High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 707: Why Winning Teams Think Differently

Episode Date: September 29, 2025

What separates good teams from great ones? It’s not just talent or IQ—it’s the culture they create together. In this episode of The High Performance Mindset Podcast, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff shares the mental strategies and research that reveal why the best teams think differently. You’ll discover why positivity and psychological safety are essential for high performance and how you can lead yourself and others with a stronger, more confident mindset.   Dr. Cindra unpacks Google’s Project Aristotle and Barbara Fredrickson’s research on the Positivity Ratio, showing that positivity isn’t just a feel-good idea—it’s a practice that fuels resilience, grit, and innovation. High-performing teams and individuals intentionally build trust, recognize effort, and focus more on what’s going right than what’s going wrong. That’s what it means to be mentally strong.   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: In this episode, you’ll learn why your mindset and words directly shape your team’s performance and how the science of positivity fuels resilience, grit, and innovation. Cindra will walk you through strategies to master your thoughts so you can create the conditions for confidence, along with a practical tool—the “five-to-one rule”—to transform your culture and relationships. You’ll also leave with a Power Phrase to help you own the moment and lead with positivity.   This Week’s Power Phrase: "I build my confidence and my team’s success by choosing positivity."   This Week's Quote: "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" - Theodore Roosevelt   Want a breakthrough? Request your free call at freementalbreakthroughcall.com to learn how we can help you or your team build belief and confidence that sticks.

Hi friends. My name is Dr. Cindera Campoff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week, I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed, packed episode, focus on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. It's time to check in with Cinder Campoff today and get a little positivity for ourselves. And speaking of which, The Positivity Edge, why winning teams think different is the topic today. Cindra, start us off with one of your quotes. This is a good one by Theater Roosevelt.

He said people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Ah, do you have an example that we're going to start with? I do. You know, not long ago, Google launched this massive internal project called Project Aristotle. And they were doing this to discover what makes the most effective teams. At least after studying 180 teams, they found that it wasn't talent or experience or IQ that made the biggest difference. It was how team members treated each other.

And the best teams created what's called a culture of psychological safety and trust and positivity. And people felt valued and supported, which then unleashed creativity and problem solving and ultimately high performance. So what exactly are we talking about today? Well, we're talking about how, you know, leaders often spend just huge amount of money and time, really, on chasing the secret to building high-performing teams. But research shows that part of the answer is actually how you make people feel. You know, for example, for over 30 years, the University of North Carolina,

Professor Barbara Fredrickson has studied the power of positive emotions. And our research actually shows that when we keep a positivity ratio of three to one, so that means three positive emotions to everyone negative emotion. We actually thrive as people. But in teens, the ratio actually has to even be hard. higher. The studies show that the best performing business teams, for example, average nearly six positive comments to every one negative one. And why is that so important? I think that's really important because positive emotions don't just help us feel good, but they fuel innovation and grit

and resilience. And they also boosts dopamine in the brain, which then improves focus and decision making and problem solving. And so, you know, while some negative emotions actually have a place, they can motivate us to change or avoid danger, but the key is to not get stuck there, right? And we know that high-performing teams actually create cultures where positivity outweighs negativity and people feel safe to contribute and grow. So how do you help us put this into practice? Well, that's a great question. I would say, you know, we can put this into practice by being just intentional about a ratio of interactions.

And so, for example, just by starting to notice your daily interactions with your team or your family or even yourself, you know, and ask yourself, am I offering more encouragement and criticism, you know, am I recognizing effort and progress, not just kind of pointing to what's wrong? And so, you know, one simple way Lisa is just to practice this kind of five to one rule, you know, for every piece of constructive feedback, you know, aim to give at least five positive acknowledgement. You know, and this might be just like a thank you or a compliment or just recognizing someone's hard work. But over time, these small moments of care, you know, really do compound and create an environment where people feel valued. And that's really when they

give their best when they feel valued. Wow, that makes sense. Now, can you summarize today for us? You bet. I would say, you know, if you want a thriving team, aim for more positive and empowering interactions. So for every piece of constructive criticism, you know, balance it with at least five moments of recognition or encouragement or gratitude. And that's the real secret of high performing teams. So what is the power phrase for this week? This week, it is this. I build my confidence and my team's success by choosing positivity today. Perfect. Sindra, if people want to get in touch with you or follow along with any of your teachings, where do we need to go? Absolutely. People can head over to Mentally Strong Institute.com. And that's where we help teams and individuals

through our coaching and speaking, be more positive and lead more intentionally. So you can check that out. Mentally Strong Institute.com. Way to go for finishing another episode of the high performance mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe. And you can head over to Dr. Sindra for show notes and enjoy my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each week.

So again, you can add over to Dr. Cyndra. That's d R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. See you next week.