How to Cultivate a Growth Mindset (Part III)
I am excited to continue to share this fascinating concept about the Fixed and Growth Mindset with you. It is my goal that you find it to be not only interesting but that you can walk away with a tool that can enrich and expand not just your professional life but also your personal development.
This post is the third of three that will discuss this topic. In this first post, I discussed the characteristics of the Fixed Mindset. In the following, post I will discussed the Growth Mindset and all of it's benefits and in this post I will discuss how to cultivate a Growth Mindset.
How can you cultivate a Growth Mindset?
First - Listen to yourself. We need to identify the little voice that may be holding us back, judging us, keeping us trying new things for fear of failure. Can you hear yourself questioning whether you have the skills or talent for a new project? Do you worry that you'll fail and that people will look down on you? When you think about taking on a new challenge, do you resist for fear of failing? When you receive criticism do you tend to become defensive, blame others or make excuses? Listen to yourself and catch yourself buying into the Fixed Mindset.
Second - Recognize that you have a choice. We all face challenges that we are not up to sometimes. But your attitude and subsequent actions will make all the difference between growth and success or failure. How you respond will dictate the outcome. If you see setbacks as proof that you're just not up to the job then the fixed mindset will win and you will be proven right. But if you look at them as opportunities for growth, then you can develop a plan for action, such as learning, working hard, changing your strategy, and trying again. You won’t give up. Use the power of the word YET. Maybe I don’t know exactly what to do - yet. But I will. Maybe I don’t have the skill I need for this - yet. But I will get it. YET is a powerful game because it means I am still in the game. And if you simply KEEP shooting you will eventually make a goal. Remember - you miss 100% of every shot you don’t take. Don’t bench yourself early on. Stay in the game with the power of YET. You have a choice!
Third - Once you’ve identified it, Challenge that Fixed Mindset. Don’t let it have the final word. Get over the fear of failure - because NOT trying is worse than trying and failing. In 1910 President Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech at the renown University la Sorbonne in Paris and he said: “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” In other words - overcome your little timid fixed mindset so that you can experience the victories that are waiting for you. Learn new phrases to help you get beyond the objections of your Fixed Mindset. “I may not get it right the first time, but with practice I know I can learn this.” Use the power of YET too!
Finally - Take action. When you practice thinking and acting in a mindset of growth, it becomes easier to tackle obstacles in a more positive way. Think of it like practicing a musical instrument or a sport: nobody does it perfectly the first time. When you make a mistake, try to see it as a chance to learn. You’ll be amazed at how free you will feel to tackle new things when you remove that weight of having to do it perfectly. Like Nike says - Just do it! Practice makes progress, and progress is forward movement which will eventually take you to your goal!
As a leader, think of how you can help your team by using the Growth Mindset. Praise your people for their efforts and for having an attitude of learning. If you had a fixed idea of someone's abilities, recognize and appreciate them when they improve. See the potential in all of your people. You can support your team's development with training or coaching . To build teamwork and encourage people to voice their opinions and ideas, create an environment of open discussion and communication.
Are you a manufacturing leader? Be sure to check-out Tools for the Trenches Manufacturing Supervisor Training!
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