Why a growth mindset methodology would be considered as a foundation to building a stronger team culture? The reality is there really never was a foundation to begin with all at anyway. Many small to large businesses would cite traditional leadership and a talented staff that work effectively together. Fact is that since there was never a real foundation to begin with that has led businesses to operate in a co-dependent way with each other and their customers. Again, why would a growth mindset methodology being the answer as the foundation? Let’s first look at what growth mindset means.
Growth mindset is the understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed. Dr. Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology is the pioneer of the term “growth mindset”. Her research over 30 years has changed how people can get smarter and accomplish amazing things when we believe we can and understand the effort to make it happen. This leads to higher achievement. Often, business leaders interpret a growth mindset when one is open minded and has a positive outlook. A growth mindset in reality is something we evolve with experience embracing a process and not just focused on the outcome. It means shifting from a competitive to a collaborative environment where businesses reward not just the effort and outcome but also the learning and progress. However, this does not mean either one because outcomes as a result of effort embraced within the process do not happen without applying what is learned. Desired results following a growth mindset methodology are achieved with commitment to the process which includes applied knowledge and experience. Finally, mission or vision statements are something most businesses have but rarely execute in reality. This is because their true core values and principles are not in alignment with the organization. It is saying that your company is innovative but in reality is conservative taking little to no risk. Organizations that have a growth mindset foundation encourage on-going learning, risk-taking, and making mistakes to learn and grow. They reward their staff for important risks taken and lessons learned, even if the project did not meet its original goals. They understand the process has setbacks and challenges, but with commitment to these values and principles, they will prevail long term to do bigger and greater things. Businesses grow from a growth mindset methodology not just by what they say but through being the example.
So how do you develop a growth mindset? It starts at the individual level. It is an inside job that leads to external rewards long term and not the other way around. The foundation is built on core habits and disciplines that lead to clarity with thinking, communicating, and leading. This clarity leads to be more decisive such as risk-taking depicted above, and finally taking massive action. What are some of these core habits and disciplines?
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Organizational task (ex. making your bed daily)
- Reading everyday
- Resistance / Cardio exercise routine
- Eating nutritionally dense foods
- Have daily specific systems and goals in place focused on priorities that matter first
- Taking some time each day to re-charge
The most important thing to remember with these habits and disciplines is “consistency”. Patterns that are positive cannot result from once in a while. They must be consistent. Business leaders can be the example of engaging in these habits and disciplines daily rather than just telling others how, when, and why to do it. Lead by example as the process and desired results are observed by others. This in timer helps to shift work environments from co-dependent to interdependent where everyone takes responsibility along with accountability for their tasks but yet can come together through collaboration to grow. Leading by example comes from empathy and kindness and not pleasing and enabling.
A growth mindset is always work in progress and embracing the process. It can truly be the foundation or anchor that empowers each individual to be responsible along with being accountable to find alignment in some way with their core values and principles with the organization. These individual efforts and work in progress coming from empathy, kindness, and leading by example can bring a stronger team together collaborating interpedently toward the business’s long term vision. It brings clearer role clarity & collaboration, support of one another, active listening with effective communication, and the ability to solve challenges and offset conflict more effectively.
Start today to see how a growth mindset methodology can be the new foundation for your business to build your value statement and align to your long term vision. It always starts with you and then coming together with other people to build new products and services that a make difference in our world.
To your health & prosperity,
Christopher Salem
