Are you seeing school buses begin to make their way through your neighborhoods? I sure am! This signal reminds me that being a learner doesn’t end with graduation.
So, how can this back-to-school season inspire us, as adults, to pursue a growth mindset? The answer lies in the constantly changing world around us! Our ability to adapt and grow is not just an asset; it's a necessity. A growth mindset empowers us to embrace challenges, learn from criticism, and persist in the face of setbacks. This is beneficial for us, yes, but for our organizations and teams as well.
In this blog post, we will explore where our desire to learn comes from, some of the benefits of a growth mindset, and how to cultivate it, and how these benefits extend to the organizations we lead as well.
Our Desire to Learn
The drive to learn is fueled by what researcher John Hagel III terms the "passion of the explorer," a mindset that propels individuals to seek out challenges and innovate and is directly connected to performance improvement. It’s critical that we learn new things, not just transfer knowledge to someone else. This is especially important for adults who are looking to pivot careers or enhance their existing skills. We often have increased motivation and responsibility to actually “do” something with what we learn because our resources – time, money, and attention, to name a few – are even more limited in adulthood.
Desire to Learn and Growth Mindset
We all have this drive to learn inside of us! The concept of a growth mindset, popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck, suggests that our abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work.
So, what exactly is a growth mindset? It is the belief that talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others.
But the opposite of growth mindset, the fixed mindset, can keep us from pursuing it.
For example, maybe you want to start a new business but don’t think you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. This is a common misconception! In fact, research shows that “entrepreneurial skills can be learned and strengthened like any other skill.”
The difference maker lies in what Dr. Dweck calls being “learn it all” rather than a "know it all.”
Benefits of a Growth Mindset
Embracing learning and a growth mindset may mean we don’t get something right the first time—or ever! This feeling of failure can keep us from pursuing growth and learning. However, the benefits of a growth mindset, like a willingness to learn from others rather than be threatened by their subject matter expertise or pursue solutions amidst failures, help keep us connected to the drive inside us to learn.
A growth mindset offers more freedom to reach your full potential and stay in alignment with your values instead of being held back by limiting beliefs. With this freedom, everything is possible. And it brings with it the courage and motivation to strive, fail and strive again. - Forbes
Cultivating a Growth Mindset
How can you make the shift from a “know it all” to a “learn it all”?
Here are some practical steps:
Get curious. Not knowing can make us uncomfortable—this is normal! But asking questions helps us move out of a place of judgment or thinking we already know and makes us more open to learning.
Take ownership. You may have heard that the only two things we can control are our attitude and effort. There are so many things out of our control, but when we focus on what we can control, we can shift to responsibility and, if something doesn’t work, figure out what we can learn and move forward.
Try something new. This doesn’t mean you have to take on learning a new language or taking a pottery class, but it does mean that you actively pursue things out of your normal routine. Listen to an audiobook or podcast on a topic you know nothing about. Ask a colleague to get coffee or lunch. We do this at Kane Learning by volunteering as a team. To read more about this idea, check out our blog post.
Try again. We all fail! For some of you, it’s hard even to read that sentence. But when we lean into our curiosity and try something new, inevitably, there will be room for improvement. We may have to start over. This doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth doing. In fact, when I reflect on the things in my life that have been the most impactful – it wasn’t because I excelled. I did some of the things rather poorly. But they are worthwhile.
Growth Mindset and Your Team
So, what’s it in for your organization? Yes, a growth mindset benefits you personally, but an organization with individuals pursuing a growth mindset is exponentially happier and does better work! According to research, employees in a "growth mindset" company are:
47% likelier to say that their colleagues are trustworthy
34% likelier to feel a strong sense of ownership and commitment to the company
65% likelier to say that the company supports risk-taking
49% likelier to say that the company fosters innovation
Employees who feel this way about their organizations do better work, and retention increases!
It's back-to-school season! Let's embrace being learners!
This season reminds and challenges us to be lifelong learners who want to learn it all! So, as the school buses start back up and classrooms fill with excited and nervous students, let's take a cue from the season and equip ourselves with the most valuable back-to-school supply: a commitment to being “learn it alls” by harnessing a growth mindset because as adults, every day can be a school day!
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