Why Managers Need to Adopt a Growth Mindset.

Quick, which of the following statements do you agree with more?

“As much as I hate to admit it, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. People can’t change their deepest attributes.”

Or,

“People can substantially change the kind of person they are.”

According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, how you answer can go a long way in determining the type of manager you become. In general, people’s beliefs about the rigidity of human nature tends to fall along a continuum between two opposing mindsets: “fixed” vs. “growth.”

A fixed mindset holds that someone’s personal attributes (abilities and personality) are unchanging and inborn. President Trump, for example, is a big proponent of such an outlook. In the Art of the Deal, his best-selling book on negotiation, he writes:“More than anything else, I think deal-making is an ability you’re born with. It’s in the genes.”

A growth mindset, on the other hand, holds that these qualities, rather than innate, are malleable and can be cultivated. Conor McGregor, the Irish professional mixed martial artist, is a champion of this perspective.

“There’s no talent here, this is hard work. This is an obsession. Talent does not exist; we are all equals as human beings. You could be anyone if you put in the time. You will reach the top, and that’s that. I am not talented, I am obsessed.”

What Dweck’s work has shown is that the two approaches have significant impact on behavior, especially with respect to challenging tasks that present the possibility of failure. A fixed mindset sees challanges as a potential threat to one’s identity, while growth mindset welcomes them as a chance to learn and improve. A 2013 meta-analysis of 113 studies has shown a meaningful correlation between mindsets and behavior.

Not surprisingly, research has also shown that managers with fixed mindset are less likely to give feedback or coach their direct reports. They are also less likely to solicit feedback and try to improve their own skills. After all, if you believe people can’t really change, what is the point of giving/getting coaching and feedback? Instead, you seek to hire the right people, provide them the proper resources, and hope for the best.

Managers with a growth mindset, on the other hand, understand that their job goes beyond hiring for talent. “These mangers,” writes Dweck, “are more committed to their employees development, and to their own. They give a great deal more developmental coaching, they notice improvement in employees’ performance, and they welcome critiques from their employees.”

Of course, this is all well and good for mangers who have growth mindset. But, what about the rest? Should they quit their day jobs? The good news is that a sustainable transformation from one mindset to another is indeed possible.

In one study, for example, a group of managers (who were identified with fixed mindsets) participated in a workshop in which they were introduced to the science of change (e.g. how the brain refashions with learning) and then assigned a series of exercises designed to activate their own growth mindset. In comparison to a placebo-control condition, the study found that the subjects who had gone through the intervention indicated a greater willingness to provide coaching; more feedback suggestions, and higher quality feedback suggestions. These results remained in place even six weeks after the original experiment.

Okay, but what if you do not have the opportunity to particiate in a mind-shifting workshop? In lieu of such an option, here are a number of tips to keep that fixed mindset in check:

1. Think of an instance in which you experienced an unexpected positive change in yourself. Take a few minutes to jot down the memory.
2. Recall a time you observed a positive change in another person that suprised you. Why were you surprised? What caused the change?
3. Think of someone in your team who is currently struggling, write them a note about how they too can grow and develop. The note is there to remind you that change is possible.
4. Get curious about reaction to feedback. Next time you experience defensiveness in the face of difficult feedback, ask yourself, “What are two other ways I can respond to this?”, “How would so-and-so handle this?”
5. Use visual prompts to stay open to experience. At JW Player, for example, meeting rooms are adorned with reminders of core values such as, “Have a bias for learning.”
6. Invent your own growth triggers. One of my favorite kinesthetic moves is opening up a clinched fist as a reminder to stay open. Only I know what that means. Well, until now.
7. Think of the ways in which your culture fosters a growth mindset. Is learning one of your core values? Have you normalized giving and receiving feedback? Are managers a resource for learning? How might we improve?
8. Challenge yourself to a weekly helping of the three “E”s: Education (e.g. read article); Experience (e.g. Mentoring); Exposure (e.g. interview others). In keeping with a growth mindset, your weekly managerial challenge should be slightly outside your comfort zone.

Can you handle that?