Growth mindset or change mindset?

I was recently asked to talk about my ‘growth mindset’ at a manufacturing sector conference. Really? I thought. What can I talk about that would engage the audience for a 30-min mid-afternoon presentation slot? But then I double-checked AI for a definition of growth mindset and realised I just needed to be honest and real.

Apparently growth mindset is a concept based on the idea that abilities are not fixed and can instead be developed over time. For me, this is true, however it’s also about how you react to change.

Change is inevitable. Good and bad. When sharing my stories with a room full of people I decided to start with an example of the former. As a young management consultant in my mid 20s I was offered the opportunity to spend one month over in Spain. I jumped at the opportunity. There was just one limiting factor though – on day one I couldn’t speak a single word of the native language. Needless to say I leant quickly and was conversational in Spanish within those 30 days. I grabbed the opportunity with both hands despite the stumbling blocks ahead.

It's important to have a positive approach to change – to embrace it, enjoy it, anticipate it and learn from it. I shared numerous examples of when I’ve had to do this over my career, however the one which most likely struck the biggest chord with a room full of engineers and manufacturing experts was about how I’ve learnt to apply a growth mindset in a business context, rather than just personal context.

When I joined ELE as CEO the business was dominated by one major customer, purchasing?price sensitive products. From early on, it was crucial to prompt change to drive growth. We did this by investing in niche technologies and have now progressed to working with circa 15 international blue chip customers. The journey demanded a lot of effort – as a team we needed to galvanise and develop a common purpose. However, we achieved this and have grown significantly over recent years as a result.

The one thing I was wary of, however, when talking at this conference, was standing up and professing that everything I touch turns to gold. Certainly not. That’s just not how life is. And success is not just about graphs and metrics (even if the lines are climbing up the right direction).

Growth mindset is more about how to deal with the testing times. The challenging, problematic times, when things go wrong or off track. How to embrace the journey, and not be driven by fear. This may be starting to sound like a motivational handbook, and for that I almost apologise. (‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ is a great book btw if you are into that kind of thing). However the key message I want to share is get out there, make mistakes and learn from them. I speak from experience – been there, done that, got the t-shirt. What could you achieve if you had no fear?

Finishing on a lighter note, the personal story I closed with, was one about my quest for fitness. When joining ELE 19 years ago I was unfortunately diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I decided I’d try to take up running, but to begin with progress was slow (i.e. stood still). Luckily, one day several months in I arrived at my desk to find a pair of brand-new running shoes on my desk from a supportive colleague who’d recognised I needed a push (I’ve still no idea how they knew my shoe size …). Years on I still continue to run. Over the years I have completed around ten half marathons and four full marathons. The final message here is – surround yourself with positive, supportive people who share your mindset. We’re all in this together.

After the presentation I had a couple of people come over to me to say they’d enjoyed hearing my stories – which was great to hear following my initial sense of caution. It’s good to share our experiences with other people – warts and all. We’re all learning. Who could you support on their growth journey or who could help you?