Embrace a growth mindset for effective leadership

As a leader, your mindset not only affects your ability to effectively lead a team but it also influences your employees and ultimately impacts the success of your company. A growth mindset is an advantageous leadership approach that will set your organization up for continued forward progression.

What is a growth mindset?

Dr. Carol Dweck defines growth mindset as the understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed. An individual with a growth mindset believes that everyone’s talents and capabilities can be strengthened through hard work and effort. Every individual is capable of transformation and their talents, creativity, character and intelligence are not static but can be developed and improved.

A leader who adopts the growth mindset way of thinking often exhibits the following leadership characteristics which help him or her to effectively lead a team or an organization.

A growth mindset leader…

learns from failure.

A leader with a growth mindset approach knows that even experts can be fallible. A growth mindset leader believes that struggles, obstacles and failures are part of a journey to an improved version of themselves or their company. It’s not about how and when you fail but about what you can learn from the experience and how you can apply the lesson learned to future endeavors.

embraces change.

If something occurs that affects the organization’s quarterly goals or displeases a client, the leader will desire to learn what went wrong and will strive to make the necessary changes to ensure that it doesn’t reoccur. A growth mindset leader does not easily give up and is not afraid to switch things up to ensure improvement. Growth mindset leaders tend to be flexible, open-minded and resilient as they can quickly recover from difficult situations and will continue to persist in the face of setbacks. He or she is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities and when presented with the right opportunity, isn’t scared to take a chance. A fresh perspective and new information is refreshing and welcomed for a leader who embodies a growth mindset.

stays positive.

A leader with growth mindset helps shine positive light on sometimes negatively perceived aspects of business such as setbacks, challenges, and change. The leader’s positive outlook transforms these concepts into learning experiences and is easily able to see a positive future for the company and employees.

fosters potential.

An individual’s true potential is unknown and his or her qualities and abilities are not carved into stone, according to a leader with a growth mindset. A shortcoming of an employee does not discourage a leader, as it is viewed as a temporary and isolated incident that can be used as an opportunity to learn. Growth mindset leaders tend to give constructive criticism as a way to encourage employees to build their knowledge base and acquire new skill sets. A leader will champion and encourage their employees and they believe that learning and progress are just as important as effort. Leaders with a growth mindset tend to want to cultivate and nurture their employees rather than place judgement or blame. A failure is not evidence of a lack of capability but it’s an opportunity for a learning experience.

promotes learning.

A growth mindset leader perceives the world to be full of infinite possibilities. A leader thinks of their career and the career path of others as a series of challenges followed by development opportunities. He or she encourages their team members to utilize experiences and continuing education opportunities to build up their abilities. They have a passion for the way that learning is tied to growth and believe in the possibility of stretching existing abilities to achieve attainable success. There is a passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval.

acknowledges effort.

An individual with a growth mindset in a leadership role sees effort as the key to success. Rather than spending a lot of time pouring over successes and awards, the leader places more of an importance on the effort that went into the task and the mastered skill set behind it. He or she places high importance on deliberate practice and intentional effort.

builds strong relationships.

Due to the growth mindset leader’s view on failure being a routine part of life, it allows them to be patient and understanding leaders. He or she believes that employees’ struggles are learning experiences and opportunities for growth. Due to the focus of the leader being directed toward future improvements rather than past defeats, the leader is able to develop a deeper relationship with employees and team members because they actually show interest in not only the future of their company but the success of their employees.

finds inspirations in the success of competitors.

Growth mindset individuals prefer to applaud the initiatives of competitors rather than bring them down. They appreciate collaboration and value the efforts and ideas of others. A leader with a growth mindset thinks that everyone has something valuable to offer and they often look towards others for inspiration to fuel their own initiatives.

shows signs of fulfillment.

A leader that has embraced a growth mindset believes that nothing is fixed and therefore experiences more consistent levels of satisfaction as they find it easier to envision a change in circumstances. He or she tends to view all positives and negatives as learning experiences and feels gratification regarding not only success but progress towards future successes.

A growth mindset leader avoids a narrow focus and expands their perspective and opens their eyes to new opportunities. Altering your mindset can be a rewarding change to not only your personal journey but your career path in leadership. Keep learning and growing and moving your company forward on a path to continued success.