The Role of Mindset in Leadership Development and Team Effectiveness
Being a leader is difficult.
There’s no doubt that leadership is revered in our society, with people toiling and striving their entire lives toward that perpetual glass ceiling.
And while blunders and doubt are only natural given the extreme pressures of the job, they don’t circumvent the heavy responsibility and sense of duty to your career as the clock races on.
The stress and pressure of the competitive race to the top can be all-consuming, and quite often, managers get to a point where they have to stop and ask themselves: Why am I doing this?
Quite frankly, it’s a struggle just to avoid burnout given the lonely climb to the top. Colleagues become subordinates, and professional loyalty trumps personal relationships.
This is where mental health becomes incredibly vital.
As a leader, you toil away, burning the midnight oil, with the pressures of the world squarely on your shoulders. There’s little room for emotions like sensitivity and doubt.
In order to truly be successful, you must be strong and sure in yourself, and that conviction will inspire the same from all that you encounter.
Great leadership comes from a deep confidence in one’s self, first and foremost.
So how does today’s professional, with all of the modern demands and technologies, attain success without losing sight of one’s self?
It’s more of a mental game than people think.
Understanding the Fixed vs. Growth Mindset in Leadership
World-renowned Stanford psychologist Carol S. Dweck said it best:
“For twenty years, my research has shown that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.”
Dweck pioneered the theory of a fixed versus growth mindset, developed after decades of research and studies.
The Dangers of a Fixed Mindset in Leadership
A fixed mindset considers people incapable of change and growth. It subscribes to the theory that we as people are static: our character, our intelligence, our creative ability is all set in stone at birth and cannot be changed. Success only serves as a measuring stick of born intelligence.
It represents a more passive approach to life, one that relies heavily on your inherent qualities while requiring little to no effort to improve said qualities. You are who you are, and your capabilities only extend so far.
This is incredibly dangerous, because when you feel as though you’re only capable of so much, you do not strive for better. You’re not open to new opportunities, to trying new things. It can also establish a deep, inherent fear of failure, because you believe that you are simply incapable.
Dweck continues, “Believing that your qualities are carved in stone — the fixed mindset — creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. “
Successful leaders cannot afford to subscribe to a fixed mindset.
Embracing a Growth Mindset for Leadership Success
Instead, today’s professional is strongly devout to a different kind of mindset, the growth mindset.
A growth mindset is motivated by challenge, seeing failure simply as a stepping stone to greatness. They see the stars, and they reach for them, believing that the impossible is possible, and that with their own hard work and dedication, they too can reach the stars.
Failure is only an avenue for growth, a welcome challenge to improve and do better, be better.
Under a growth mindset, it also means that emotions, such as love and compassion, are grown through life experiences and hard work. Intelligence, creativity – it is all attainable if you are willing to work for it.
It’s a process of retraining your brain to think positively and giving the process its deserved patience and time.
As you are well aware, success nor growth occurs overnight.
Practical Steps to Cultivate a Growth Mindset
There are a few ways to adopt a more growth-oriented mindset in both your life and your career:
- Be open to failure. By identifying your weaknesses, you’re already one step ahead of the game. Now you have a starting point and a stepping stone to growth.
- See opportunity instead of challenge. Adopt a positive mindset that envisions success and leads you straight to it. If you leave your comfort zone, you will find a whole new world will open to you.
- Take the time to understand and learn, rather than just cramming dates, names, and details into your brain. Half the reward lays within the process.
- Constructive criticism is key! You will make mistakes, but that should not be perceived as failure. Half the experience is within the journey, so it’s simply time to try a different approach.
- Work with Taylor White Counseling, Coaching and Consulting to explore your learning style. Some people perform best in a social setting, while others may require physical, visual, or even aural stimulation. We at Taylor White Counseling, Coaching and Consulting can help.
Redefining Leadership: The Impact of a Growth Mindset on Teams
New situations, interactions, relationships, environments – you encounter them every minute of every day. And each minute of the day, life allow you to refresh, an opportunity to change and alter the landscape of your thought process.
Don’t allow your failures, or even a single moment of your life, define you.
You are a blank slate, a canvas that is forever rewritten, repainted, and improved throughout the years. Don’t stay stagnant. Be proactive.
Take control of your life, and in doing so, your destiny.
