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The growth mindset means that you have faith in yourself and especially in your ability to change, learn, and grow. This is the opposite of a fixed mindset, which means you believe there is no improvement. Fixed mindset people get upset when faced with serious problems because they think they can’t be overcome. These people give up easily. In contrast, people with a growth mindset are happy with difficulties. They want to improve and believe that they can get better if they work hard and practice.
It is impossible to discuss the concept of growth mindset without mentioning Carol Dweck and her insightful book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck discovered the power of mindset. She describes the difference between the fixed mindset and the growth mindset, showing how success in most areas of life can be influenced by the way we think about our talents and abilities. Research shows that once we harness the power of the growth mindset, it can be essential to career success.
Importance of Having a Growth Mindset?
The growth mindset is important because it can help you overcome obstacles you might face when learning a new thing or developing a new skill. The growth mindset understands the importance of persistence and determination.
By changing your mindset, you can change the way you learn. Knowing that your talents and intelligence can be developed allows you to explore, experiment and achieve more in life.
Here are few reasons explaining why you should always have a growth mindset. Let’s have a look!
1# Builds Resilience
An employee’s mindset can also determine how they react to obstacles. People with a fixed mindset might think, “I can’t make it through this challenge because I’m not smart enough.” Compare this to the response of a growth mindset person who is more likely to say, “I can learn from this failure and be more successful next time.”
Resilience coupled with a growth mindset is the key to personal and professional growth. This allows employees to show self-compassion and patience even in the face of failure, not to mention encouraging openness to learn from mistakes.
2# Focus on Progress, Not Excellence
Effective growth occurs when employees are slightly outside their comfort zone. This means that there are goals that are difficult to achieve, but can be achieved with a little effort.
People with the fixed mindset are very uncomfortable in this space because they expect everything to be done on the first try. Unsurprisingly, this can hinder progress, as employees get frustrated easily when they don’t have an “innate talent” for something.
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset thrive when they exceed their current capacity. They understand that it takes effort and hard work to achieve improvement, so they focus on incremental progress and on the road to success. a more growth-friendly and sustainable approach.
3# Makes Learning Enjoyable
People with a fixed mindset are constantly stressed to get the best results, are considered smart, and consistently achieve results. Their fear of losing their status and respect of being a high performer leads to:
- Fear of failure
- Refusing to challenge yourself
- Hesitant to learning something new or admitting mistakes
On the other hand, the growth mindset considers the learning process the best part. At first, if you are not good at something, with a growth mindset you will aim at working hard to improve the current situation.
When growth is stressful for employees, they are much less likely to participate in these programs or make the effort. This is why instilling a growth mindset in employees is so important to help them succeed in personal and professional growth.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset?
1# Be a Learner
People with a positive growth mindset are looking for learning opportunities that will lead to greater career success. Take an interest in everything. Research shows that while the least successful people mostly read for pleasure, the people at the top are avid readers of self-help books.
In fact, 85% of successful people read two or more educational or self-help books every month. Another study found that 30% of executives say a willingness to never stop learning is the trait they consider most important to employee success.
2# Build a Support Network
Your employees may think they are the only ones struggling with fixed mindset problems, but they probably are not. Anyone, even a growth-oriented person, can have trouble approaching every situation with the right mindset.
This is why it can be helpful to create a community where employees can discuss their progress, share advice, or hold each other accountable. This can be a Slack community, a monthly virtual group, or regular chats with a facilitator. They will be more inspired to find the growth mindset when they realize they are not alone on the road.
3# Overcome Your Limitations
Another way to develop a growth mindset is to go beyond what you think you can do. In one interesting study, researchers asked participants to pedal as hard as possible for 4000 meters. The instructions are similar, but they were able to compete with the avatar from their previous trip.
What they didn’t know is that the avatar is running faster than before. As a result, the participants with their avatar went much further than they did. first time. When you push yourself, you may even exceed your own expectations.
The Bottom Line
Setting the growth mindset is not easy. It means confronting our fixed behaviors, learning to admit mistakes, and dealing with the consequences of failure. In fact, it is a challenge. This skill requires frequent reassessment and purposeful practice on the part of the participant. both individually and collectively. It’s not as easy as claiming that you have a growth mindset. As Dweck said, “The path to having a growth mindset is a journey, not a statement!”
