The Growth Mindset and How it Can Help You in Your Work Life
This week, we decided to cover the Growth Mindset. This concept originated from scholar psychologist and researcher, Dr. Carol Dwek, who coined growth and fixed mindsets. These terms describe the thought process when encountering failure, obstacles, and overall challenging goals.
To start, it is essential to define these terms and identify what they look like in the workplace. A fixed mindset is one where improvement in more challenging areas is seen as impossible. One may say words like “can’t” or “hopeless”. Fixed mindsets do not see a challenge as an opportunity for growth, but rather as something that will never improve. To provide a visual, people with fixed mindsets tend to feel as if they are stuck in quicksand. Whatever skills they have now are the skills they will have forever, and whatever skills they do not have, they will never have.
A growth mindset is the opposite of a fixed mindset. As the term suggests, people with a growth mindset see room for growth. While copywriting may not be a strength now, they see room for change where it could be a strength in the future.
Having a growth mindset is essential in the workplace, especially regarding mental health. Being stuck in the idea that you will never improve or see improvement is not healthy. Everyone has room for growth; hopefully, you are elevating yourself every second, minute, day, week, month, and year. While it may not be easy, failure is an opportunity for growth.
So, how do you implement a growth mindset into your workplace?
Reframe Your Perspective
As long as you think of skills and strengths as fixed, you will not be able to have a growth mindset. This may require self-correcting and reframing your perspective when you fall into the trap of a fixed mindset.
Take Risks
Without taking risks, you will never learn. Try out an area where you might not be the strongest, learn from your mistakes, and grow. At the same time, you can always take calculated risks – ones where stumbling will not be the end of the world. Taking risks is key to growth.
Give Yourself Grace
No one is perfect. There may be some tasks you struggle with more than others. However, as long as you remember, you might not be the best at this task now, but next time, you’ll be better, and with practice, this will become one of your strengths. The way that you talk to yourself is key. When you speak to yourself, remember younger you; you would not want someone to scold your younger self, so do not do that to yourself now.
We must challenge ourselves to improve for the betterment of our mental health and life overall. Go beyond reading this blog and assess your thought process, are you stuck in quicksand, or do you allow space for growth?