Cocktails with Carl

Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset

In her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck asks the following question: “What are the consequences of thinking that your intelligence or personality is something you can develop, as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait?” Dweck then goes on to describe a person’s mindset like a hand of cards they have been dealt. Is that hand of cards the only hand they’ll play for the rest of their life or is that hand of cards simply a starting point with the ability to cultivate improvement through their efforts?

As a partner and leader in an entrepreneurial business, it’s imperative that I foster a growth mindset throughout our organization. Before I get into the specifics of how we do that, let’s first define what a growth mindset looks like in relation to a fixed mindset. Below are lists for each that quickly illustrate the difference.

Growth Mindset

I can learn new things and improve

Challenges/failures help me to learn

Obstacles provide new opportunities

Effort and attitude directly affect my abilities

Constructive criticism is welcomed

The success of others inspires me

I am comfortable taking risks

Fixed Mindset

I am either good or not good at certain things

I am uncomfortable with being challenged

Failure is a reflection of my inability

I give up in the face of adversity

Potential is predetermined

Feedback is personal

The success of others intimidates me

I stick with what I know

In a hyper competitive industry, allowing a fixed mindset to take hold can quickly sink a company. At June Co, we need to be intentional about embracing and working on our growth mindset. Here are some specific ways in which we do that-which I recommend for your own teams/organizations as well.

Incorporate the principles of a growth mindset into your core value system.

We have a published core value system that gets talked about often and the philosophies of a growth mindset are scattered throughout. For example, one of our core values listed is “active learning”. We define that as follows, “an environment that encourages curiosity while fostering both personal and professional development.” We can then back that up by offering to cover the costs of a team member's continued education/online classes, sending a contingency to an industry conference/trade show, or simply sharing a great book or publication via an internal resource library.

Set the example and jump first.

The concept here is that as leaders, we need to set the precedent. If you’re using the phrase, “that’s how we always do it here”, then you are probably mired in a fixed mindset. Here are just a few ways to exemplify a growth mindset to your team moving forward:

Encourage and answer tough questions from your team

Be willing to take risks

Embrace being incorrect/failing

Approve fundamental changes to “standard” processes

Reflect a positive attitude in the face of adversity

Create an environment of safety for your team.

Encouraging your team to operate with a growth mindset will usually go hand in hand with an overall aggressive approach to your business. In essence, you're challenging your team to innovate, take risks, and try new things. If that’s the case you’re going to have to provide them with some security should things go south. That means taking ownership of failures as the leader while protecting your team. One of the worst things you can do is blow up or react negatively to mistakes and bad news. Your team will begin to operate out of fear and revert to a fixed mindset. Instead react calmly and positively to challenging news.

Raise the expectation via planning and goal setting.

When going through strategic planning, be sure that your goals and objectives are in line with the intensity level of your growth mindset. In other words, if you are asking your team to stretch themselves in order to move the business forward, your goals should be aligned with that thinking as well. It wouldn’t make sense to push your team hard while publishing goals and objectives that communicate stagnation. 

Jim Harbaugh, the head football coach at the University of Michigan, has a saying that I think perfectly embodies the growth mindset. It goes like this, “better today than yesterday, better tomorrow than today.” It’s a simple message but he repeats this line at almost every one of his press conferences. As leaders, we would be thrilled if we could get our teams to just get 1%  better each day. If you're having a challenge accomplishing that, try incorporating the 4 actions listed above. I’m confident you will see your team embrace a growth mindset and marked improvement in your business will soon follow.

Good Luck!

Cocktail Recipe: Dirty Gin Martini

Briny, classic cocktails are all the rage right now. And it’s said that an even number of olives for the garnish is bad luck so go with 3.

2 ½ ozs Gin

½ oz Dry Vermouth

½ oz Olive juice

3 Olives for Garnish

Chill your martini glass in the freezer in advance. In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine all the ingredients (except the olives). Stir for 30 seconds and strain into the chilled martini glass. Garnish with the 3 olives.

Enjoy!