How to switch from a “fixed” to a “growth mindset”
You may think, “oh no, not another one of these, I have heard my fair share about growth mindset”.
Yet it seems many people and companies are still struggling with properly understanding the concept of a growth mindset. They might preach it, but are not able to practice it. Or they have a false definition of the concept.
Let’s debunk some myths first:
You have either the one or other
This is especially common in folks who always think there is only black and white, good and bad, and nothing in between. Even when talking about the leadership circle, many assume only “creative” is good and “reactive” is bad. But this is neither true nor humanly possible. Everyone has actually a mixture of both, some may be more able to apply a growth mindset more often, but there is no such thing as a pure growth mindset or a pure fixed mindset.
Everything is possible and always positive
Applying a growth mindset is first and foremost about acknowledging change (it is in the name: “growth”). Appreciating that situations evolve, recognising limitations, and adapting when needed is the true nature of a growth mindset. It is not about toxic positivity, but trying, learning and growing.
Switching to a different mindset is too hard
Yes, it will take practice, but it will get easier every time we try and try again. It is only hard if we believe it to be true. This is where the element of being open-minded and having a can-do attitude actually can play a big part. Believing that we CAN change makes a huge difference to the experience of going through it. See it this way, the mindset we currently have has been trained for the whole time we live. So, we got to retrain our brains to think differently, and this takes time and practice.
Attaining a growth mindset does not sound that impossible anymore, does it?
Here are some simple steps individuals and/or companies can implement in order to practice the “growth mindset”:
Non-judgemental awareness
First up it is important to learn and understand who we are and what our patterns are as well as how they came to be. And we got to do this in a non-judgmental way. There is no good in being hard on ourselves if we find an area of improvement. Instead, let’s be curious about it and look at it from different angles. What can we learn about ourselves here? This can also be a great partner or team exercise to help each other raise awareness around certain habits and behaviours. This does require high levels of trust and psychological safety within the team!
Conscious choice to try and think differently
Once we have the awareness, we can practice switching to a different way of being and doing. As soon as we catch ourselves going down the “fixed mindset route”, it is beneficial to pause for a moment, activate our right brain muscles through different small exercises, and then go at it again from a place of true growth. These small exercises can be as simple as 5 deep and conscious breaths, focusing on the temperature when breathing in and out or doing a quick full body scan, checking in on all limbs. Remember, we trained our brains to think in old ways, now we got to get it into the “mind gym” to think new.
Actively DOING and BEING in the new mindset
The key here is practice, practice, practice. Seeing every moment as a chance to consciously apply the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset and going at it with an open attitude to learning something new about oneself as well as growing. At the same time, not being too harsh and beating oneself up when being in a fixed mindset is crucial too. Plus, it is always worth asking, whether in this certain situation a more “fixed” approach might actually yield better results. There are positives in it too!
If this may still sound too hard, or you would like more support for yourself or your team on this journey, please do reach out. As a mindset coach, I can support individuals and teams along this journey by creating a safe and judgment-free zone where everyone can practice, learn about and evolve themselves.
The benefits of leveling up one’s mindset are countless and range from better stress management, higher problem-solving skills, and productivity to increased motivation, trust within the company and team as well as psychological safety.
You can reach me via the contact details on this webpage or @ coffeewithjd.business@gmail.com (click)
NamaStay growing
Josephine Dumont
