Imagine this: There are 100 business leaders in a room, and you ask them to raise their hand if they think that they have a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset. Do you think that any of these leaders will raise their hands?
I don’t!
Yet, despite this, after working with hundreds of leadership groups, I have found that approximately 60% of leaders possess a fixed mindset. And, this is a serious barrier to their effectiveness as leaders.
In this article, I want to explain:
- The difference between fixed and growth mindsets,
- Why leaders struggle so commonly with a fixed mindset,
- The impact of leaders having a fixed mindset, and
- What can be done about it.
The Difference Between Fixed and Growth Mindsets
Let me start with the formal definition of a Fixed Mindset
When someone has a fixed mindset, they generally hold the belief that they or others cannot change their talents, abilities, or intelligence. They think: I am who I am, and there is nothing I can really do about that.
With this mindset, people with a fixed mindset tend to see their world in “haves” and “have nots.” If something doesn’t come naturally to them or if they fail at something, they see themselves as a “have not” that can’t become a “have.”
How is a Fixed Mindset generally manifested in leaders?
When leaders possess a fixed mindset, their body’s internal operating system is wired to want to avoid failure so that they do not feel like a failure or look like a failure in the lives of others.
In performance contexts, when there is the option between choosing to (1) do what they have done in the past, or (2) try a new potentially better way of operating, those with a fixed mindset will choose option #1. This is because, to them, it is more of a sure way to avoid looking like a failure.
What is a Growth Mindset?
When leaders possess a growth mindset, they believe that they can change their talents, abilities, and intelligence. They have a wide window of tolerance for failure. To them, failure is not a sign that they are a failure. Instead, failure is an important and necessary step in the learning and growing process. And, at the end of the day, people with a growth mindset are passionate about learning and growth, and are willing to wade into steep challenges as part of their effort of becoming better.
In performance contexts, when there is the option between choosing to (1) do what they have done in the past, or (2) try a new a potentially better way of operating, those with a fixed mindset will choose option #2. This is because, to them, if they continue to do what has worked in the past, they will not continue to learn and grow and will eventually become stale in the marketplace.
Why Do Leaders Struggle So Commonly with a Fixed Mindset?
As a whole, I find that leaders struggle more with a fixed mindset than non-leaders.
Why is this?
I believe it is because there is a lot of pressure on leaders to always look good. And, there are always social incentives associated with looking good and not failing, and commonly formal incentives.
This causes leaders to develop a narrow window of tolerance for failure. They become programmed to avoid any failure themselves or having any failure occur under their watch.
At a deep level, they possess a belief that if they fail, then they will be seen as a failure, will get stalled out in their career, or get fired.
The Impact of Leaders Having a Fixed Mindset
When leaders possess a fixed mindset and are wired to avoid failure and ensure they look good, they commonly misstep in two ways.
First, they continually hold on to what has worked in the past. They only want to do the things that they feel confident will be successful.
Second, they avoid stepping into learning zone challenges, or challenges that involve them stretching and trying to get to a level of operation that they have never been before.
The result of these two missteps is that leaders with a fixed mindset are not agile. They are slow to adopt to change, move behind the change curve, lack innovation, and create stale organizational culture.
They are also very strongly results focused. They are all about hitting the numbers. Not that there is anything wrong with hitting the numbers, but this focus is misguided. The best and growth minded leaders are purpose and culture focused. This helps them breathe life, vitality, and innovation into their organizations.
What Can Be Done About the Prevalence of Fixed Mindsets Amongst Leaders?
Let’s be clear: It is a huge problem that 60% of leaders have fixed mindsets. It is significantly holding back their leadership as well as their organization.
To help our leaders develop more growth mindsets, we need to think about this at the individual level and at the collective level.
Individual Level
At the individual level, we need to help leaders:
- Learn about mindsets
- Awaken to the quality of their mindsets
- Help them elevate their mindsets
In this process, we need to help leaders deepen their self-awareness and help them discover this driving internal need to look good and where it comes from. Armed with that information, leaders next need to be empowered to start working on their growth mindset and widening their window of tolerance for failure.
I generally help leaders do this through one-on-one coaching or by creating a series of group-level trainings and activities.
But, for now, here is a free mindset assessment that can be used right now to awaken to the quality of your mindsets: FREE Personal Mindset Assessment
Collective Level
At the collective level, we need to recognize that if there are strong social or formal pressures for our leaders to look good, they will naturally take on more of a fixed mindset.
Knowing this, we need to be intentional about creating more psychologically safe environments. We need top-level leaders who are purpose and culture focused, and who have wide windows of tolerance for failure.
A great example of this is Satya Nadella at Microsoft. When there was a massive public relations issues as a result of one of their artificial intelligence bots, Nadella did not come hard on the project leaders. Instead, he sent them a message that said, “Stick with it and know that I am with you.”
Did Nadella want failure? Of course not! But, Nadella knows that in the process of pushing the limits, failures will occur at times, and that is ok, if not encouraged.
Want to Elevate Your Leaders Mindsets?
The reality is that a fixed mindset is likely prevalent in your organization. If you would like help in getting your leaders to adopt more of a growth mindset, I would love to help. You can connect with me here, and we can discuss a variety of options to figure out what might be best for your situation.
