5 Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset...and What Is It?

Do you ever feel like you're missing out by not following your passion, or feel stuck in life, relationships, or your career? Maybe you think there's something about your personality or skills holding you back from that promotion or new job. Perhaps you've played it safe to avoid rocking the boat. Let me share a new idea that might bring a different perspective.

I've come across many brilliant colleagues who played it safe because they doubted their leadership potential. I struggled to put a name to what I thought was a self-imposed limitation. For me, It was a shame to see so much wasted potential.

Eventually, I came across the concept of a 'Growth Mindset,' thanks to Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University, and her wonderful book which is now a classic: 'Mindset: The Psychology of Success'. Now I had a framework to think about this problem.

So, what exactly is a growth mindset?

It's a belief system and attitude that revolves around the idea that abilities, intelligence, talents, and skills can be developed and improved with effort, learning, and persistence.

People with a growth mindset embrace challenges, see failures as opportunities to grow, and have a strong desire to learn and enhance their abilities.

On the flip side, there's the “fixed mindset”. This is the belief that abilities, intelligence, talents, and skills are innate and unchangeable traits. Interestingly enough, managers with a fixed mindset fail to nurture talent because of this mindset.

In other words, those with a fixed mindset think they and others are born with a set level of intelligence or talent that can't be significantly changed through effort or learning.

A fixed mindset can develop due to early experiences, fear of failure, negative self-image, social comparisons, lack of exposure to growth mindset ideas, and cultural (company, religious or geographic) influences.

However, nothing is set in stone and anyone can shift towards a growth mindset with awareness and a change in belief that we can improve through effort and learning.

To develop a growth mindset, consider these five strategies:

• Embrace Challenges: View challenges as chances to learn and grow, not as obstacles. This mindset helps you build resilience and expand your capabilities.

• Cultivate a Love for Learning: Foster genuine curiosity and passion for acquiring new knowledge and skills. Keep seeking opportunities to learn and explore subjects that interest you.

• Persist in the Face of Setbacks: Understand that setbacks and failures are part of the learning process. Instead of giving up, use setbacks as opportunities to learn, adapt, and improve.

• See Effort as the Path to Mastery: Recognize that effort is necessary on the journey to mastery. Embrace hard work and persistence as the means to achieve your goals.

• Seek Feedback and Criticism: Be open to feedback and constructive criticism from others. Use feedback as a tool for improvement and growth, rather than as a threat to your ego. Gulp. I know is hard, but this discomfort is where the growth is. Think about how muscles grow. No pain no...Growth.

By applying these strategies, you can nurture a growth mindset and unlock your potential for continuous learning and personal development.

My best advice is to get clear on what you want to work on first. I get 100s of LinkedIn messages a day with personal growth tips and frankly is hard to really reflect about all of them and put any of them into practice when we try to do it all at the same time.

I would say use the Pareto Principle (focus on the things that will give you 80% of results with 20% effort) and prioritize to focus on the ONE thing that will bring you the most progress in your career and once you feel you are making progress then get on to the next skill to conquer.

You’ve got this.

Always lead with purpose.

#growthmindset, #growth, #courage, and #persistence