Growth Mindset
A Growth mindset is what allows a business to thrive, not just survive. But what exactly defines a growth mindset?
At ACTIONCOACH, a growth mindset is demonstrated through a set of attitudes and behaviours that reflect the belief that business failures or problems are not situations that can’t be improved or should be run away from; that learning and development should be fostered, that Leaders can emerge, that your business holds untapped potential.
This means every organisation has the ability to develop, grow, and learn. And organisations who believe this will have leaders who represent this mindset as well as seek out individuals who show a capacity for such growth.
A core concept that you have to understand to start you on your journey for growth is the acceptance of responsibility. A key to the achieving this mindset is represented in a concept called the powerline and ensuring you remain above the powerline. You need to accept the power you have over your situation so you can start changing it!
Ownership
Accountable
Responsible
These are the characteristics you need to embody to make positive changes in business, with the acronym of OAR, as you “own” your “ship”.
Growth Mindset Is Key
A fixed mindset – unlike a growth mindset – does not encourage any of these ideals. Nor does it allow leaders to grow. Behavioural symptoms of a fixed mindset are part of what makes it hard for you to accept responsibility and accept failure. This can be detrimental to business.
Blame
Excuses
Denial
Lying in “BED” is a good way to remember this.
These are the characteristics you need to ensure you can make positive changes to your business.
Adopt a Growth Mindset to Drive Business By:
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Driving commitment, determination, and innovation
Firstly, you must take ownership of your choices and your work. This is always the first step to change; accepting this allows you to show the commitment and drive needed to change the results you don’t like. All shifting blame does is ensures very little changes.
This ownership and responsibility mindset affects both you as a business owner and your employees. As a business owner, you get the employees you deserve based on your expectations, how well you communicate and whether your vision, mission, values and culture are clearly seen. As employees with this mindset feel more committed to their work because they feel they have the potential to grow, learn, and thrive, based on their stakeholdership in the business. They also feel more motivated to do their best because they know that their personal development and hard work is valued.
Any business that wants to position itself to meet goals and objectives, set new ones, continually move forward, and advance needs to adopt the appropriate mindset and accept responsibility at all stages to succeed.
Development, advancement, expansion; to do all of this you can’t close your mind to your own mistakes. Seeing opportunities and potential in every moment, individual, failure, and success is key. So, take pride in your failures as well as your successes. A growth mindset will move your business forward and position your business, its brand, and its people for growth, profit, and success in the future.
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Seeking out learners
It might feel like your team members struggle to see new solutions or ideas. They may lack your expertise or their learning stalls and ideas stagnate; this leads businesses to get stuck in their thinking.
In order to adapt and grow you must change from the traditional hiring mindset and instead focus on the capacity of candidates and character and not their skills. As such, recruitment should value people who show a real commitment to learning. These people will help build a learning culture, develop independently, collaborate successfully, and be able to adapt to whatever challenges arise.
Individuals that value learning, and show a capacity and passion for continual knowledge have a natural growth mindset that can move any business towards success. This individual has accepted the responsibility of improvement, there are no excuses. They are with you to grow!
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Building a culture that is willing to take risks and accept failure
An inevitable part of growth is failure. Adopting a growth mindset means accepting the chance that, in the end, you might fail. And when you fail, understand that Blame, Excuses and Denial does not help. This just slows your growth. Your business will reflect you and your mindset. so while failure will hurt your business, what’s even worse is doing nothing because of that failure.
And Blame, Excuses and Denial leads exactly to that. Nothing!
This starts at the top
Leaders should set an example, but also allow all employees to take on leadership roles – giving individuals the independence and freedom to try things, fail, and learn from their mistakes.
Creating a business owners’ mindset in this area means enabling each individual’s work to be more than just their job. Developing new skills – even if they shift outside of someone’s current daily work – is always valuable.
Taking on challenges is key.
Organisations who view their people as capable of taking on challenges.
Even if it means failing.
Position themselves for success.
Our Business Growth Expert could help you on your journey with a gifted coaching session.
