right mindset is when your choices are aligned with your values and strengths.
Strengthening resilience to prevent burning out
You should never start the year with a sprint. It’s about building resilience that allows you to respond to pressure without burning out. This means pacing yourself, normalising learning curves, and viewing setbacks as feedback rather than failure. Resilience comes from adaptability, not relentless pushing.
Resilience is often misunderstood as pushing through at all costs, but true resilience is far more nuanced. It’s about balance, emotional regulation, and knowing how to recover when things feel hard. Building resilience means recognising unhelpful thought patterns and learning how to reframe them, a skill that can dramatically change how we respond to a challenge. Simple, intentional practices such as gratitude and hope can also play a powerful role, helping us stay grounded, maintain perspective, and strengthen our capacity to keep going without losing ourselves in the process.
Resilience is a skill, not a personality trait – Like confidence, it isn’t something you either have or don’t have – it’s something that can be learned, practised, and strengthened over time.
We can strengthen our resilience with three pillars: emotional resilience, resilient thinking, and self-care habits:
Creating balance that works for you right now
Work-life balance is essential for a long and sustainable career, and it’s not something that stays static over time. What balance looks like will be different from one person to another and will evolve with each season of life, shaped by changing priorities, responsibilities, and energy levels. It’s not about perfection, but about conscious prioritisation. With increasing life expectancy, there is time and space to achieve meaningful goals without rushing or burning out. Sometimes the most strategic decisions are to prioritise your health, your family, or your own wellbeing, and choosing that doesn’t set you back, it helps ensure you can keep moving forward for the long term.
A healthy mindset recognises that balance isn’t static or perfect. Creating routines and boundaries that work for you right now can help to protect your energy and support your long-term performance.
Together, these 4 mindsets create a grounded, confident foundation – one that allows you to work with intention, stay aligned as demands grow, and build momentum that lasts well beyond the first few months of the year.
About Seana Tomlinson
With a career spanning 30 years, Seana’s first 18 years were spent at Procter & Gamble, with a career is grounded in insight, strategy, and leadership, having progressed into senior roles within the Consumer and Market Knowledge function. This background provided a powerful foundation in how organisations, markets, and people really work.
After leaving P&G, she intentionally redesigned her career to create better balance and long-term sustainability. Over the past 12 years, she has built a portfolio career spanning consultancy, coaching, counselling, and leadership training, bringing together commercial rigour and deep human insight.
Today, through her work with Women in Data® on the LEAP Programme (Leadership Equity Accelerator Programme), Seana supports professionals stepping into greater influence. This unique blend of corporate experience and psychological expertise makes her ideally placed to share the mindsets that set you up for a focused, confident, and impactful year ahead.
You can listen in to a fuller conversation on this very topic where Podcast host Karen Jean-Francois discusses the importance of these essential mindsets.
Head to the podcast now:
🎧 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-150-four-mindsets-to-set-you-up-for-a-successful-year/id1518317019?i=1000743918643
🎧 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kEQ7AyBC4NX4EsEZSezDb?si=1GZwDxgBQridB7WSKclaXg
🎧 Castbox: https://castbox.fm/vi/889524802
🎧 Youtube:https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=dBDeK3hkKxY&si=TMqjbEyqh56yKz9o
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