Change Your Mindset: How to Develop a Growth Mindset
In this post, we cover what a Growth Mindset is (and why we should even care about it.) Then, I give you a bunch of real-world examples of the different between a Growth Mindset person and a Fixed Mindset person. (Hint, one typically makes a lot more money than the other.) Then finally, I share a proven four-step cycle to build momentum for success. So, if you are a manager or leader who has Fixed Mindset people on your team, this is a great way to help them accomplish more and grow.
It’s a roadmap to boost income, happiness, and impact. Dive in to master how to develop a growth mindset and crush it!
What Is a Growth Mindset, And Why Exactly Should I Care?
A “Fixed Mindset” sees the world as static and finite. The world has a limited number of resources, and this person’s only way to get ahead is by making sure these resources are split more to their advantage. This way of thinking locks the person into thinking their intelligence and skills are carved in stone. They believe talent is natural, not developed over time with hard work.
People with this mindset are less likely to take risks because a failure can expose their limits to a boss or coworker (a potential competitor). A failure or setback is a challenge to this person’s identity. They see constructive criticism as a threat to their worth or value as a person.
However, a “Growth Mindset” sees intelligence, skills, and abilities as flexible and expandable. Sure, some people are born with advantages and maybe more opportunities. But people with this mindset believe that, as good as they are at something today, they will get better and better at whatever they focus on. They also believe that intelligence grows through hard work and learning.
These folks embrace risks and see them as chances to improve. Whether they succeed or fail, they create valuable learning experiences that are a stepping stone to future growth.
A Few Examples of Fixed Mindsets vs. Growth Mindsets in the Workplace.
My boss had 20 years of proof that the current workshop was world-class, so he resisted the suggestion. His past success led him to develop a fixed mindset on this topic.
Eventually, I started my own firm. Within three years, my new firm was pulling in more revenue than the old one by offering two-day programs.
Years later, my team members asked me if we could offer half-day sessions instead. Did my growth-minded mentality win out? Nope. I made the same mistake my old boss made. Eventually, we corrected the situation but lost almost two years of market share growth because of the delay.
Another example is when I started my first podcast. At the time, I had been speaking professionally for almost two decades. I had also given countless interviews. Recording a 30-minute podcast was a piece of cake. That first recording was beautiful… and perfect. I remember listening to it and thinking that I really had a talent for this new genre.
When I listen to it now, though, I cringe. Without knowing it at the time, I had a fixed mindset about it. If someone had listened to that first podcast and said, “Wow, that is terrible,” I would have likely gotten angry and argued with them. But they would have been right. Now, I view every recording as an opportunity to get better. As a result, I like to think that I do.
If You Have a Fixed Mindset (Even Just in Parts of Your Life) You May Be Missing Out on Happiness, Income, and Success.
As you can see from my examples, we can move from one mindset to the other at times and in different areas of our lives. For instance, I may believe that all new parents are inexperienced. But, over time, they all can become fantastic parents. They learn as they go. However, only a small portion of the population (no pun intended) has the innate talent to become an NBA star. So, in one area, I’d be a Growth Mindset person while in the other, I’d be a Fixed Mindset person.
One of the first steps in developing a growth mindset is to identify the parts of your life where you fall into a fixed mindset mentality. Here are a few examples. If any of them hit home, you may want to focus on those areas to increase your happiness, income, and success.
Continuing Education or Technology Changes.
A Growth Mindset person embraces continuing education. They know that whatever made us successful in the past was a stepping stone to where they are now, but it will not ensure success tomorrow. So, they read for personal growth. They attend workshops. And they also look at every experience (success or failure) as an opportunity to get better. New technology may be scary. But it may also make us more efficient so that we can serve our customers even better.
A Fixed Mindset person sees continuing education as a threat. They think, “I may not be as good at this new way, and my current way is time-tested.” So, they will resist this change. If one is forced to learn a new skill, they will likely be out of their comfort zone. In the face of setbacks, negative thoughts will consume them. They will see any constructive feedback as a personal attack.
