Embrace a Learning Mindset for Leadership Success

 

Good morning. My name is Bianca Cardenas and I'm your host of next gen leaders. Today, we're going to talk about the importance of having a learning mindset. Whether you're leading a team or just looking for ways to become a better leader. Having a growth mindset can transform the way you show up and impact others around you. Let's break it down. What exactly is a growth mindset.

This concept was coined by the psychologist. Carol Dweck. Basically it's the belief that your skills and smarts can be built through having the right strategy and being consistent with that strategy.

On the other hand, you could have a fixed mindset. This is where you believe that you were born with the skills that you have, and there's nothing you could do to make them better.

Now that we know the difference between these two types of mindsets. Why is it important for leaders to have a growth mindset?

For starters. They are the most coachable because they want to continuously improve their approach. When leaders come through our assessment process I can tell which ones actually want to be there and which were forced to be there the ones that want to be there are open to feedback and are very curious about different things that they can try to help them overcome their opportunity areas.

Second. Since these leaders see setbacks as lessons to be learned. It helps build resiliency over time. They see these lessons as part of the learning process. So that's what helps them quickly bounce back and adjust their approach to get the results they want the next time.

Finally. Having a growth mindset helps you open yourself up to new ideas and different ways of seeing things. That's because these leaders understand that they don't know everything and are open to learning from other people. Because of this, their teams are more likely to share their ideas, even if they do seem over the top.

Leadership worth following has been affirmed for about 20 plus years. And there are a lot of people who have been there for a very long time. Uh, since the culture is pretty much internalized within these people it means that some of them are not as open to try new ways of doing things within the business. So having a conversation and bouncing ideas back and forth with him, isn't always the greatest experience.

Recently a new vice president on the science and research side came in and he is very open to ideas. So meeting with him in bouncing ideas back and forth is the most enjoyable experience because we're just talking and building ideas off of each other.

If you're the leader you're going to want to promote this type of setting with your team.

We talked about why having a growth mindset is important for leaders. But what are some of the traits that these leaders embody.

First. They see failure as opportunities to learn and grow rather than something that will make them look bad. Since they are open to navigating through failure they actively seek feedback from others and use it to help them improve.

Each time we would end a call, the CEO would ask. What feedback do you have for me? At first, I felt uncomfortable answering this, but I realized I was robbing him of what he saw as an opportunity for him to get better. These leaders don't only see failures and setbacks as something to learn from but they also look for growth opportunities everywhere else. Whether formally through training or LinkedIn learning or informally through mentorships and shadowing.

These leaders understand that this process is uncomfortable so they have to be persistent and learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

This concept is something that I learned coming into leadership worth. Following. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's just understanding that we're all going to be uncomfortable at one point or another. Learning how to show up is just as important then just being uncomfortable.

We learned that growth minded leaders see failure as a chance to learn and actively look for feedback and growth opportunities. Even if it means stepping outside their comfort zone. Now let's talk about four different ways we can develop a growth mindset.

Number one. It's important to understand where you are now. Do you think that your skills are something that you're born with? Or do you believe that you could learn anything you set your mind to.

If you believe that you're born with your skills. Then ask yourself where this belief is coming from. What stopping you from trying something new?

Our mind is extremely powerful and we'll find that a lot of the times it's trying to protect us from something. Really understanding what your mind is trying to protect you from and learning to question and challenge those beliefs will be your first step.

If you believe that you can learn anything, you set your mind to then you're ready to move on to step two. That's getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Like I said, we're all going to have to do things that makes us uncomfortable at every single step of our lives. Learning to lean into that discomfort and deliberately putting yourself in situations that make you feel uncomfortable we'll teach you how to work your way through it. I'll give you an example. My personal fear is public speaking. One way I deal with my discomfort is by over-preparing. But no matter how much I over-prepared I still froze up every time I started the presentation.

As I was looking for ways to help me deal with this I found this. type of AI technology that puts me in a simulation where I have to present to a crowd of 300 people.

The point of this exercise is to help me train myself to work through the discomfort and not let my emotions overpower me and frees me up. It's important to shift your mindset. Instead of seeing your feelings as something to run away from learn to channel your feelings and understand what triggers those feelings. And once you understand your triggers, you can put strategies in place to help you deal with it.

The third tip is learning to look for the lessons and failure. There's always something that we could learn from anything we do in life. When things don't go as we planned them to go. Make sure to sit down and actually think about what happened. What went well? And what could you have done better? Taking the time to think through these lessons can help you improve your approach for next time.

Last, but not least. Give yourself grace throughout this process. What you're doing is investing in yourself. And not a lot of people are willing to do that.

It's not about focusing on the destination. Rather celebrating and learning from the journey is just as important. So be sure to celebrate all those small wins along the way.

To summarize having a growth mindset means you believe that you can learn anything with the right strategies and consistent practice. Leaders with this mindset, see failures as opportunities to learn and grow. And they're eager to learn new things from everyone that's around them.

To build a growth mindset. Started by questioning your current beliefs. Learning to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And looking for lessons and everything you do is important as well. The most important thing is to remember, to be kind to yourself throughout this process.

Next week, I'll be talking about the importance of critical thinking and leadership. It's an important trait that we measure in our leaders because it plays a huge role in how they process information. If you want to learn more development tips, be sure to follow my LinkedIn in the description.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I look forward to speaking with you soon. Take care.