Fixed vs Growth Mindset
“If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” This is a mantra many successful people embrace under normal circumstances — in business and in life. But this mantra is even more important during these unprecedented times. And while many companies have put growth on the backburner in 2020, I would argue a growth mindset is even more important now.
When the pandemic first hit, it was a shock to everyone. Most of us followed our instincts to hit the pause button and assess the situation. However, what we thought would be a two-week shutdown eventually morphed into months of economic slowdown, and more than a little uncertainty and fear. Life as we know it has been disrupted on so many levels. Uncertainty can be scary, it’s true. But when you bury your head in the sand and hunker down in fear, nothing good will come of it.
The growth vs fixed mindset understanding stems from the work of psychologist Carol Dweck, in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She explains that a fixed mindset assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any way. People exhibiting this mindset tend to avoid challenges and give up easily when faced with an obstacle. As a result, they may plateau early and achieve less than their full potential.
Growth mindset on the other hand, thrives on challenges and sees failures as a learning experience for growth. People exhibiting this mindset sees effort as a path to mastery. They learn from criticism instead of ignoring the feedback, and as a result, they reach ever-higher levels of achievement.
Growth mindset at its core, creates a passion for learning. Throughout the course of learning, we will encounter many obstacles and challenges along the way. It is when we practice resilience that we overcome them and succeed.
Growth mindset in the workplace
Our teambuilding programs core learning will revolve around the growth mindset. It will illuminate new perspectives and strategies for success. It will breed a team that embraces challenges instead of avoiding it and persist in the face of adversity instead of giving up.
