A GROWTH MINDSET can change everything!

If you’ve subscribed to this newsletter, it’s safe to say that you are curious, love to learn, and are invested in improving your communication skills. In other words, you’ve got a GROWTH MINDSET.

Are you wondering what you can do to cultivate your growth mindset even further?

This week I’m excited to share a few strategies to help you do just that! Are you ready?

3 things to Talk About this week:

1. Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
2. How to cultivate your growth mindset
3. So, you want to consume more books…

1️⃣ Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset

The term growth mindset was coined by Dr. Carol S. Dweck, and is based on the belief that your skills and abilities can be developed through hard work. The flip side of that is the fixed mindset, based on the belief that our skills, talents, and abilities are predetermined and unchangeable.

Often, what distinguishes a growth mindset from a fixed mindset is how we react to adversity.

Here are 3 things you can do to help shift from a fixed to a growth mindset:

1. When you succeed at something, celebrate the process. Recognize and celebrate your hard work and effort…. not just the outcome!

2. When you are at the outset of a project, especially one that takes you out of your comfort zone, focus on the process and the opportunity to learn new skills.

3. When you experience failure or receive negative feedback, ask yourself what you can learn from the experience.

Looking for inspiration?
Watch THIS CLIP of billionaire Sara Blakely.

2️⃣ How to cultivate your growth mindset

Adopting a growth mindset may seem like a simple decision, but the act of cultivating one requires time, effort, and commitment. Sometimes it might even involve a financial commitment, for example, enrolling in a course or workshop to develop particular skills.

Fortunately, there are many ways to cultivate your growth mindset that can easily be incorporated into your day-to-day routine.

Learn Something New – Select a topic of interest to you and learn about it! Your learning doesn’t need to take place in a formal setting for it to count. There are countless books, articles, podcasts, and YouTube tutorials that can make learning enjoyable and manageable within a busy schedule.

Ask for Feedback – But be strategic about it. Instead of asking for general feedback, ask for specific examples of what you should start, continue, and stop doing.

Recognize Your Progress – Take time to reflect on your personal growth and all that you’ve learned.

Embrace Mistakes – Treat mistakes as the ultimate opportunity to learn, and if you are a manager, model this behaviour for your direct reports.

3️⃣ So, you want to consume more books…

One of the simplest and most accessible ways to cultivate your growth mindset is by reading more books.

I recently asked my friend Adam Ashton, prodigious reader and host of the What You Will Learn podcast, for his advice on consuming more books. Here’s what he had to say: