Growth isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s quiet — a pause, a question, a shift in how we see ourselves.
I’ve wanted to write about Growth Mindset for quite some time. It’s had such a profound impact on my development so I needed to talk about it in the way it deserves, in a way that will help others see the benefit of it and want to adopt it.
After all, that’s part of what I’m attempting to do here; make a difference, inspire others and make an impact.
After I’d decided this was the topic for my next blog, a few days later I was watching a webinar in the background over lunch (an example of some bitesize development time here!). About to pop out of the room, I heard the presenter say:
‘Personal & Professional development is a lifelong journey’.
It stopped me in my tracks and made me smile because really, it’s that simple right? We are making this expectation of learning and growth a big thing when really, it’s just the acceptance that we are never the finished article, we’re always striving to be better.
Somehow, that alone provides us with a little forgiveness for those days when maybe we could have done a little better or when we are sitting in failure or ‘give up’ mode.
We just need to keep it simple and figure out what’s right for us, right now to help us get to where we want to go or become who we want to be. This led me to reflect on my development into true ‘Growth Mindset’.
A few years ago, after achieving a big promotion on a temporary basis, I remember thinking ‘I’ll never know enough to prove that I’m worthy of being here’.
What followed was a sea of overwhelm after each meeting I attended. Going away, reading policies, inspection reports, theories, models etc in the hope that I’d become more informed on how to do my job because of knowing this stuff.
What I’d neglected to realise was, I’d already got the job because I was hired and I knew what I was doing! Sure, the application of all this theory would help me to do the job well, but I didn’t need to recite it verbatim.
I needed to know where to find it, know how to connect it and know how to connect the right people to it, either as part of my job or to support the development of both them and the organisation.
It took more than a few sessions with a great coach to get to this point of clarity. Some simple questions like:
- ‘How will you ever know everything you need to know?’
- ‘Who’s telling you that you need to have this?’
Ultimately unlocking the bigger question of is it actually a confidence issue? This role was temporary. I only had a certain amount of time to make an impact. I’d created an urgency that no one else was aware of. It became exhausting.
What truly mattered was figuring out the balance here and what it came to was a realisation that confidence can lead to competence (not always, I must add). So, I was keen to gain competence in my knowledge in order to feel confident in my role.
But this brings me back to that earlier point that we’re never the finished article. We know what we know now, but there’s always more to know and tomorrow, there will be even more to know!
What’s important here is application. Taking what we learn and asking:
- ‘So, now what?’
- ‘Now that I know this, what am I going to do with it?’
- ‘How will this help me develop?’
I was first introduced to Growth Mindset years ago by someone who was mentoring my development. I was given resources, videos and a Ted Talk by Carol Dweck, who founded the theory and after digging into this research, it was like a lightbulb moment…
I had been doing this for my whole professional life!
It was only in recent years that I’d really begun to apply it to my personal life too. I was always wondering why challenge and set back never really got me down. It knocked me, for sure, but I was always looking for a way to overcome it. Always exploring a way to improve and move forward.
It also answered some personal questions I had too, as to why I internally judged people who seem to stagnate. Those who complain about the world or their situation but seemingly don’t put any effort into making it better or changing anything. It frustrated me wildly!
These people, from my discovery and research of this theory may lean more towards the ‘Fixed Mindset’.
To help with context, here are the official definitions based on the work of Carol Dweck in the two mindset theory:
- A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence, abilities, and talents can be developed through effort and learning. Individuals with a growth mindset embrace challenges and view failures as opportunities.
- A fixed mindset is the belief that these traits are static and unchangeable over time. Those with a fixed mindset may avoid challenges or potentially feel threatened by the success of others.
You can adopt a Growth Mindset. You aren’t forever ‘fixed’. However, a lot of us do tend to feel that ‘stuckness’ when we are in the Fixed Mindset.
So how do we do that? Well, we can have and apply Growth Mindset every part of our being … it’s not just a work thing, it’s a life thing!
When someone comes to me with a challenge or denial of their ability, with a phrase such as ‘I can’t do that.’ I will simply say to them ‘yet’.
By adding that simple word to their statement it takes on a totally different meaning. A positive approach to the negativity, an opportunity for growth. It takes it from ‘fixed’ to ‘growth’.
It’s also important to note, this is not a strive for perfection, it’s a strive for growth, for continuous improvement, for learning through challenge and not sitting in defeat.
So, I’ll close with the words of Carol Dweck and ask you to sit and consider where your mindset currently sits. Take some time for reflection to consider where you could make a change to look for the growth.
‘In one world, effort is a bad thing. It, like failure, means you’re not smart or talented. If you were, you wouldn’t need effort. In the other world, effort is what makes you smart or talented. You have a choice. Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind. As you read, think about where you’d like to go and which mindset will take you there.’
“So, where might you add a ‘yet’? What belief could you shift, even slightly, to invite growth?”
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