A Day’s Work and Responsibilities in the Workplace.
A Growth Mindset person looks for ways to make their workday more efficient so they can take on additional responsibilities. As they take on more of these responsibilities, they add even more value to their position. This makes them more promotable and more valuable to the employer (or client).
A Fixed Mindset person sees work as what they are required to do in order to get a paycheck. They believe that promotions should be based on longevity, not increased production. As a result, they will often do the bare minimum to get by. The Fixed Mindset person may call in to take off work at the last minute without regard to their work responsibilities. As a result, they miss out on many of the workplace relationships that add value to a workplace.
Talent vs. Skill.
A Growth Mindset person knows talent only gets you in the door. They work hard to turn raw ability into real skills. When a mentor offers to coach them in a new area, they don’t expect to be (or be seen as) an expert in that area right away. Instead, they practice and welcome feedback. They use this feedback as a way to improve. Each time they improve in that new skill, they are taking a step toward mastering that skill. The Growth Mindset person then increases the difficulty of the skill so they continue to grow and repeats the process.
A Fixed Mindset person believes that past successes (or failures) are permanent. If, years ago, this person received praise for a task completed well, that praise proves that the person has a talent for that task. (Even if the task itself is completely different now.) Constructive feedback throws their whole belief system out of whack. This Fixed Mindset person truly believes that their value as a person is based on that talent. So constructive criticism takes away that person’s perceived value.
The opposite is true as well. If the person experienced a challenge in the past, they may perceive that as a lack of talent. You’ll hear them say things like, “I’m just not a math person” or “I’ve never been good with people.”
Office Teamwork.
A Fixed Mindset person sees teamwork as a contract. In a contract, two or more parties agree to do things for each other. If any party fails to do their required role, the contract is null and void. In contrast, a Growth Mindset person sees teamwork as a covenant. A covenant is one-sided. Only one party is making a promise.
So the Fixed Mindset person expects something in return if they help the team or a teammate succeed. The Growth Mindset person realizes that if they can help their team and make up for any deficiencies, the value that the team provides grows as well. Although the purpose of this mindset isn’t selfish, the Growth Mindset person still reaps the benefits of the actions. (Everyone on the team knows who is taking the extra steps!)
Goal Setting.
The Growth Mindset person sets goals, analyzes their progress, and then adjusts the goals to grow. If this person hits or exceeds the goal very easily, they set a more difficult goal next. On the other hand, if the person fails to accomplish the goal, they may not automatically lower the goal right away. Instead, the person may look for ways to improve performance to accomplish the goal in the next time period.
Goals for the Fixed Mindset person can get a little tricky. If the person is highly confident and believes they have the most talent in the group, they have a surprising capacity to break records. (Remember, their value as a human being is at stake.) Often, though, if they aren’t hitting their goals, they will often blame an outside force.
How to Develop a Growth Mindset: The Momentum Growth Mindset Cycle.
Now that we know what we are up against, if we do have Fixed Mindset people on our team, how do we get them to develop a Growth Mindset? How to we create a Growth Minded Organization?
We have identified a simple four-step reinforcing cycle that you can use with your team. We call it the Momentum Growth Mindset Cycle. Every time your team completes the cycle, it is easier to move through the cycle again. With each cycle completion, you gain momentum. Eventually, this process becomes part of your team culture.
Before we go through the steps, though, it’s very important to understand the difference between talent and skill. It is also very important that your team members understand this difference. The ultimate goal of this process is to help your team develop and master new skills. As they do, their value to your company will grow.
This process will work with any skill, by the way. But it works best if you focus on one skill at a time. For instance, let’s say your team has a challenge coordinating activities among each other. Perhaps your fixed-mindset team members are just doing the bare minimum, and the rest of the team is carrying a larger burden. If that is the case, then focus on Team Coordination first.
