What Employers Are Really Saying About Mindsets

"Mindset is what separates the best from the rest" is the verse you are very familiar with. Our mind plays tricks with us, often asking us to stay within our comfort zone. But why and how to adopt growth mindset at workplace and in everyday lives?

An interesting research suggested that an average person has 6200 thoughts every day. Of those thousands of thoughts, 80% were negative, and 95% were exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before (Lydon-Staley, D.M., Kuehner, C., Zamoscik,?2019). When we have uncertainty and unsettled thoughts such as where to stay, which company to work for and what further courses I should study; our brain interprets these scenarios as danger and decided to take a “better safe than sorry” approach to uncertainties, both big and small (Meg Jay, Harvard Business Review, 2020).

Above brief introduction leads us to the topic 'what employers are really saying about mindsets'. In the next four examples common in the workplace, I will share the solutions on how to resolve the common frustrations I have faced throughout my career journey:

1. Can you handle this new task? When you are given a new task you have never done before, do you think: A. I don't have this talent or I never studied this before? OR B. Okay, where can I research about this task? At workplace, is common that we are expected to deliver or handle tasks that are out of the job description; a fixed mindset staff will choose answer A and a growth mindset staff will believe he or she has the capability to learn and grow new skills. According to Sebastian Bailey who hold degree in Psychology with Cognitive Science: "The research shows that when we switch to a growth mindset, we find a new drive to keep going when things get tough – safe in the knowledge that we can and will improve with a bit of extra effort."

2. What my boss 'suggested' is hurtful for me. Fixed mindset is just like victim mindset, tricks us to think we are not good enough, that others can do better than us, that suggestion is based on me and I, hence taking the advice personally. On the other hand, growth mindset suggests us to know our worth, clarify, stop worrying about what others' think of us and take that constructive feedback to improve our work performance! Hence, what superior are saying is: "Feedback is necessary for staff to grow."

3. I am either good at it, or I'm not. Fixed mindset would think that I don't have the natural talents to do something whereas growth mindset would think that effort and attitude can determine one's ability. Perfect example here is the host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey who fight through poverty and abuse, she said:

“The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free.”

So what bosses are really saying is that you can do anything as long as you are willing to try, and willing to spend extra hours to learn and implement. Don't overthink, just do it!

4. Threatened by others' success. As team leader or senior, we can easily identify if our juniors are feeling inspired or threatened by the way they respond to their peers' success stories. Instead of looking at the numbers or achievements on the board, why not reflect on these questions: "What can I learn from this person? Is it grit? Determination? Keep trying?" or "Am I worrying I can't do the same?" or "Is my definition of success related to only work?". Staff who adopt growth mindset appreciates positive and healthy competition, and sometimes these stories motivate us to work harder, perform better!

With the examples above, we can learn that managing our thoughts and our mindset plays a crucial role in enhancing our future and life. Don't get fooled by previous bad experiences, we can always rewire our brain just like the examples above. Hope you learn a thing or two in this article, all the best in your future!