An article from the New York Times discusses research by the Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, author of “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”, has found that people generally approach life with one of two mind-sets when thinking about their talents and abilities…
“Those who believe they were born with all the smarts and gifts they’re ever going to have approach life with what she calls a ‘fixed mind-set.’ Those who believe that their own abilities can expand over time, however, live with a ‘growth mind-set.’… Guess which ones prove to be most innovative over time… ‘People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes. But people who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.’ In this case, nurture wins out over nature just about every time.”
This research confirms what we have always known about great leaders, they continually seek to grow and increase their personal talents and abilities. In his book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, John Maxwell refers to this as the Law of the Lid’…
“Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness…. the higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be. What ever you will accomplish is restricted by your ability to lead others…. Leadership ability is always the lid on personal and organizational effectiveness.”
A fixed mind-set creates a lib on our leadership potential, it constrains us, preventing us from becoming effective leaders. Talent will only take you so far, the higher you go, the greater the need for leadership. We can all develop and increase our leadership capability. To be effective we need to raise our “leadership lid” through continuous learning and development, and to grow leaders must adopt a growth mind-set. When leaders stop growing, they stop leading…! Continual personal growth is central to effective leadership.
As leaders build their teams, they should be looking not only for talented individuals, but also for individuals who have a growth mind-set.
“Ms. Dweck does not suggest that recruiters ignore innate talent. Instead, she suggests looking for both talent and a growth mind-set in prospective hires — people with a passion for learning who thrive on challenge and change…. People with a growth mind-set tend to demonstrate the kind of perseverance and resilience required to convert life’s setbacks into future successes. That ability to learn from experience was cited as the No. 1 ingredient for creative achievement in a poll of 143 creativity researchers cited in ‘Handbook of Creativity’ in 1999.”
Look to build your teams with talented individuals who have a grow mind-set. People who continually seek to grow and develop themselves.
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