Leading with a Growth Mindset

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Introduction

After conducting more than 1750 hours of coaching with managers, I have noticed that leading with a growth mindset is the most sought leadership skill managers choose to grow. Often they do so because their manager indicated it as one area for significant growth. Other times, they took various leadership assessments and the report showed similar feedback.

But what this means in practical terms remains a mystery, even though they might have read Carol Dweck’s book “Changing the Way You Think to Fulfil Your Potential”.

Before going any further, I would like to start with a disclaimer. People are never pure breeds who only display a growth or a fixed mindset. All people have moments when they act with a growth mindset and moments when they act with a fixed moments. Including managers, irrespective of how mature, aware, experienced and knowledgeable they are. Of course, the more they have these attributes the more they can handle life’s circumstances with a growth mindset. Usually growing old helps, but it is not always a guarantee.

In my working experience, I retain the following four approaches to be signs of leadership with a growth mindset.

1. Work Together to Shape the Way Things Are Done

Cultivating a culture where everyone has a say in shaping how things are done isn’t just a nice to have. It’s essential for driving innovation and staying competitive. Business has become so complex, that nobody has a crystal ball to read and detain the comprehension of the full picture.

Irrespective of how proficient and knowledgeable you are in your management role, it is an act of staying humble and pragmatic to take it for granted that you do not hold the entire picture. Therefore, it is to your advantage to ask questions and check whether there is a bigger picture than the one you hold on the matter at hand. In this way, you make sure your decision is complete and effective and you minimise the risk of revising and correcting it in front of your team members, peer managers of higher managers.

This is why, irrespective of your management position, your leadership will benefit if consulting with your colleagues, peers or even external stakeholders, i.e. working together with others.

 How to recognise if you’re not fully leveraging the collective intelligence of your team or stakeholders, and what you can do about it.

a. Insisting on Doing Things the Way They've Always Been Done: If you find yourself defaulting to "that's how we've always done it" however your people miss targets (lower quality, missed deadlines, increased costs due to errors, etc) you might be missing out on opportunities to improve or innovate. This approach can shut down new ideas (e.g. improvements on working flows or communication) that could potentially enhance efficiency or effectiveness.

b. Not Involving Team Members in Decision-Making Processes or Problem-Solving: When decisions are made in a vacuum, you limit the range of solutions and incur the risk of disengaging your team. A lack of involvement can lead to a lack of commitment to the final decision.

c. Resisting Change and Innovation, Preferring to Maintain Status Quo Without Valid Reasons: It's comfortable to stick with what you know, but this comfort leads to complacency. Being resistant to change can prevent your team from finding better, more efficient ways to work. In addition, even if nothing in your work environment would yet claim a need for variations, you will sooner or later find yourself trapped in a reality which feels boring, and you will either hate it or harshly judge yourself for getting there.

To counter these tendencies, it's crucial to open up the floor to your team. Encourage them to come forward with their ideas and concerns and genuinely consider their input. 

Here are a few strategies to enhance collaboration:

a. Hold regular brainstorming sessions: Even if they are not routine in your organisational culture, you can introduce them. After all, the ways of working are the prerogative of the management. Make these sessions a staple in your schedule. Encourage everyone to speak up without fear of criticism. Bite your tongue on criticism and learn to give constructive feedback. Learn to catch value in any idea and to name it in front of your people. The more ideas on the table, the better.

b. Implement a 'Why Not?' culture: Whenever a new idea is proposed, instead of dismissing it outright, ask, "Why not?" This shifts the mindset to considering possibilities first rather than focusing on obstacles.

c. Be open to experimentation: Allow room for controlled experiments with new processes or ideas. Even if an experiment fails, it can provide valuable insights and show your team that it’s okay to take calculated risks.

d. Celebrate constructive failures: When a new or innovative attempt doesn't pan out, highlight what was learned from the experience. This reinforces that the real failure is in not trying at all, not in making a well-intentioned effort that didn’t succeed.

By working together to shape how things are done, you leverage the full capabilities of your team and foster a sense of ownership and satisfaction in the work environment. This collaborative approach is about getting better results and building a stronger, more cohesive team that can face with confidence any challenge.

2. Encourage Curiosity and the Willingness to Try New Things

Innovation and progress hinge on the ability to question the norm and explore what is still possible, what is new, and what is unknown. Encouraging curiosity and a willingness to experiment can be a game-changer in any team’s dynamics. However, some common managerial habits may inadvertently suppress this adventurous spirit. Understanding these signs and knowing how to cultivate a more open-minded culture is crucial for modern leadership.