If the major challenge is communication, then focus on Team Communication first.
Or, if the majority of your team is Growth Mindset and only one or two are Fixed Mindset, you can use the cycle individually with them.
By the way, this is the process we use in all of our Training Programs. If you’d like one of our facilitators to lead your team through a topic, click the link to find options.
Step #1) Gain Information with a Growth Belief.
Most leaders or trainers tell their people what to do. Or, perhaps you can have an expert come in and lecture your team. However, if you just bombard your team with knowledge or information hoping the go out and use it, you’ll just frustrate yourself and your team.
Instead, start with an assumption that all of your team members are of a fixed mindset. Assume that none of them care even a little bit about developing this skill. Your job, as their coach, is to get them to WANT TO develop the new skill before you start to teach them the skill.
The easiest way to do this is by instilling a “growth belief” in them. They have to believe that if they put out effort to develop this skill, they can succeed. They also have to believe that this success will benefit them in some way.
This might be as simple as sharing a success story from another department or a competitor. “Jan’s team did something similar, and they all said it was easy to implement. Jan told me their were able to reduce rework by 20%. I think if we do it, we can get even better results.”
Once you get the team on board, then give them information about the new skill in a simple step-by-step process.
Step #2) Put the Information into Practice, Realizing You Won’t Be Perfect at First.
Don’t make the skill development a lecture. Instead, get your team to apply the information as fast as you can. For instance, lets say that you are focusing on Team Coordination and came up with five things the team needs to do more consistently. Don’t try to get them to change five things at once.
Instead start with a single thing that, if they do it, will give them a benefit. Then, give them a chance to put this new information into practice.
In the early stages of the process, you want to reinforce that since this is new, none of us will be perfect right off the bat. We are going to need to communicate with each other, coach each other, and, most likely, change what we are doing as we go. So don’t take observations that we make as criticism. No one is expected to be an expert on any of this right away.
Step #3) Use the Practice (Success or Fail) for Continuous Improvement.
Step #3 is the most critical step in the process. This is where confidence will either grow or fear will grow. In this phase, you as the coach needs to reinforce the positives. Try not to be overly critical. Make any mistakes easy to fix and part of the learning process.
Definitely praise every success in the group, even if we are just taking baby steps. If your team knows you approve of the movement so far, they are more likely to continue moving in that direction.
Ask questions of any team members who struggle to see if they can determine what to do next. For example, “Well, I guess we know what not to do now. What do you think you can do to fix that next time?”
Step #4) Reframe Any Fear to Improve Your Attitude about the Area of Development.
If, during Step #3, some of your team members are still struggling, make sure to reframe the situation. Remind them that this is a process that we are all trying to learn. No one is born being an expert at this skill. The people who master it spend years doing so.
So cut yourself some slack if this isn’t coming natural to you yet. As you get more and more practice, this skill will become more natural for you.
A good analogy here is to remind them of when they were learning to drive a car. That very first time you went on a highway was probably nerve racking. Now, though, there are probably times when you put your car into park in the lot and think, “How did I get here?” Your muscle memory kicked in and you don’t even think about it anymore.
This process will be similar, but it will take a little time.
Restart the Cycle, and Your Self-Confidence Will Grow as You Repeat the Process.
After you complete the process, start back in Step #1 with new information. Try to make each new cycle a little more difficult than the last. These small improvements will stack up quickly.
Change Your Mindset and You Change Your Status in Life.
Now that you know how to develop a growth mindset, you’ll need to take consistent effort to put this into practice. Luckily, after you go through the Momentum Growth Mindset Cycle a few times, it becomes easier and easier to repeat the process. (You build up momentum.)
If you’d like help implementing this process, though, you can find a list of topics on our Training Seminar page. Or, we also offer a Performance Assessment Workshop which will help you identify your Fixed Mindset team members. The assessment will also help you create a strategy for turning your Fixed Mindset team members in Growth Mindset team members!
About Doug Staneart
