Learning mindsets and closed mindsets at work

The energy cost

Leaders can expend a lot of energy dealing with people on the team who have a fixed or closed mindset about management, the direction the organization is taking and the need to be innovative and adaptable. Not to say that their perceptions are not accurate, but people who default towards a closed mindset, tend to favour an organizational structure that is more command and control and conservative in outlook.

From a time and energy perspective, a leader who adopts a collaborative approach and encourages her people to explore new ways of being competitive and relevant in the marketplace, will spend an inverse amount of time getting a few closed mindset people to change lenses. In other words, to start showing up differently.

Research by Carol Dweck

According to Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, decades of research on achievement and success have led her to the groundbreaking principle of the mindset. We either approach life with a fixed or closed mindset, or we lean into life with a growth or learning mindset.

Whereas a closed mindset can be described as being more rigid in outlook and will stifle innovation and fresh thinking, Dweck says a learning mindset invites possibility, is more collaborative and embraces feedback. And contrary to the closed mindset perception that IQ is fixed, a learning mindset is a shift to continuous learning and self-mastery.

Characteristics of a growth or learning mindset

Based on Dweck’s insights, here are four insights that have been slightly adapted for the workplace:

• A desire to learn from mistakes and embrace challenges
• A habit of leaning towards and inviting feedback
• A practice of encouraging innovation and inviting possibility
• A drive to master new skills and to understand new information

The good news is that anyone at any time can initiate a shift from a closed mindset to a learning mindset. It’s a shift to a mindset that is collaborative, open, authentic, empathic and relevant.

So, how does a leader deal with closed mindsets at work?

1. The leader should first ensure he or she models the learning mindset approach.
2. The leader should cultivate a culture of collaborative learning. For example, include learning reviews in the performance reviews.
3. The leader should have the necessary in-person conversations with those employees and indeed, all employees and set in place expectations and measures that challenge them to embrace a learning mindset at work.

Although counterintuitive, the three steps listed above will take time for a leader to integrate. The results will be staggeringly different, including the levels of energy at work as employees embrace a learning mindset and start showing up differently.

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