Recognising the Signs of Discouraging Curiosity:

a. Ignoring or Dismissing New Ideas From Team Members Without Consideration: Quick dismissal of ideas can stifle creativity and discourage team members from sharing potential innovations in the future. It sends a message that the status quo is more valued than exploration.

b. Punishing or Criticizing Team Members for Making Honest Mistakes: If the immediate reaction to a mistake is punishment or harsh criticism, it creates a fear-based culture. This fear can kill initiative and keep your team from trying anything that isn’t guaranteed to succeed.

c. Creating a Culture Where Asking Questions or Expressing Doubts is Discouraged: When questions are met with irritation or indifference, it discourages the kind of inquisitive mindset that leads to breakthroughs and deeper understanding.

To foster an environment where curiosity and experimentation are not just accepted but encouraged, consider implementing the following strategies:

a. Establish a safe space for ideas: Encourage your team to bring all their ideas to the table, regardless of how unconventional they may seem. Create regular opportunities, like innovation meetings or creative workshops, where new ideas can be explored without immediate judgment or repercussions.

b. Lead by example: Show your own willingness to ask questions and express uncertainties. By modelling this behaviour, you signal to your team that it’s safe and beneficial to be curious and open.

c. Reward creative risk-taking: Recognize and reward efforts to innovate, even if they don't always lead to success. This can include formal recognition in meetings, small incentives, or simply verbal acknowledgement that values the attempt as much as the outcome.

d. Promote learning from mistakes: Shift the focus from fault-finding to learning what went well and applying more of it. Encourage team members to analyse what went wrong only to localise what needs not to be repeated thus turning missteps into valuable learning opportunities.

e. Encourage cross-departmental interactions: Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes can bring new insights. Create opportunities for fresh eyes to analyse and provide input. Encourage your team to collaborate with other departments. This sparks new ideas and reduces the silo perception and the echo chamber effect that can stifle innovation.

By actively encouraging curiosity and the willingness to try new things, you nurture a team that is agile, innovative, and ready to tackle challenges with enthusiasm and creativity, enhancing problem-solving and productivity, and making the workplace a more dynamic and engaging environment for everyone involved.

3. Promote Learning from Mistakes

Mistakes are inevitable in any dynamic work environment, but their real value comes from the lessons they teach. A leader's ability to turn these mishaps into meaningful learning experiences can profoundly impact team resilience and innovation. However, certain attitudes and behaviours can prevent this positive outcome. Recognising these and actively working to create a more forgiving and educational environment is key to fostering a growth mindset.

Recognising the Signs of Not Learning from Mistakes

a. Failing to lead by example when it comes to learning from failures and setbacks: if leaders hide their own mistakes or sweep them under the rug, team members will likely follow suit. This behaviour misses the opportunity to model how to learn from errors constructively.

b. Punishing or criticising team members for making honest mistakes: When the focus is on punishment rather than understanding and growth, it instils fear rather than a desire to learn. This fear can inhibit team members from engaging in innovative or risky projects where they could learn the most.

c. Overlooking the importance of a constructive post-mortem: Without a systematic approach to reviewing what went wrong and why, teams miss out on invaluable insights that could prevent future mistakes and lead to better processes.

To create a culture where mistakes are seen as a valuable part of the learning process, consider these strategies:

a. Establish a 'No-Blame' post-mortem process: After a project concludes, especially if it didn't go as planned, hold a debrief session focused on examining what happened and why, without pointing fingers. Encourage all team members to contribute their perspectives and solutions.

b. Share lessons learned: Make it a habit to share what was learned from mistakes at team meetings. This demystifies failures and helps spread valuable knowledge across the team, preventing future errors.

c. Set examples from the top: Openly share your mistakes and what you’ve learned from them as a leader. This transparency demonstrates to your team that it’s okay to err and paramount to learn from these experiences.

d. Encourage experimentation with safety nets: Design projects with the expectation that learning will occur through trial and error. Provide support and create safety nets where possible so that potential failures have minimised impact but maximum learning potential.

e. Celebrate the 'Great Attempts': recognise and reward efforts that involve significant risk and innovation, even if they don’t pan out. Celebrate these attempts in a way that highlights the boldness and creativity involved.

By promoting a mindset that values learning from mistakes, you build a team that’s more adaptable, resilient, and innovative. Such a work environment drives the personal growth of each team member and propels the entire organisation forward by continually evolving and improving.

4. Support Each Person in Carving Their Own Path Towards Common Goals

Empowering each team member to find their own unique path toward achieving common organisational goals can significantly enhance motivation and job satisfaction. This individualised approach respects diverse talents and perspectives, leading to more innovative solutions and a stronger sense of personal investment in the team's success. However, several management behaviours can hinder this personal development trajectory. Identifying these behaviours and actively fostering a supportive environment are essential steps for any leader.

