Identity Versus Instrumental Mindset. Which One Do You Have?

Recently, I came upon a podcast discussing the difference between “identity” versus “instrumental” mindsets. I was curious as I haven’t heard the two distinctions related to mindset before.

Evy Poumpouras, a former U.S Secret Service agent now author and journalist, discussed the difference on a The School of Greatness podcast with Lewis Howes. She explained that an identity mindset was self-focused whereas an instrumental mindset was service-focused. She said she was taught to be instrumental in the Secret Service.

That makes sense, as part of the Secret Service you are there to serve and protect the leader of your country at all costs. Can having an instrumental mindset help in other areas of life, however?

It seems so. It can help with your career and your relationships. Let’s take a deeper look.

According to Poumpouras, when you’re “in identity” you’re not looking for solutions or moving forward. You’re more emotional and it’s all about you and how things affect you (ego-centric). It’s not a productive state and you can get stuck easily. This description reminds me of a fixed mindset (the opposite of a growth mindset) or victim mentality.

Being “instrumental,” on the other hand, is mission or goal based with service in mind. It’s about moving forward and finding solutions and not taking things personally because it’s about the mission or goal and not about you. Poumpouras says the best performers are instrumental.

I can see that. Having a growth and service-based mindset can help with motivation and a sense of purpose, working for something greater than yourself. They are also coachable too. Poumpouras claims the instrumentally motivated are willing to listen, take feedback and do better, knowing it’s good for them to improve so they can help improve the whole.

Poumpouras says we can move through the different mindsets, or sensemaking, at different times of our lives, so it’s not fixed. It’s typical to be “in identity” when we’re younger. It’s good if we can recognize if we have been “in identity” for too long, however, or if we make a habit of it.

Having a more instrumental mindset/motivation can help with performance, as we discussed, group relations, relationships, fulfillment and your career. Doing things to better your team will probably get you noticed as a collaborator, or leader, whether at work or not. Thinking of your partner, or friend, and acting in ways to better that relationship will help your relationships grow and become stronger. Having a service focus helps with a sense of purpose and it can help you get noticed at work, as mentioned, or hired.

When Poumpouras did polygraph tests to filter Secret Service candidates, she’d ask them, “Why do you want to be a secret agent?” The Secret Service only considered people with an instrumental motivation e.g., “I want to serve my country” versus an identity one e.g., “I want to challenge myself.”

Over the years, the Secret Service noticed that the moment something got hard, identity-based people would say, “I’m out” because it was all about him or her. Instrumental people, on the other hand, believed in something greater than themselves. They had a bigger purpose and stayed the course.

Poumpouras says it boils down to your end-goal in life. It can be all about you but it’s going to be a bit of a struggle. She may be onto something. Some research into happiness say we are the happiest serving or contributing.

I believe it’s good to be as instrumental as possible for the reasons discussed, but I don’t believe in extremes. You can completely lose yourself if you’re only thinking of others or the bigger mission. Both are valuable in different contexts. Sometimes we need to feel the feels to move on and serve in a greater capacity. As Poumpouras mentioned, we move through these two states and it’s good to be mindful if we’re only thinking about ourselves.

As the adage goes, “it’s all about attitude” and I believe that’s true. Our attitude can make or break our relationships, career, and fulfillment. The question is which mindset will serve us and others better?

Best,