How a Growth Mindset Leads to Radical Transformation

Times have changed. This is NOT new news. What IS new news is HOW people and businesses are (or not) evolving with change. If there is one thing I've learned over the years is that people will not change unless they want to. I was one of them. Sometimes it’s because we don’t know any different and sometimes it’s because we simply choose not to change.

Radical transformation is happening in our world today. After many years of status quo and same old, same old, change comes at us from all aspects of our life and can be difficult to move through. So, I started thinking about why change is so hard and here is the story that evolved.

Companies have divisions dedicated to moving people through change, yet most of the time, it’s completely focused on and about the business result. Success is measured and attained when the result(s) happens. This is true and profitable for the business, however what about the growth and leadership needed to support the person through the change?

Often, change is overwhelming and if not managed, there is an unhealthy path of destruction. Burn out, addiction, personal life and relationships are affected. Too often as I coach clients and teams, I hear how frustrated, alone and helpless they feel. Here are a few staggering statistics on what is going on in the workplace today:

• 68% of employees are disengaged (gulp)
• 75% of employees leave their job due to their manager
• As huge numbers of Baby Boomer retire, 43% of millennials envision leaving their jobs within 2 years, and only 28% are looking to stay beyond 5 years
• When Millennials jump ship, it’s most often because they feel underutilized and stagnant at work

Disruptors play a big part in today’s productivity and satisfaction in both our personal and professional life:

1.    Technology is rapidly evolving and will completely shift the workplace. Automation will improve productivity and as businesses adjust processes to include technology, jobs will see a major shift.

• Technology will take away jobs.
• At the same time, technology will add new jobs (which don’t yet exist)
• Upskilling and EQ/Leadership development to fill these jobs is critical
• Even with that said, there are not enough people to fill the jobs, which leads to our next disruptor

 2.    Shifting generations in the workplace. Did you know 31 million skilled trade jobs will be left vacant by retiring baby boomers? 

3.    Meanwhile millennial student debt is up 70% in the last 10 years, they view loyalty in terms of months and they are not super awesome with the 9-5 cubicle

4.    Information overload is real. We live in a connected world. Privacy is hard to come by and the outlets for information are endless. We are connected 24/7. Again, this is great for business results, but without intention, has dramatic effect on the people. Let’s face it, when we are unhappy at work, we take it home and when we are unhappy at home, we bring it to work. In our highly connected and chaotic world, the need for intentional self care is at an all time epidemic high.

Constant and rapid change is the new normal and businesses are adjusting at the same time as the people. Based on all the above, I think we understand the what and why, but not always the HOW. This is the gap. When it comes to the future of work, we are in uncharted water and both businesses and people are looking for the how. How to move through change. How to be happy. How to make money. How to stay afloat. How to prioritize. HOw to retool operations. How to be seen. How to be productive. How to stay healthy. How to sustain results. Yet there is little alignment between getting business results and wellness programs. Both are important, yet without the leadership development and up-skilling to teach people how to think, be and work differently in our future of work, we are fighting a losing battle.  

• 77% of organizations report a gap in leadership development
• If a job lacks growth opportunities and avenues for leadership development, 67% of millennials would leave that position
• Offering career training and development would keep 86% of millennials from leaving their current position - Bridge

So, in a world constantly noisy, shifting and evolving, what is the new normal? What is the answer? The answer is that there is no normal anymore. In almost every aspect of life, the new normal is constant evolution. Consistent growth, both personally and professionally.

What does all this mean? It means that we are never done growing. It used to be go to school, get a job and stay in that job until you retire. This is just simply not the case anymore. The workforce has changed and evolved. What we are seeing is people sitting back and waiting to see what happens. We/You/I can not afford to do this. There is an urgency in the air that has not been there in the past. Have you asked yourself what this means to you? How are you evolving? How are you growing?

Whether you are reading this and thinking about it from a personal perspective, a professional perspective, or from being a business owner, please understand that you can no longer sit back and wait for “it” to happen. Same old, sake old does not exist anymore. We are in a new day where we must take control of our life and/or business and do things differently. It’s about rising up in your own leadership to get curious and ask some tough questions. 

Abe Lincoln’s quote “Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the saw.” If you are still with me and this resonates, here are 3 first steps to take in order to channel your inner Abe Lincoln and begin to figure out what the right next step is for you:

1.    Personal Assessment - Have you done a personal assessment? Where am I and where do I want to go? What’s working, what’s not working? What lights me up? Ask others to get feedback and use that feedback to understand where you can expand and grow.

2.    Business Assessment – If you are a business owner, you create the culture; the good, the bad and unfortunately the ugly. Be honest with yourself and think about what you have created. What’s working, what’s not working. What do I need to do to set the business and my team up to win? How can I develop my team so they thrive both at work AND at home? How can you deliver on what customers expect?

3.    Rituals and Systems – What rituals do you have in your personal life that keep you healthy and operating at optimal productivity? What systems have you created to define how the business will operate? Have you communicated to the team and are they aware and implementing?

Many organizations today are focusing on up skilling the technical side of the business. As AI becomes more of a reality, it’s easy to focus on the immediate need for advanced technical skills. This is important, don’t get me wrong. It’s a quick fix and will not address the big picture.

The last statistic I want to leave you with is 90% of top performers are high in emotional intelligence. On the flip side, just 20% of bottom performers are high in emotional intelligence. This one stumps me. Why are we not doubling down on training leadership and EQ skills as a core competency?

Imagine a world where we could inject transformational leadership and EQ skills into all levels of an organization? ALL LEVELS. Leadership skills do not require a title. Imagine how every employee having a growth mindset would impact the results of the business?

Imagine how it would impact personal and professional results and relationships?

Imagine every employee is a profit center and every manager/leader’s engagement results at an all time high. How might that ignite wellness and help bring together Work + Life “Balance”.

Imagine all employees at all levels show up each day with a growth mindset and the leadership skills to create outstanding results while at the same time maintaining a happy, centered life in all areas of their life.

THAT is radical transformation. 

Click HERE to schedule a FREE consultation to inquire about Leadership, Strategy and Mindset speaking, training or coaching, both personally and professionally.

In Love, Light and Leadership,

Tina Paulus-Krause,

True You Teams, LLC

Trueyouteams.com

[email protected] 

https://lifeskillsthatmatter.com/future-of-work-statistics/