Opportunity to grow: The Growth Mindset

I am sure there are many of you who have heard this term before, especially those of us who have had their children learning from home for the past year. While many have heard the term, it may be useful to explore the growth mindset and consider how it can be used in our daily lives.

We live in challenging times; more challenging than many of our past generations and it is increasingly imperative that we develop a growth mindset lest the negativity stifle our higher ambitions.

Professor Carol Dweck from Stanford University has studied the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset and has found that those who hold a "fixed" theory are mainly concerned with how smart they are—they prefer tasks they can already do well and avoid ones on which they may make mistakes and appear unintelligent. In contrast, she said, people who believe in an "expandable" or "growth" theory of intelligence want to challenge themselves to increase their abilities, even if they fail at first. She then used her information to give a wonderfully insightful TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en

So what does this mean for you?

After months of uncertainty and a constant parade of bad news, the world is opening, and it can be very exciting and very scary all at the same time. Our emotions have been running high for over a year at this point. It can be very easy to fall into the fixed mindset because it is what we are used to. However, those with a fixed mindset tend not to grow as fast, learn as deeply, or feel as fulfilled in their positions and lives. All these factors put together lead to less motivation. Here at Sonus, in our sales environment, less motivation means less money, and less job satisfaction.

How can you increase your growth mindset?

1. Seek out feedback. I know this sounds scary, but it is imperative that we allow ourselves to learn and grow and that means looking at where we have our faults. The key is to be able to filter between constructive criticism and simple criticism. Remember, you are looking for help making yourself better, not for the approval of those around you. If you are unsure and need an approachable how-to guide to requesting feedback from co-workers, this article from (https://www.skillpacks.com/how-to-request-feedback-from-coworkers/) has your back.

2. Use positive language. Try to use language that builds you up internally and projects positivity to your co-workers and reinforces the growth mindset.

   1. Some examples of phrases you can use to increase the growth mindset in yourself and your co-workers.

      • i. This was a difficult task, but your hard work paid off!

      • ii. Is there another strategy you can try?

      • iii. Let’s learn how to do this!

      • iv. Mistakes can help us learn what to do better next time.

      • v. That was a creative way to solve your problem!

      • vi. If you learn and practice, you’ll be able to do it on your own.

      • vii. It was really hard to get started on this but look where you are now!

      • viii. What will you do differently next time?

      • ix. There’s always room for improvement, so let’s keep trying.

      • x. What steps will you take next to grow your understanding?

3. Be Curious. Ask questions. There are no bad questions. If you do not know, ask.

4. Try a 30-day challenge. Pick a skill you have never done and always felt you could not. Try to learn that skill for 30 days keeping the growth mindset.

5. Schedule reflection time to look back and evaluate when you had a fixed mindset and when you had a growth mindset and observe how things changed.

6. Figure out how you best learn. There are so many ways to learn something new. Once you find out how you learn best, use that to your advantage and when you are learning, play to that strength. Jennifer Gililland, Director of Sales, works hard to incorporate this into our training and we hope you can use this also for your own learning and growth. This article has details on the subject of learning styles: https://www.missouristate.edu/assets/busadv/p.30.pdf

I challenge you to engage in these growth mindset activities to help get rid yourself of the fixed mindset and set a course for even greater success. In our rapidly evolving society, it is imperative that you do not succumb to the belief that you have reached your limits. You must deliberately work to improve yourself to keep up with those around you.