A new year equals endless possibilities. Will you get that promotion? Look for a new job? Or will you tackle something new just for the love of a challenge?
Celebrated American Psychologist, Carol Dweck, would describe this as having a ‘growth mindset’. A favourite buzzword bounced around the corporate world. But what does it mean, and why does it matter? Here’s your new year’s reminder.
Looking at it in glasses
Back in 2006, Dweck published her book, ‘Mindset, The New Psychology of Success: How We Can Learn to Fulfill our Potential’.
Here – and in subsequent talks since – she describes two types of mindsets: growth and fixed.
To explain how they work, let’s use the old ‘half full/half empty’ metaphor:
Growth mindset
e.g. Glass half full
- Welcomes challenges.
- Doesn’t let obstacles or adversity get in the way.
- Seeks mentorship from people who are more successful than them.
- Likely to say: “I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it.”
Fixed mindset
e.g. Glass half empty
- Runs from difficulty.
- Afraid of challenges and withdraws in the face of them for fear of looking stupid.
- Are judgemental about other people’s successes.
- Likely to say: “I can’t figure it out, so I give up.”
The key difference between the two? One simple word – ‘Yet’.
Dweck believes there’s a power of ‘yet’, one that allows you to keep going – even when the going gets tough. So to help us understand, let’s turn to one of the world’s most famous faces: Albert Einstein. He once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Growing your ‘yet’ mindset
Ready to turn your ‘no’ into ‘grow’? Here’s some simple behaviours Dweck encourages to get you on the right track.
See obstacles as road bumps, not roadblocks
As the saying goes, “Nothing good ever came easy”. But how do you flip the script to welcome challenges and see them as something positive?
TIP: Think of Einstein. At just 16 he first experimented with the theory of relativity. But it wasn’t until 25 that he published it – nine years later. Nothing like it had ever been discovered before, but that didn’t stop him. And it shouldn’t stop you either.
Ask for support from successful people
Sometimes it can feel like co-workers are overtaking your progress and rising to the top, especially if you’re feeling a little stuck. So how do you rise too?
TIP: Talk to them, learn from them and soak it all up. Go for a coffee with someone whose work you admire and ask for advice on how they’d tackle something. And if possible, develop a mentorship so you can keep growing.
Monitor your inner monologue
You are your own worst critic – fact. No one applies more pressure than you do. So what can you do to make sure you get out of your own way?
TIP: Keep your thoughts in check. Monitor your inner critic saying “I can’t do it, it’s just too hard” and look at it with your ‘yet’ mindset. It’ll turn into, “I can’t do this yet. But I’ll keep going at it until I get it.” And that’s when the magic will start to happen.
So bring it on 2023. We’re ready for your twists and turns and welcome them with our blossoming growth mindset. And when the going gets tough, remember – you’re just not there yet. But you will be.
