Growth is Good

Growth (noun): The act or process, or a manner of growing; development; gradual increase

Whether it is the doorframe marking your toddlers’ height or the increase in practice profit over prior year, it is always fun to track growth. Some growth is easy to track but while other growth is a little nebulous.

For example, how do you measure the growth of your team?

  • Is it just the number of team members?

  • Is it the ability to do more work with the same team?

  • Do you measure as a total and/or with individual team members?

  • Are you pushing for growth with your team and giving them the opportunities to grow?

In education theory, there is a big push towards moving students away from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

  • A student with a fixed mindset believes they are born with a certain intelligence, skills and abilities that cannot change. They are often tempted to see mistakes as failures and may be tempted to give up when things get hard.

  • In contrast, students with a growth mindset know they can develop their skills and talents through effort and persistence. These students are comfortable confronting challenges and are receptive to lessons and feedback.

Just like a great teacher, your goal should be to help your team members build confidence by implementing some simple strategies to help them develop the skills to meet challenges. From teaching research, here are six ways to develop a growth mindset with your team:

  1. EMBRACE IMPERFECTION. Encourage team members to view their mistakes as important steps in their learning journey.  Reinforce the idea that no one has ever learned something valuable without making mistakes along the way (that includes you & me).

  2. REFRAME CHALLENGES AS OPPORTUNITIES. Cultivating a growth mindset is about teaching your team how to learn and use strategies to overcome challenges. Explain the benefits of overcoming obstacles for people who push through comfort zones to meet challenges head on.

  3. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELF-EVALUATION. Take time to help team members reflect on both their successes and failures. Help them discover more about their ability to work through a problem to find a solution. Praise the process followed, the effort and individual development over the result alone.

  4. HELP YOUR TEAM CHANGE THEIR LANGUAGE. Language – written and spoken – is an excellent tool for helping team members see the difference between fixed and growth mindsets. Put this to the test by having them practice phrases that promote a growth mindset “Mistakes help you learn.” Avoid language like “You’re so smart” or “Wrong answer.”

  5. TRY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES. Use a variety of instructional strategies tailored to meet the learning needs of all team members. For content use video and audio clips, presentations, and other mediums. Have students work individually, in pairs, and in small and large groups to solve practice challenges.

  6. MODEL A GROWTH MINDSET FOR TEAM MEMBERS. As the critical role model for your team, it’s important for you to let them see your growth mindset in action. Be honest about something that is difficult for you. Tell your team when you’re discouraged and discuss solutions with them. Involving your team helps them see the need to work though challenges to make progress.

Jeff Gullickson