How might a fixed mindset show up?
Working as a coaching psychologist I listen out for fixed mindsets, especially if it relates to important performance domains. You can hear a fixed mindset in the form of language like “I am not good enough” or “I feel like an imposter” or more obtusely through rigid, controlling or resistant behaviours.
A coaching client, let’s call them Angus, had a fixed mindset around formal learning in the workplace. No one in his family, including Angus, had gone to University and he had developed a mindset filter that told him he was not clever enough, he would fail if he tried, so why bother. When it came to taking on opportunities to complete formal training that would allow Angus to progress in the workplace, he avoided it.
Angus had developed a range of avoidance strategies such as staying silent during conversations on the topic, ‘forgetting’ to get his application in for study leave, taking sick days and even shifting work teams. He had a quick response that formal training was “not for him”. Eventually his team leader, who could see his potential, stopped encouraging him to take on new learning opportunities and Angus’s career and level of engagement at work stalled.
When a leader uses a fixed mindset, what are the ripple effects of this for their team?
Whether you are an employee or a leader, holding a fixed mindset toward your own or your team’s performance, can be deflating for all concerned. It deters learning and growth, failure or mistakes are avoided, and feedback is met with resistance. In the end motivation, engagement and performance stagnates. Noticing and naming the fixed mindset is the first step towards deciding if you want to change the filter, to learn, grow and reach your full potential.
Take a look: How a fixed mindset and growth mindset translate to performance
Bringing a growth mindset to work does not guarantee success but it does make it more likely. The word that best encapsulates a growth mindset is ‘yet’. I can’t do this YET but with the right strategy and effort I will learn.
What we know about people with a growth mindset is that they are motivated to learn, they embrace challenges, they persist in the face of setbacks, they see effort as the path to mastery, they learn from mistakes, listen to feedback and feel inspired by the success of others. It is for all these reasons that reach higher levels of performance in their chosen field.
Having a growth mindset is not always easy. You will still feel pain and disappointment, you will make mistakes along the way, and it requires real effort. You also do not need to have a growth mindset for all aspects of your life - especially if it is an activity or domain that is of low value or impact in your life. For example, I've talked previously about having a fixed mindset for singing. Given that my performance as a singer has a low impact on my life, I am unlikely to work on my mindset in this domain. However, if I had aspirations to be a professional performer then this mindset would definitely hold me back.
If you feel there is an important activity or domain of life where you are not reaching your performance potential then you may want to take a look at your mindset. If you find you are trying to prove yourself rather than learn and grow, if you avoid challenges or give up easily at setbacks, if you see effort as futile, avoid feedback and feel threatened by the success of others, then you may want to take stock and adjust your filter.
When Angus was able to step back and see his fixed mindset toward formal learning and see the negative impact it was having on his engagement and performance at work, he wanted to change it. Step by step he was able to create a growth mindset filter and step towards the work life he wanted. He didn’t do it alone. He sought feedback from others, he set clear goals for himself, he gave himself permission to mess up, and celebrated the milestones that showed him he was capable of growth and change.
For workplace leadership the challenge is to create a growth mindset culture. To be able to talk about mindsets and how they impact our learning and performance. To help people acknowledge fixed and growth mindsets in themselves and in the teams they operate within. Finally to empower people with the knowledge and skills to shift from fixed to growth in the domains or activities of life that matter most.
