Process
Status Items Output None Questions None Claims None Highlights Done See section below
Highlights
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A growth mindset is the belief that employees can change their talents, abilities and intelligence. This differs from a fixed mindset, which is the belief that employees can’t change these key attributes. The growth mindset dictates employees’ priorities, which influences their ability to navigate effectively during a period of change. Specifically, those with a fixed mindset prioritize looking good and validation, because if they don’t believe they can improve their talents, abilities and intelligence, it is important for them at least to be seen as having the ability to do so. As a consequence, they: Want to avoid failure, because that would indicate that are failing in their jobs.Want to avoid challenges, because challenges have a high likelihood of leading to failure.Believe that the need to exert effort is an indication that they don’t possess the talents, abilities and intelligence necessary to succeed.Since employees with a growth mindset believe they can change their talents, abilities and intelligence, they are less concerned with how others see them. So rather than seek validation and avoid failure, their priority is to learn and grow. Their growth mindset allows them to see failure, challenges and effort as opportunities to develop their skills, so they embrace them.
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Employees with a closed mindset are focused on being right, as well as being seen as being right. As such, they are uncomfortable with ambiguity. If they seek out ideas from others, they seek only those that confirm their perspective, and they see disagreements as threats.Employees with an open mindset focus on finding truth, even if that means they’re wrong. As such, they are more comfortable with ambiguity, seek out new and different perspectives, and see disagreements as opportunities to improve their thinking. Agility requires seeing new and different ideas as opportunities to think and navigate ambiguity more effectively, not as threats to one’s self or position.
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When employees possess a promotion mindset, they’re focused on winning and gains. When individuals possess a prevention mindset, they are focused on not losing and avoiding problems.Such mindsets lead employees to navigate change very differently. Employees with a prevention mindset are primarily concerned about their ship not sinking. As such, they avoid problems, don’t take risks and strive to maintain the status quo. Employees with a promotion mindset are focused on what is truly important: reaching a specific goal, objective or destination. They anticipate problems, are open to taking risks (they think, “No risk, no rewards”), and seek to advance rather than maintain the status quo.The ultimate difference between these two mindsets is that those with a prevention mindset are blown about by the changing winds and end up at a destination not of their choosing. But employees with a promotion mindset are willing to brave the gusts to end up in a destination of their proactive design.