Embrace a Growth Mindset
FountainBlue's May 2 Front Line Managers Online program was on the topic of 'Embrace a Growth Mindset'. Please join me in thanking our panelists.
as a Business Leader - Ganna Boiko, Coupa Software
as a Marketing Leader - Melissa McDonell, Dolby
as a Program Leader - Sondra Bollar, Oracle
Our panelists shared highlights from their impressive backgrounds so that we had context on their strategies for embracing a growth mindset. They defined a growth mindset in several ways:
It's about having an open mind about what you know you don't know, and also what you don't know you don't know.
It's a strategy for seeing an opportunity with every challenge.
It's an approach for facing changes and challenges with courage and confidence, despite the fear.
It's a mindset of always building and growing.
It's an intellectual quality which helps to manage the emotional responses to difficult circumstances.
It's a strategy for making plans, and then agilely navigating with the circumstances, within clearly defined guardrails.
Below is a compilation of their advice and best practices.
Plan Strategically
Take a big-picture view, strategically managing interdependencies and partnerships to optimize results.
Align people across the organization around the growth imperative and focus on collaboratively delivering results.
Be passionate about what you do and resourceful and collaborative about how it gets done. Help those around you to do the same.
Listen closely to the voice of the customer, the evolution of the market so that you can grow strategically to meet their needs.
Inspire, Enable, Empower and Connect
Inspire, empower and enable people around you to participate and contribute, celebrating shared accomplishments along the way.
Be empathetic, meeting people where they are.
Build deep, broad, and trust-based relationships which align with individual, team and corporate needs.
Develop muscles and skillset around growth, so that the Growth Mindset becomes part of the culture.
Connect people across products, geographies, groups, silos, etc., so that the company can act as one team to address opportunities and challenges.
Communicate Clearly and Transparently
Communicate the business case with data to help you get the resources and support and engagement necessary for success.
Strategically communicate the WIIFM (what's in it for me) to all stakeholders so that all parties understand how they personally impact the organization.
With all this said, our panelists also commented that there are times when a company should *not* adopt a growth mindset. For example:
when there's too much risk involved
when the market and customer needs start shifting
when human or organizational capacity cannot meet the anticipated growth needs
when market uncertainties impact the projected growth path, etc.,
The bottom line is that change is a given, and growth keeps companies relevant and solvent, perhaps even helping leaders plan for a future they can't see.
Perhaps we can all be more comfortable being uncomfortable if we adopt a Growth Mindset...