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Unlocking Your Potential: Cultivating Competencies with a Growth Mindset
Last week, I had the opportunity to reflect on cultural agility, humility, and a fixed mindset vs a growth mindset. My conversation with Paula Caligiuri, PhD, on the EZ Conversations podcast (Listen Here) allowed this all to come to my attention. During the conversation, I asked Dr. Caligiuri how organizations can move away from the metric-based approach of achieving DEI targets. Upon further investigation and thinking about Dr. Caligiuri's response, I realized that it's not the metrics that are the issue; it's a fixed mindset that leads organizations to suffer, irrespective of who is leading. Dr. Caligiuri also emphasized the need for competencies that we can focus on and will aid us no matter where we go in our careers. She highlighted resilience, openness, humility, and curiosity. I was also reading the book Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck last week, and these same competencies kept coming up for people who functioned in a growth mindset. Using a growth mindset is crucial for our success, and we can learn to use it in facing challenges and dealing with failure. Dr. Dweck also focused on sports, business, education and relationships to demonstrate how fixed and growth mindsets can appear.
As leaders, parents, educators, employees, and members of society, it is crucial to maintain a growth mindset for sustainable performance. Staying in a fixed mindset allows us to remain stuck and never realize our full potential. The good news is that we can improve and make changes by making simple tweaks and focusing on how we respond to setbacks. As I always remind people, there is no timeline for these things or a specific destination. We are all on unique and individual journeys, figuring it out. Sometimes, that level of acceptance can allow us to ease the pressure. Additionally, we can enable a growth mindset if we look at the competencies Dr. Caligiuri highlighted. With setbacks, people who use the growth mindset need to maintain resilience to overcome adversity; it also requires openness, humility and curiosity to ask questions and seek out the perspective of others.
Another crucial thing Dr. Dweck points out in her book is that people can use a growth mindset in some aspects of their lives while maintaining a fixed mindset in other areas. As I read that, I started to do an internal audit, which resonated. I started to identify the instances where I have fallen into a fixed mindset and have had the internal dialogue that I may not have the potential to succeed in some areas. I also realized that there are moments when I have felt my skills are limited and felt like giving up, but by sticking with it, I have been able to experience continued improvement. The perseverance has been monumental. There are some things in life where it's a daily battle, and I constantly remind myself to stay in a growth mindset while pushing myself.
Therefore, in this week's edition of EZ Reflections, I wanted to share my thoughts on having a deeper appreciation for a growth mindset and some resources you can use to learn more. Additionally, I would like you to consider some questions: Do you find yourself in a fixed mindset in some areas of your life and a growth mindset in others? What do you do when you feel your potential is limited in some areas? How do you push yourself when you need to learn more and persevere?
Sources:
"Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol S. Dweck: This book explores the concept of mindset and how it affects our achievement and success in various aspects of life. It discusses the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, and how each mindset impacts our behaviors and abilities, including resilience and openness to learning.
"Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth: Duckworth delves into the concept of grit, which encompasses resilience, perseverance, and determination, and how it contributes to success. She discusses the importance of maintaining a growth mindset to cultivate grit and overcome challenges.
Adam Grant's research on humility in his book "Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success" underscores the importance of a growth mindset in fostering humility. Grant suggests that individuals with a growth mindset are more likely to seek feedback, learn from others, and ultimately achieve greater success.
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