More and more employers are recognising that if their employees are fixed in their mindsets, there is an innate risk that their organisations will be fixed too – fixed in a stitch in time, without the necessary ingredients to innovate and drive business forward in a world that is changing rapidly.
So, what is a ‘growth mindset’?
Having a ‘growth mindset’ can be defined as the belief that talent and intelligence in someone can grow and change. Employees with this mindset consider effort a crucial element of success. For them, it’s normal to fail before acquiring a new skill, and setbacks are viewed as learning opportunities…Now doesn’t that sound like a workplace you would like to work in? One that embraces failure and learnings as opportunities not to be feared?
So why is it so important in today’s workforce to have a growth mindset?
There are many reasons why in today’s workplace, attracting and retaining employees with a growth mindset should be a priority and a focus in the hiring decision for leaders. Here are some of the positive impacts of having people with growth mindsets in your team and organisation:
Linked with better employee productivity and future outcomes.
Promotes a culture of learning which results in business success and innovation.
It creates a workforce that can pivot quickly in response to economic, industry and environmental changes. This can be a change in skills, attitude, or behaviors.
In a growth mindset environment, employees feel responsible and empowered for delivering on their outcomes and have a sense of belonging, and independence which results in feeling valued (so important)
Embraces diversity in thinking which results in better outcomes.
Employees will see each other’s success as aspirational and you can create a culture that celebrates as a team.
People will take the time to tackle difficult challenges and tasks outside of their scope of work, they will ‘dig in’ and not give up so easily.
Your team will be more open to feedback they will encourage this and look for it, only to improve and enhance the business.
This all proves we need the right people on the bus…. however, we need people who can change and adapt quickly to whichever direction the bus is going!
So as a candidate looking for your next career opportunity in today’s world of work, how can you demonstrate you have a ‘growth mindset’ in an interview and what do you need to do to change or adapt your thinking to have a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset given this is one of the critical skills leaders are looking for right now?
Highlight your commitment to continuous upskilling and learning.
Admit your failures and explain what you’ve learned from them in the past, it is ok to be vulnerable and human!
Show that you have been comfortable being ‘thrown in the deep end’ taking on new challenges that place you out of your comfort zone.
Show that you believe in yourself and your capability……we all have potential to unlock!
Be curious and ask well-prepared questions to prove your inquisitiveness.
Show that you are ‘solutions focused’ and have strong problem-solving skills where you seek out challenges to apply these.
Demonstrate your ability to adapt and pivot quickly, embracing opportunity when it has presented itself in the past.
Demonstrate how you take responsibility for your own professional and personal development outside of the workplace.
Bring your optimism to the table, highlight how you view challenges as real opportunities!
How exciting is it that we are in a world where at work everyone can contribute to growth no matter what role you are in!