Change the Man or Change the Man

Often for people in an organisation to change, they need to see the leader also undergoing change and willing to transform. Too often people want others to change but if you are part of the system then you to will by definition go through a personal transformation.

Many Entrepreneurs are also on a hero's journey and the arc of change is fundamental and reflected in the DNA of the organisation they create.

The universal truth is that our journey is one of constant change but sometimes we are unwilling to change.

People only change when the pain of staying in the same place is more than the pain of change.

We can either embrace change and avoid the lost time and stress/pain of the current change or embrace it.

One enabler is to develop a growth mindset that wants to engage in challenges, learn new skills etc and "rewire our brain".

A growth mindset and a fixed mindset refer to two different sets of beliefs that people can have about intelligence and abilities. Here are some key differences:

Growth Mindset:

• Believes that intelligence and talents can be developed through effort, learning, persistence, and good strategies. Sees challenges and failures as opportunities to improve.
• Embraces challenges, persists through setbacks, learns from criticism, and is inspired by the success of others.
• Focuses on personal growth rather than worrying about looking smart. Feels smartness comes through commitment and effort.

Fixed Mindset:

• Believes that intelligence and talents are fixed traits that cannot change much. Wants to look smart without much effort.
• Avoids challenges, gives up easily, ignores useful negative feedback, and feels threatened by the success of others.
• Plateau early and achieve less than their full potential. Focuses on looking smart rather looking for opportunities to learn.

A growth mindset believes abilities can be developed while a fixed mindset believes abilities are fixed. The growth mindset leads to greater achievement over time while those with a fixed mindset may plateau early. Developing a growth mindset is important for any skill acquisition or learning.

The Cycle of Stress, Failure, Learned Helplessness.

The insidious cycle of failure, stress, learned helplessness, and fixed mindset tends to unfold in the following way.

1. Failure at a challenging task - They take on a goal but fall short despite effort. Feelings of failure ensue.
2. Stress response - Failure causes them stress as they feel they disappointed themselves or others. Self-doubt arises.
3. Learned helplessness sets in - Repeated failures lead them to believe they cannot succeed no matter what they try. Feel incapable.
4. Fixed mindset solidifies - Due to learned helplessness, they attribute failures to a fixed, innate lack of talent or intelligence. Feel doomed.
5. Challenge avoidance - The fixed mindset causes them to avoid meaningful challenges that could disprove their fixed beliefs about innate flaws.
6. Atrophy and plateauing - By avoiding challenges their skills plateau and atrophy, ensuring any talent goes undeveloped, while successes remain elusive.
7. Repeat failure - When finally forced to attempt challenges again, predictable failure repeats due to avoidance and atrophy of talent accelerating the cycle.

This sequence illustrates how learned helplessness promotes fixed beliefs about innate permanent deficiencies, fueling counterproductive avoidance of challenges and developmental opportunities in a vicious downward failure spiral. It takes gritty persistence coupled with growth mindset beliefs to reverse course.

Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness can promote a fixed mindset.

1. Attribution of failures to internal, permanent causes: With learned helplessness, people tend to believe failures or setbacks are due to internal, fixed personal flaws rather than external or changeable factors. This feeds a fixed mindset mentality.
2. Avoidance of challenge: After repeated failures, learned helplessness leads people to avoid meaningful challenges that could help them grow. They stick to easy tasks to avoid failure, stunting growth.
3. Lower persistence: People experiencing learned helplessness tend to give up faster when facing obstacles. Persisting despite setbacks is key to a growth mindset.
4. Ignoring feedback: Individuals with learned helplessness discard or ignore constructive feedback tied to their failures more readily. A growth mindset involves carefully listening to feedback.
5. Negative self-talk: The internal narrative with learned helplessness focuses on permanent personal deficiencies rather than changeable factors they can control. Growth mindset thinking is more empowering.

Essentially, learned helplessness makes people feel incapable of change or growth in the face of challenge. Shifting those attributions and beliefs to be more empowering and focused on progress requires adopting more of a growth mindset.

One of the responses to a challenge when we are stressed is to try harder initially rather than try something different. Unfortunately when this results in failure we lose our confidence, self esteem and lose the desire to try.

Successful people know that sometimes one needs to try a different path while keeping clarity about our goal.

1. The greater risks and challenges attempted through increased effort allow more potential for setbacks of "bad luck". Failures are seen as proof one is fundamentally unlucky rather than learning opportunities.
2. Someone stuck in learned helplessness is primed to interpret difficulties as confirmation that external factors outside their control regulate outcomes. It feeds a perception of worsening luck.
3. A fixed mindset assumes talent and success should come naturally. Needing greater effort is interpreted as a sign of permanent personal deficiencies and fundamental bad luck at one's lot in life.
4. With each heightened effort that still fails due to the normal challenges of ambitious goals, it feels like evidence of getting progressively "luckier" in the worst way. Reversing course becomes harder psychologically.

Breaking free from Learned Helplessness/Fixed Mindset.

1. Recognise your self-talk - Identify if your inner narrative around challenges focuses on permanent traits or fixable factors under your control. Counter fixed claims.
2. Try growth mindset affirmations - Affirm that you can grow abilities through effort; claim setbacks help you improve. Reinforce growth beliefs verbally.
3. Focus on progress, not perfection - Measure learning gains instead of performance outcomes. Small progress promotes growth mindset.
4. Take on challenges - Pursue increasingly difficult tasks. Experience overcoming challenges proves abilities can be developed.
5. Learn from inspiring innovators - Read biographies of innovators who overcame early difficulties. Absorb their growth mindset stories.
6. Cultivate grit and perseverance - Persist through the frustration barrier on complex tasks. Grit defeats learned helplessness.
7. Reward effort, not just outcome - Praise yourself more for effort expenditure than success alone. Spotlight process over results.
8. Seek input from growth mindset mentors - Find mentors who can model growth mindset thinking in the face of adversity. It rubs off!