Our mindset is a set of beliefs and perspectives that determine how we think, feel, behave and relate to ourselves, others and our environment. For the vast majority of individuals, mindset is a choice – one that profoundly shapes our experiences and interactions and the success that we achieve.
Mindset is also particularly important for leaders, because it determines how impactfully they lead. But before we can choose our mindset, we must first understand it.
What is your mindset?
“Are you predominantly fixed, or growth minded?” asks Barry Bloch, Global Partner for Board and Executive Leadership. “Where people with a growth mindset believe that through their own effort and focus, they can develop their ability and achieve their own future; a fixed mindset is the belief that our behaviour and our future is ‘inevitable’ and beyond our control – a fixed mindset invariably holds people back.”
“If you find yourself routinely saying no; reaching black and white conclusions; taking offense; getting defensive or emotive, then your mindset is likely fixed,” Barry continues. “Instead, people with a growth mindset tend to have an informed sense of optimism that allows them to see opportunities instead of obstacles. This mindset is proven to enhance people’s openness and ability to learn and grow. Growth minded individuals are also more open to self-reflection and capable of taking on feedback from others – important qualities for any leader.”
How can a growth mindset benefit your organisation?
When leaders actively and intentionally bring a growth mindset into the culture of an organisation it creates an environment where people are typically more engaged, more innovative and have a healthier relationship with risk, uncertainty and ambiguity. Research by Carol Dweck – the psychologist who was part of the initial identification and definition of the concept of a growth mindset concept – shows that in organisations where this growth mindset exists, employees are:
- 47% more likely to trust in their colleagues
- 34% more likely to feel connected and committed to their organisation
- 65% more likely to say their organisation supports risk taking
- 49% more likely to say their organisation fosters innovation.
“A growth mindset empowers people to better themselves and to build the resilience they need to tackle challenges and recover from setbacks,” says Barry. “As a leader, having these skills and nurturing them in your team, is critical to your success.”
Can you develop a growth mindset?
In almost every leadership team you may find individuals with a fixed mindset, struggling to perform and lead. Often, these individuals believe that they are growth minded, until they pay closer attention to their own behaviour and start to listen to and observe their own responses to others.
“One of the best ways for leaders to improve their impact is to understand their mindset and engage in continual and intentional learning. Only by acknowledging and accepting the constraints and impacts of our existing mindset and having the courage to learn, grow and sometimes reinvent ourselves, can we unlock our true leadership potential,” says Barry.
Understanding personal derailers
Our mindset is a product of our own, whole of life story, and as adults it continues to shape our motivation and determine how we respond. However, changing our mindset is not a singular or simple process, and there will always be fixed minded triggers that we need to navigate.
- Does criticism make you feel uncomfortable, emotive or defensive?
- How do you respond to obstacles and setbacks?
- When others succeed, does it lift or limit your own performance and behaviour?
“The starting point for developing a growth mindset is to no longer collude with our own fight flight fright response when faced with situations like these,” says Barry. “To change your learned response, we need to recognise our own personal derailers, because knowing what these reactions are likely to be empowers you to choose a different response. And there is no short cut. We all need to practice, practice, practice our growth mindset to make it habitual.”
Language and behaviour
Our mindset is reflected in what we say and how we behave. To change our mindset, we also need to closely self-examine how we communicate, both verbally and non-verbally.
“Often it’s not until people hear the way that they speak or see their behaviours in action, that they really understand their own mindset,” says Barry. “This is why in a coaching relationship we will often ‘interrogate’ a particular turn of phrase or behaviour. In doing so, it allows the individual to explore the clues that it provides to their mindset and understand what it will take to change.”
Understanding your sphere of influence
To grow your mindset, you also need to be selective in where you invest your energy. “People with a fixed mindset typically spend too much time consumed by things that fall into their circle of concern. But these are the things over which we have little or no influence or ability to change, so why spend unnecessary time thinking or worrying about them?” Barry says.
“If we invest all of our energy in areas that we can’t move forward, we miss out on opportunities to grow and to really make a difference. Therefore, to change our mindset we need to shift most of our focus from our circle of concern to our circles of influence and control,” he continues.
Surrounding yourself with the right people
Your learned mindset is influenced by the people around you. This makes surrounding yourself with the ‘right’ people a smart choice for individuals looking to develop their growth mindset.
“No mindset is perfect, and every leader will have their challenging moments. But when your mindset is fixed, having the right friends, mentors, coaches, leaders and other role models around you will help to identify the need for, and ways to, learn and grow,” says Barry. “We can choose our relationships and networks, and this choice is fundamental to our development as individuals and as leaders.”
Navigating the journey to growth
Developing a growth mindset requires consistent effort, self-awareness, self-reflection and practice. It also requires the humility to accept where growth is needed and the courage to put new skills and practices into action.
“A growth mindset is something that effective leaders continually work at through a process of self-reflection, continued and structured learning and development. Working with an Executive coach can bring the independent perspective and challenge that allows leaders to see themselves through a different lens,” says Barry. “However you choose to approach this, the most successful leaders are able to reinvent. Time spent developing a growth mindset is time well spent, as it will help to improve your leadership ability to inspire, motivate and encourage others.”
To improve your performance, connect with Barry or reach out to your local Gerard Daniels team.
