Episode 57: The Fixed Versus Growth Mindset
In episode 57, Sam dives deep into one of the fundamental missing pieces in efficiency, effectiveness and success and that is the mindset shift from a fixed to a growth mindset. This comes from Carol Dweck’s research and hugely popular book ‘Mindset’.
Sam explains what fixed and growth mindsets are, and then shares a personal story about how this fixed versus growth mindset shift really became obvious to her.
Even more than that, Sam explores why this is so crucial to the accounting industry and why it’s fundamental to the work BlueprintHQ does with firms.
Sam covers the five aspects of each mindset and some examples of how each plays out in our industry. Plus, the stories we tell ourselves about communication and the boundaries we need to have around who we will and won’t take feedback from.
Finally, Sam shares why the way we approach the success of others from either a growth or fixed mindset impacts our own success.
Listen to an excerpt
What we cover in this episode
The underpinning factor in Mindset conversations
About Carol Dweck’s research on Fixed vs Growth Mindset
A personal story about how this really became obvious for Sam
What is Fixed versus Growth Mindset
Why this is crucial to our industry and to the work we do in BlueprintHQ
Some examples of Fixed versus Growth Mindset in our industry
The five aspects of each mindset
Why it matters whether you avoid or embrace challenges
How we respond to obstacles, failures, mistakes and setbacks in each mindset
The way our approach to effort plays out in our industry, including effort = time, and our focus on chargeable hours
How we approach criticism and feedback in each mindset
Why feedback was the biggest piece for Sam
The stories we tell ourselves about communication
The boundaries you need around who you take feedback from
Why the way we approach the success of others from either a growth or fixed mindset impacts our own success
Quotes
“While I do agree that technology is very important…that wasn't the solution. I had gone to conferences, I had read what was available both within the industry and outside it. I’d done the spreadsheets, systems and processes, doing everything that everyone told me to do. But my success was very limited.”
“At the end of the day, our industry is a relationship industry. We have access to 90% of SME owners out there. And we also have people in our businesses. People are what makes our businesses. Any kind of scale or leverage that we want, particularly going forward, needs to be around people. You can build businesses around technology, but you still need that human connection.”
“Those mistakes are rich, that's what causes us to grow. So it isn't a successes that actually cause us to grow. It's actually our failures.”
“When mistakes or failures or obstacles happen, a fixed mindset says, ‘I'm not going to try that again.” And a growth mindset goes, ‘Oh, isn't that interesting,’ and then goes back into it and tries it again. Persistence!”
“I still don't like criticism, I still don’t like feedback, but I look for it in everything that I do. Because I know that that feedback that's valuable. Just a little bit of a warning on this one, no, only take criticism and feedback about people who actually deserve that right to give you criticism or feedback. So of course, your clients, but you need to structure it in a safe way.
“A fixed mindset tends to feel threatened by the success of others,…a growth mindset always finds inspiration and ask and finds lessons from somebody else. And honestly, it's so powerful and valuable and it also shifts the energy around you as well…If you really celebrate other people's success, your success will also come.”
Links
Book by Carol Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Bitesize read of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success on Blinkist
Ted Talk by Carol Dweck - The Power of Believing that You Can Improve
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