Mindset: The Accelerator for Exceptional and Effective Leaders
I find the idea of mindset fascinating. It continues to grow in global interest, sparked by Carol Dweck’s work on this subject several years ago in her landmark book, Mindset, The New Psychology of Success. In this book and in subsequent TEDTalks, she speaks to the difference between having a growth mindset and a fixed mindset and the differences between the two. On the surface, it seems immediately intuitive as to which you might want.
The science behind mindset is what has really exploded over the last few years to understand how do people get to a growth mindset, and what are the true benefits? In that same quest for understanding, I am writing a series of articles that I will share over the coming weeks on this subject. The intention is to share interesting information on this subject, but more to whet your appetite for more learning. There are many tremendous resources available on this subject. I will keep the series as simple as possible, and relate it to our world of retail. This is a subject that can get quite complex quickly, since there is such a deep connection to the neuroscience that accompanies it. While I will touch on that, I’ll work to avoid nerding out on it too much.
What is Mindset?
Dweck placed the idea of mindset into two forms: a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. The growth mindset is investigating how to expand, grow, learn new things. It is open to innovative thinking and change. The process by which things are done is in many ways more important than just the outcome itself.
The fixed mindset leans heavily towards believing that many things cannot be changed. When thinking about oneself, a fixed mindset believes that things are innate, we are born with our talents; we have certain abilities, or we do not. It assumes there is less room for learning new things and skill-building. Finally, a fixed mindset concentrates on the results more than anything. You either achieve the result, or you do not.
This is just a basic overview of what mindset is to help build the case for its importance. Over the course of these next several articles, I will get deeper into what mindset really is, and how it can impact you as a leader, as well as an individual overall. We do not separate ourselves as leader and everyday person, and our mindset has a lot to do with that. In fact, it is possible that people would argue with the statement I just made, because my mindset is, “it is not two separate things, I am not two separate people.” Based on the paragraph above, that would be an example of thinking with a fixed mindset. Some may believe that they are just not born leaders and, even if their role requires a level of leadership, they see that as their work persona, and not something that could be used in their home persona.
Series of articles
Looking ahead, I will cover more about what mindset is, and why it matters to you as a retail leader. We will get more of an introduction in Introduction to Mindset for Retail Leaders. Here, I will begin introducing how science, and specifically neuroscience, plays a critical role in understanding your mindset.
Next, I am eager to explore how changing and managing your mindset can unlock the possibilities that exist for you and those around you. Understanding Your Own Mindset: Unlocking Your Possibilities will be a combination of diving deeper from a science perspective, but also the ‘what’s in it for me’ element of this subject.
In Mindset in Action: Key Strategies for Any Leader to Take, we will begin to look at what we can do to make a change. This is the how of managing your mindset and putting it to work for you to build your success.
The fifth article in the series, Overcoming Mindset Roadblocks and Opening a Path to Success, will cover the ways we can avoid getting stuck in a rut or succumbing to the obstacles that stand in our way. Change is hard. We all face it each day. The world and the status quo push back hard on what we want to shift and move in different ways. But, like anything else, we have a choice, we can control our outcomes. We’ll explore that specifically and connect it to mindset, in this article.
Finally, we pull all the pieces together in the last article, Maximum Potential: The Power of Mindset. This will be all about how you can take the components from the previous articles and explore additional resources to build the plan for your journey to take advantage of the possibilities, and reach your full potential.
I am excited to go on this learning journey, and share it with you along the way. I would recommend taking some time to watch Carol Dweck’s TEDTalk as pre-work before we dive in deeper in the upcoming articles. Having the right mindset, or frame of mind, is critical to identifying new ways of working, approaching problems, and leading teams. Take a moment even after reading this quick overview and recognize how your thoughts about this subject may be different at the start and end of what you have read. Where is your mind?
What interests you most about learning more on the subject of mindset?
Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills. JOIN NOW!
Photo by Josh Riemer on Unsplash