Encouraging growth mindset and change readiness in my team
How can I encourage growth mindset and change readiness in my team?
Innate to human beings is the perception of change as a threat to our existence. A change in circumstances or of situations tends to induce, in human beings, the instinctive fight or flight reaction. When this reaction prevails, blood rushes into the amygdala, positioned in the base of the brain, and travels away from the human executive function, an area of the brain which controls logical responses. As a result, human behaviour becomes irrational and symptoms, including an increase in breath and heartbeat, can manifest.
Despite the overwhelming effects which appear because of the fight or flight reaction, there is potential to transform the instinctive reaction of human beings into a considered response. By pausing and enabling the human executive function to catch up with the prehistoric instinct, humans can create an opportunity for the threatened brain to subside and the thinking brain to continue functioning.
Just as an innate reaction can be converted into a considered response, in order to achieve more desirable outcomes, a VUCA (an acronym which stands for volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) working environment can be transformed into a world of vision, understanding, clarity and agility.
In times of great uncertainty, there are various strategies leaders and managers can employ to manage colleagues’ mindsets and develop their readiness to change. Firstly, by encouraging a growth mindset, a frame of mind in which people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, leaders and managers can empower colleagues to feel committed to the core purposes of their organisation. Asking colleagues to perceive failure as an opportunity to grow helps to guarantee effective collaboration and inspire innovative solutions within the workplace.
Secondly, by transitioning from weakness-based development to a strengths-based one, leaders and managers can shape an inspiring work culture. Central to strengths-based development is a way of thinking which starts with the individual colleague; an endeavour to improve and develop one’s own strengths; and a desire to feel motivated and energised. To instil strengths-based development within an organisation, leaders and managers must utilise appropriate resources. Strengthscope is a strengths-based assessment tool which aims to identify colleagues’ core capabilities to ensure they are being used in a manner which develops their personal performance levels and the organisation’s outputs. StrengthcopeEngage is a similar tool which, by measuring changes in staff engagement and productive use of strengths, provides managerial advice for strengths-based development. Appropriate tools, such as the ones mentioned, will enable leaders and managers to identify the strengths of team members and, in doing so, will help colleagues reframe their capabilities and realise their potential. By using a framework of which 80% focuses on skills and 20% concentrates on areas of development, managers and leaders can instil a work culture which transforms problems into opportunities and engenders positive levels of engagement, hopefulness, and solutions.
Lastly, by embracing the three p’s (passion, purpose and a positive outlook), leaders, managers and team members can develop a positive mindset capable of achieving long-term goals and unaffected by changes which initiate the prehistoric instinct.
