Jul
13
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.
Technorati Tags: Leadership, Growth, Mind-set, Development, Management, Business, Talent
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7 Responses to “Leaders who are open to growth… tend to grow”
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Not sure I agree…”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.”
For team or organizational performance: YES. For profound individual performance? Not sure I buy it-
Look at Einstein.
Not arguing the need for leadership, but there are climes and places where it is not necessary by the influential individual business or results sniper.
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Boom Daniel
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Boom -
I totally buy it. Einstein is actually a good example. He achieved extraordinary results and changed the way we think. He had an enormous influence on the world around him. Was he not a leader in the field of science?
One of my favorite Einstein leadership quotes: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new”.
What is becoming more and more indisputable is the need to grow and develop personally or professionally so as to be relevant and stay on top of the changes that occur in our lives as well as the marketplace. I will agree with you that those with growth mind-set will ultimately have the edge in a competitive environment and do well in the final analysis.
By Boom Daniel’s response I would believe that he has a limited view of leadership - as do most. Many only consider leaders in terms of followers. With that limited view Einstein may not be considered a leader. However, in my years of coaching on individual leadershipI have come to the conclusion that leaders do not need followers. Leaders are those who can set a vision for others to see in order to achieve. As Einstein has inspired many with his vision, the ‘many’ have continued his trek and advanced his work. Would not that be a leader?
D A Morton.
“Born leaders” have talents that are only developed over time hence they are always learning from experience.Applying what one learns makes leaders.
You cannot have a talentless leader.
Steve Coleman
http://www.businessmanagementbasics.com
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