As  a former School Psychologist (many moons ago) I was taught that intelligence was pretty much fixed at birth, and that when I assessed a child’s  IQ with a standardized test, that score was likely to remain at that level throughout life.  That never really sat well with me, nor did the resultant labeling  and educational tracking ( with its inevitable bias) that resulted.  I subsequently left the field because of the discomfort and cognitive dissonance I experienced around this.

We now know that this belief is not accurate– the brain is malleable, and we have the capacity for life- long learning and brain evolvement.  One of the characteristics that may determine the level of this growth is actually what we believe about the matter….also known as our “mindset”.

According  to Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck there are two such mindsets- “the Fixed Mindset” and the “Growth Mindset”.

When you believe that your qualities and characteristics are carved in stone, and therefore limited in supply, (the Fixed Mindset)  this appears to create a need to prove oneself over and over, to confirm  your character, intelligence or personality.

A Growth Mindset belief is that,, although we all differ in our personalities, aptitudes, and skills, we can all  change and grow through experience, application, and practice.

As a leader, the fixed mindset can be very limiting, but organizations that thrive have a growth mindset, because thriving organizations are generally led by individuals who believe in human development, do not only focus on those with innate talent, and  are focused on continuous improvement- both for themselves and their people.

How to create a growth mindset in your organization:

• Create and reinforce a culture of learning

• Model self examination and self awareness

• Present managers as learning resources

• Develop feedback processes that promote learning and future success

• Model the belief that “mistakes” are learning opportunities

• Promote coaching and training opportunities

• Believe you can “teach an old dog new tricks”

• Root out Elitism
  • See your people as collaborators
  • Do not punish dissent, encourage it
  • Beware of “groupthink”
  • Get 360 feedback for yourself
  • Check your arrogance