The professional world is an ever-changing place of new discoveries, practices, and skill sets. You’ll hear industry leaders and academics from a variety of fields share innovative new ideas, inventions, and theories - but how did they get to that point? How do people think of these bold and innovative ideas?
The answer: they develop a growth mindset.
To adapt and thrive in any industry, a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset can be a crucial precursor to success. So, here is what you need to know about a growth mindset, and what to do next.
What is a Growth Mindset?
A growth mindset typically describes an individual who understands that personal development can be worked on and evolved by putting in the time and dedication.
On the contrary, an individual with a fixed mindset would believe that you either just have talent or the gift of knowledge, or you don’t and that it’s almost impossible to work on changing your ability to grow as a person academically or vocationally.
Dr Carol Dweck of Stanford University initially shared her theory of the growth mindset almost 30 years ago. The theory explains how individuals can achieve more when they are worrying less about seeming smart or talented, and instead putting more of their energy into learning (Dweck, 2016).
The study looked at the behaviours of students and primary school children which allowed her to present the “Growth Mindset” terminology which is widely used today in companies’ best practices - and is even cited in mission statements worldwide.
Why Professionals Need a Growth Mindset
Adopting a growth mindset is a great objective for professionals to focus on as it is a valuable and incredibly employable skill to have.
Recruiters and organisations often look for individuals with an array of additional skills and evidence of continuous learning, whether that be a certificate, qualification, microcredential or even less formal evidence like hobbies. It shows passion and commitment which is absolutely an employable asset.
Why Organisations Need a Growth Mindset
Having a growth mindset isn’t just at an individual level, organisations can also either have a growth or fixed mindset. This is because organisations are made up of individuals with their own unique minds who all contribute collectively to the greater organisation.
Organisations which encourage a growth mindset tend to get much more from their employees as they feel empowered to build on their career knowledge through independent learning and CPD (continuing professional development) like the courses we offer.
These provide individuals with the skills and tools needed to advance their career prospects. Not only does this allow their employees to feel like they’re building on their CV but it also increases productivity and motivation in their day-to-day roles.
However, companies with a fixed mindset tend to result in employees battling to prove their talent in a competitive way which can often (but not always) result in discouraging collaboration and negatively impacting the organisation.
How Do You Develop a Growth Mindset?
1. Build self-confidence
As is the age-old saying, confidence is key. No matter what talent or skill is being used, self-belief and self-confidence are crucial for success. Confidence comes from a place of pride and capability; luckily, this can be taught and improved over time with different frameworks and techniques.
To build this self-confidence, you may want to try practicing in public (sharing your practice with others on social media, or with colleagues for feedback), finding a career mentor, study, or trying new experiences you thought you never would.
2. Be accountable
Acknowledge that you are the one responsible for your own fate. It’s easy to get caught up blaming others for where you’re currently at, whether that be circumstantial, environmental or anything that may have steered you adrift, but those with a growth mindset own their decisions and choose to learn rather than seek blame.
Next time something goes wrong, practice being accountable and not looking for someone else to blame. The more you exercise this skill, the more you’ll develop a growth mindset.
3. Embrace failure
This really is the core of a growth mindset. It only takes a short scroll through LinkedIn to stumble across a motivational story of a now-billionaire CEO who has previously set up 13 failed businesses and now turns over phenomenal figures each month.
One failure, or even many, does not mean you are destined for a lifetime of failure. Each of these mistakes provides its own valuable lesson. Take Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, for example. He originally grew up in a social housing complex. Now he owns the largest coffee company in the world with a net worth of $4.1 billion.
4. Stay humble
It’s easy to compare yourself with the success of others - we all do it from time to time. Whether it’s a friend or someone you aspire to be, it's important to remember that you’re on your own journey.
By focusing on your own path, you limit distractions and ensure your envy doesn’t limit you. Those who develop a growth mindset know how important it is to worry less about others and focus on their own goals (another finding of Dr Carol Dweck).
5. Cultivate a curious mind
Lastly, it’s important to stay curious. Never fool yourself into thinking you know everything you can, as there will always be so much more to learn and discover. Every day there are more questions to be asked and things to be learned, so just remember: this is exciting, not frustrating. Imagine a life where there was nothing more to learn - it’d be boring.
What’s Next?
Now you understand the steps to take for adjusting your mind to have a growth mindset and why a fixed mindset can be so limiting and disruptive. Success comes to those who have experienced failure and take actions to learn from it.
If you’d like to know more techniques and theories to engage your growth mindset, UTS Open offers a short course based on Stanford University’s Life Design Curriculum.
Designing Success will support you to enhance your self-efficacy and decision-making skills, preparing you to thrive in your chosen industry - a perfect example of an action an individual could take to move forward and find a sense of purpose whilst ultimately creating a growth mindset.
Alternatively, if you’re ready to jump straight in, we also offer short courses and microcredentials across a variety of industries.