Recognising the Signs of Not Supporting Individual Paths

a. Micromanaging every part of a project instead of allowing team members to take the initiative: This behaviour eventually will impede the personal growth of your team members and stifle the team innovation; your team members will hardly become autonomous in solving problems and executing the tasks in ways that utilise their unique skills and perspectives, while you - their manager - will become more and more engulfed into tasks that are not yours, with the risk of developing a burn out. 

b. Providing only top-down Instructions and not allowing team members to explore their methods: When leaders dictate every step, it leaves little room for employees to contribute creatively or develop their problem-solving skills.

c. Not recognising or valuing the unique strengths and contributions of each team member: Failing to acknowledge individual efforts and skills can lead to decreased morale and a lack of engagement.

d. Using a one-size-fits-all approach to management, ignoring individual needs and styles: This approach can demotivate team members whose learning and working styles do not align with the general methods being enforced.

To effectively support each team member in carving their path, consider implementig the following strategies:

a. Tailor development opportunities: Offer personalised training and development opportunities that align with individual career aspirations and skills gaps. This shows a commitment to each team member’s growth and enables them to contribute more effectively to team objectives.

b. Encourage autonomy: Give team members the freedom to tackle projects or tasks in ways that best suit their skills and styles. This autonomy can boost creativity and ownership, leading to higher-quality outcomes and greater job satisfaction.

c. Acknowledge individual achievements: Make it a point to recognise and celebrate individual contributions in team settings, since it will boost morale and encourage others to strive for excellence.

d. Facilitate goal alignment: Help each team member understand how their personal goals fit within the broader team and organisational goals. This can be achieved through regular one-on-one meetings where goals and progress are discussed and aligned.

e. Create diverse teams: Encourage diversity in team composition, where different skills, experiences, and perspectives can complement each other. This diversity can lead to the pollination of ideas and approaches and will give people a new understanding of what courage, initiative, initiation, input or feedback mean. It will also provide the team members with the possibility to learn about other areas of the business.

By supporting each person in finding and developing their path towards common goals, you not only optimise their potential but also enhance the collective output of your team. This individualised attention fosters a deep sense of belonging and purpose, which can propel your team towards greater achievements.

Closure

Throughout this exploration of leading with a growth mindset, we've dissected various facets of what it means to lead with a growth mindset. Managers often embark on this journey due to feedback from higher-ups or insights from leadership assessments, and while the theory is readily accessible, the practical application can seem elusive. From encouraging collaborative shaping of the work environment to fostering a culture where experimentation is celebrated, the essence of a growth mindset lies in continuously seeking improvement and learning from every situation. We've outlined how adopting specific behaviours and avoiding others can significantly impact your leadership effectiveness and team dynamics.

By reflecting on these strategies and integrating them into your daily leadership practice, you create a vibrant, innovative, and resilient team environment. The journey towards fostering a growth mindset is ongoing and evolves with experience and intentional practice. As leaders, your role is to continuously inspire and be inspired by your team members or stakeholders, driving towards common goals with openness and curiosity.

Navigating the complexities of leadership is a journey, a process you need to acknowledge since its mastery with a growth mindset requires time, conscious practice of skills, of new approaches and of new ways of being. In this journey, you can choose to benefit from guided exploration and dedicated support from a coach. If you're ready to deepen your understanding and application of these principles, I invite you to take a proactive step towards transformative leadership and book your complimentary strategy call. During this call, we will diagnose your current leadership practices and identify key areas for development. Together, we will craft a personalized improvement plan tailored to your specific needs and goals. At any time you can choose to support this plan with a coaching package dedicated to enhancing a management performance mindset or an executive mindset. Your plan will be supported by targeted coaching sessions, enabling you to implement and refine effective growth mindset strategies.

Until next time, keep thriving!

Alina Florea

Your Management Performance Coach 

How can I support you?

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You are always welcome to write back your suggestions on topics for the next articles. Your suggestions keep this newsletter running. Thanks to everyone who offered me ideas for these articles. Please do not forget you can enjoy at any time a complimentary strategy call in case you want to take the topic of this article even into a more in-depth discussion tailored to your particular situation.

Summary:

This article delves into the significance of adopting a growth mindset in leadership, focusing on four key practices: promoting collaborative decision-making, fostering curiosity and innovation, learning constructively from mistakes, and supporting individual growth paths. These practices not only enhance team dynamics but also drive innovation and resilience, preparing teams to handle challenges effectively.

Leaders are encouraged to continually refine these approaches by engaging with their teams, encouraging open dialogue, and customizing support to fit individual needs. The article concludes by offering leaders the opportunity to further explore and enhance their leadership skills through a complimentary strategy call, aimed at developing a personalized improvement plan with professional coaching.