by Norman Halls, contributor
A growth mindset is the belief that we can get better, that we can continually improve in any specific domain. Research shows a growth mindset enhances resilience, creativity, and individual performance. Spurred on by these findings, many organizations are taking on the challenge of developing this mindset across their people. Which talent processes need to be evolved to encourage a growth mindset? Which processes have the biggest impact? The research shared will help us understand the deeper practices of encouraging every employee to continuously grow. “When managers assume that their employees’ ability to learn and adapt are finite, limiting their horizons for personal and professional growth, it can cause good company cultures to deteriorate, strategy to derail, talent to be squandered and results to suffer.” Lisa Bullock Integrity Solutions
“In our society, and especially in the hierarchical structure in the corporate world, there is a prevailing belief that some people are simply smarter or more talented than others and that this difference is what accounts for a person’s success or failure. However, in industries like sports where natural talent is highly coveted, over and over again the athletes who initially showed lower levels of raw talent are the ones who come out on top.” Wrote Joeel & Natalie Rivera Udemy for Business.
To build high performance across the organization, managers should encourage and promote a growth mindset among all employees. Are today’s employees ready for the impact of artificial intelligence and automation? T. O’Halloran commented “To do that, they first have to believe that the solutions to the challenges their employees face can be found within the employees themselves. Too many managers have their own fixed mindsets about what an employee’s growth potential might be, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Leadership: growth mindset for leadership and organizations, become a great leader, unlock employee potential and inspire a creative corporate culture by embracing a growth mindset. Jeff Boss’ article “5 Questions That Identify Growth-Minded Employees” they are 1) How have you become better? Is the employee cognizant of his/her development progress? 2) How aware are you of other departments’ goals? The range of this question is to identify inter-departmental awareness. 3) What process improvement area are you working on? Constant and never-ending improvement is ongoing. 4) When did you last receive coaching? On going training is key to any position. 5) Who’s your greatest competition? Ourselves in many cases. Your company’s growth means having the right person at the controls.
“We all want to know why some companies prosper while others struggle, why some transformations succeed while others fail, and – perhaps more importantly – what behaviors cause the pendulum to sway one way or the other.” Wrote D. Bernett Lean Management. In our experience as lean folks, what drives success (or failure) is how leaders think and act, whether they believe they know everything or are open to learning continuously. In other words, it’s organizational effectiveness and improving work quality.
“Leaders can use a variety of strategies to counter the biases, including stressing that mistakes are learning opportunities, building more breaks into schedules, helping employees identify and apply their personal strengths, and encouraging employees to own problems that affect them.” Commented B. Staats HBR. Virtually all leaders believe that to stay competitive, their enterprises must learn and improve every day. But even companies revered for their dedication to continuous learning find it difficult to always practice what they preach.
Successful businesses in this era essentially should be employing growth mindset leader. “The “Leader” needs to work to develop their entire team, management and employees, not just a chosen few which results in strength across the organization. Leaders who recognize that great ideas come from everywhere work to expand the diversity of talent and thought necessary for solving tough problems.” Wrote Alaina Love, SmartBrief. They create teams that are built for success. “Leadership is the lifting of a man’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a man’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a man’s personality beyond its normal limitations.” – Peter Drucker
Embracing growth mindset leadership allows new ideas and approaches in providing improved service or products. Growth mindset allows people to take responsibility for their lives. It builds better relationships with managers and employees that are creative and engaging.
