The benefits of adopting a growth mindset

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The benefits of adopting a growth mindset

Cegos Team

In a complex and fast-changing world, it is easy to get sucked into a culture of negativity and a sense of resignation. This can have a damaging impact on productivity, as well as mental health and well-being.

However, taking the opposite approach can have enormous benefits. In this interview, we talk to Christelle Delavaud, Personnel Development Manager at Cegos Group, about how building a growth mindset across your organisation can be profitable in more ways than one.

Q: What exactly is a growth mindset?

It is all about having a positive belief system and attitude. For example, with a growth mindset, you have a desire to learn, a willingness to embrace challenges and be persistent. You are able to take criticism and learn from it, as well as find inspiration in other people’s success.

The concept is based on the work of psychologist Carol Dweck. She found that university students who applied this belief system to their studies tended to succeed at a higher level.

Q: How does it help individuals thrive within a business?

When people adopt a growth mindset, they step out of their comfort zone and develop the necessary skills and agility to become high performers.
From an organisation’s perspective, transferring this mindset to the professional world can have a positive impact.

If employees, managers and leaders truly believe they can progress – and give themselves the means to do so – a field of possibilities opens up in terms of new skills, progress within their position, mobility and the opportunity to work on new projects.

Q: How does growth mindset differ from having a ‘fixed’ mindset?

A ‘fixed mindset’ manifests itself in people who avoid challenges, give up easily, dwell on the obstacles and ignore negative feedback.

Not everybody has either a full ‘growth’ or ‘fixed’ mindset. However, we can adopt the principles of the growth mindset whilst avoiding the pitfalls of the fixed one.

Q: How can we get people to adopt a growth mindset?

We need to teach them the concept and give them the tools to discover and understand the different components. Once they become engaged, we should encourage them to develop the new mindset with an action plan.

It is also important to challenge people, as well as instill in them the desire to stretch themselves and step out of their comfort zone, even when things are not going well.

You need people to make a personnel commitment, based on a belief they can develop their intelligence, new competencies, and new capabilities. This is sometimes called the ‘agentivity’ mindset.

Encourage people to practice the ‘yet’ or ‘not yet’ semantic. Rather than say you are ‘not able’ to achieve something, rephrase to say: “I cannot do this yet.” This makes a big psychological difference to motivation.

Finally, get people to practise ‘visualisation’ exercises. When people imagine themselves stepping out their comfort zone, learning new things and achieving success, it boosts their capacity to take action.

Growth Mindset: Reinventing Yourself Professionally

Q: What are the benefits of a whole team adopting a growth mindset?

The capabilities of the team will increase tenfold. With a collective growth mindset, team members are aligned towards ambitious objectives, ready to take the initiative, learn from mistakes, and persevere.

The success of some inspires others. This has an impact because it is contagious and fosters a positive, humble work environment with less judgment and more action.

In a BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) world, it is important to understand that challenges and setbacks are opportunities for growth. We must also learn to adapt to the unexpected, staying open-minded to new solutions and approaches. It can be a real game changer.

Q: How can leaders cultivate a growth mindset across their organisation?

Firstly, leaders must adopt the growth mindset themselves.

The role of a leader is to build and share a vision of what is possible. It must be a bold, ambitious vision. Changing the way a leader views failure helps stimulate creativity, innovation, and the ability to seize opportunities and take risks.

The most important quality of a leader is to embody their vision. Embodying a growth mindset can have a significant impact on people, as well as the organisation as a whole, because it instills a daring, inquisitive energy.

Secondly, leaders must give their teams permission to take initiative, to make mistakes, to train themselves, and to be proactive in their development plans. This will work well as long as these initiatives are in line with the organisation's strategic plan.

Leaders may face a little resistance at first, as some people need more time than others to make the leap. In this case, it is important to be kind and supportive of those who have questions. Ultimately, you will see them become more open to the concept of the growth mindset and embrace it.

Should you wish to find out more about growth mindset, join our webinar on 25th Febuary 2025. Click here to register.

Written by

Cegos Team

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