What do Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and Albert Einstein have in common? These famous individuals all possess what Stanford University Psychology Professor Carol S Dweck termed as a “growth mindset.”
Through her research on human motivation and mindset, Professor Dweck identified people with two types of mindsets - fixed and growth mindset. Individuals with fixed mindset believe qualities like intelligence or talent are fixed traits which drive success. They typically avoid conflicts or problems out of the fear of failure. They are insecure and feel threatened by others’ successes.
On the other hand, individuals with growth mindset have a love for and celebrate learning because they believe new abilities can be developed through practice. They are inspired by others’ successes and view problems or challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. They learn the skill of learning.
Contrary to popular belief that brain plasticity was only possible during early childhood, recent advances in neuroplasticity research supports the premise that the brain, like a muscle, does change physically, chemically, and functionally throughout our lives. These changes are manifested through mental exercises and continuous learning. The brain is a “pattern-seeking device” i.e., when neurons are activated in a particular way, a pathway is created and repetition strengthens this pathway, forming a new habit (the brain remembers the task). The converse is true as well. Neural pathways that are underused will weaken or be replaced over time.
This new workshop entitled "Empowering Growth Mindset at Work for Personal Success", challenges participants’ beliefs by offering a fresh perspective of what drives success. They will discover that the journey is as, if not, more important than the destination. They learn the skill of learning, regardless the outcome. This process involves applying effort, learning, reflection, reassessment, and then more effort and learning to a myriad of circumstances. A growth mindset unleashes potential and through time, leads to newfound skills mastery.
This workshop also offers participants the opportunity to revisit and recalibrate their top 5 core values which feeds into their strategies for nurturing a growth mindset going forward.
Launched recently in early April at one of the government ministries, it received very positive feedback with one participant commenting that it was the best workshop he has ever attended.
Contact Keith (keith@empowertnc.com) or Stephanie (stephanie@empowertnc.com) if you would like to know more about this highly interactive and engaging programme or if you are thinking of piloting this within your organisation.