In the entertaining Korean Netflix drama, Itaewon Class, an entrepreneur who starts a restaurant works hard to build a large franchise. When he sees that the other businesses in his locality need cleaning up and face-lifts, he pitches in, at no cost. His efforts to make his entire neighbourhood more attractive pay off and footfalls to the neighbourhood increase. Word of his unexpected help spreads, his own restaurant gains in popularity and he is on his way to greater success. The young man's desire to help others succeed is one of the attributes of a growth mindset.
Learning & Development companies instinctively knew in 2020 that the pandemic would stop all face-to-face training programs. They would probably not come back for months, perhaps even years. It was clear that we would have to pivot to a virtual way of delivering learning programs. We knew that our programs would have to be re-designed and could be no longer than 4 hours in duration. Clients were glad to have these virtual sessions on a host of topics – there was really no other choice. The ability to think on one's feet and quickly regroup in the face of adversity is yet another attribute of a growth mindset.
The above are just two examples of the ‘growth mindset’. In my previous post, I wrote about the virtues and necessity of re-learning. I wrote that what help us in re-learning and staying current include a self-awareness (or metacognition) of where we are, a growth mindset, healthy curiosity and a recognition of the value of ongoing learning.
Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, defines ‘Growth Mindset’ thus: “In a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don’t necessarily think everyone’s the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it.”
I would like to define Growth Mindset a little more widely, in a way that is relevant to the world of business and technology. In addition to Carol’s point that we can all benefit by believing we can grow and develop, we can add the following:
- People with a growth mindset do not see the world as static. They understand that change is constant and inevitable. Knowing that the status quo never lasts long, they prepare their own mind to accept a lifetime of learning and adapting.
- They are strategic in their thinking. They perceive the challenges presented by change as opportunities. They are excited by new capabilities, new technologies, new ways of working, new clients, new engagement models and new channels of revenue. They ask their clients, “What else can we do to help you? What other problems can we solve?”
- They see setbacks as feedback opportunities. They understand that nothing happens perfectly the first time. They ask for help when needed. They listen with an open mind to feedback on how they can do things better the next time around.
- People with a growth mindset possess a fierce ambition to grow. This ambition can be in the form of wanting greater position, power and earnings. They also want to be smarter, more mature and of greater impact on others with every passing year. They are passionate about growing in skills and mindsets. This can include competencies like Emotional Competence that they have not focused on so far in their lives.
- They do not see life as a zero-sum game. They look for opportunities to collaborate and grow with like-minded people. They help others, celebrate others’ successes and learn from others on how they too could do better.
- They do not waste time in counter-productive thoughts and behaviours such as self-pity, denial and defensiveness. They know instinctively that they are futile, and harmful even.
Having a growth mindset helps us in both our professional and personal lives. It enables us to reach our full potential, overcome obstacles, and embrace change, as seen in the two examples above. How has this mindset helped you in your journey? What personal examples can you share with the readers of this blog? I would love to hear from you.
I wish you all a very good year in 2024.
Excellent