Upskill: Strengthen the mindset muscles that drive sustainable success
In our last article, Baseline, we explored how to uncover the invisible barriers that hold individuals and teams back, from self-sabotage and outdated beliefs to systemic blockers that quietly drain performance and wellbeing.
Once you know what is getting in the way, the next step is clear: build the capacity to move beyond it.
This is where Upskill comes in.
Why Upskill Matters
In today's complex working environment, where AI disruption, hybrid teams, a challenging business environment and tougher expectations combine, it is not just technical skills that determine success.
What matters just as much is the ability to stay clear-headed, confident, and creative in high-pressure moments. But without the mental muscles to adapt, collaborate and lead through uncertainty, change doesn’t stick.
You cannot delegate self-awareness. You can’t innovate or easily be creative if your saboteurs restrict you from taking positive steps. And you certainly cannot collaborate effectively if your team is stuck in defence mode, afraid to fail, quick to blame, slow to trust and unable to work through these fears and pressures to find positive solutions.
That is why we focus on teaching these skills as part of the Upskill stage in the B.U.I.L.D.© framework.
How we help you and your teams to Upskill
In this stage of B.U.I.L.D.© we use the Positive Intelligence (PQ) approach. This is a science-backed method that helps individuals and teams shift from reactivity and self-sabotage to greater clarity, resilience, and creativity.
Individual participants build the mental muscles to:
Interrupt unhelpful habits such as perfectionism, overworking, or people-pleasing
Respond to challenges with empathy, curiosity, and confidence
Show up consistently with more calm, clarity and courage
Teams learn to
Collaborate more effectively and creatively
Hold one another accountable for standards / actions
Work together under a unifying team purpose and vision
Engage in healthy conflict resulting in win-win resolutions
What Does Upskilling Look Like in Practice?
There are a number of ways we can support you or your team in the Upskill stage
The full PQ training programme
Runs over six weeks via a simple app, with short daily practices, weekly reflection, and coaching support. Taking just 15 minutes of activity per day and supported by weekly 1:1 or group sessions with Lara, a certified PQ Coach
Leadership Coaching and Development
Personalised coaching to build self-awareness, shift mindset, and strengthen leadership impact – either 1:1 or for Teams
Mindset Talks and Workshops
For larger teams we can offer interactive talks and workshops to generate fresh thinking, motivate teams, and create lasting mindset shifts
For Individuals: Building Confidence and Self-Mastery
“Before this, I thought I had to be in control all the time. But I realised that urgency and control were my saboteurs—and they were exhausting me and my team.”
This senior leader learned to recognise these patterns, pause, and respond differently. The result was stronger team relationships, more balanced decision-making, and increased energy for strategic priorities.
For Teams: Breaking Through Cultural Stagnation
An insights agency team was experiencing poor collaboration following years of structural change. Saboteurs were fuelling negative behaviours - one team member was micromanaging everything as a result of their ‘Controller’ saboteur - which activated another team members ‘Pleaser’ saboteur that said “yes” to every little change or request posed. Neither was happy and in fact they often were both dismayed by the others requests and way of working - it was having a detrimental impact on the rest of the team….
Through the introduction of shared language and PQ mindset tools, the team began to rebuild psychological safety and creative flow. Conversations became more open, feedback more honest, and ideas more frequent and braver. The result was not only improved client delivery, but greater engagement and cohesion.
What Comes Next?
Once individuals and teams strengthen their mindset muscles, we move to Implement—the next stage of the B.U.I.L.D.© framework. This is where learning becomes embedded in daily routines, and insights translate into sustainable action.
Would you like to explore how Upskill could support your team, function or career?
Download our B.U.I.L.D. © info pack or book a call here
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