Episode 84 – 2021 Success Map Series | Growth Mindset

Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong on how to create your success map to learn from 2020 and set your sights for success in 2021. We cover topics such as growth mindset, reflection, goal setting, actions, accountability & partnerships, and word for the year.

In this episode we dive into the growth mindset.

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Transcript

Becky Hammond  00:00

Well, hello, and Happy New Year, Murray. So fun to be chatting again with you and with leaders about what’s ahead.

Murray Guest  00:24

Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Becky have really enjoyed our conversations that we haven’t been recording!

Becky Hammond  00:32

I should record all of our conversations. That would be fun.

Murray Guest  00:37

And the reason I say that is because what we’re talking about in this specific episode is about having a growth mindset. And, in my reflection, I realized that that’s what we do. And we chat, we’ve got this growth mindset when we connect, and we talk. So we’re going to talk about a growth mindset and in this episode, and then we’re going to take people through this reflective process on 2020, to set them for success in 2021. But as I know, you like to share with me, there’s no magic switch on the 1st of Jan.

Becky Hammond  01:10

That is exactly right. Like 2020. Everyone, I just feel like even in social media, and and in some respects, the leaders that I’ve spoken to, they say, like, Oh, 2020 is an awful I’m looking forward to next year, but there’s no magic switch. And so how do we enter into even as we walk through, I’m excited to do that walk through the success map for 2021, which is a downloadable resource that you can access. And we’ll give you that link at the end of the episode. But I don’t think we can start just like ticking off questions, we really need to know like, what’s at the core of it? What kind of mindset do we need to have in order to even be successful to transition from one crazy year into potentially the next crazy year? And not just to be relying on? Oh, it’s going to be better? You know, what, what can we learn in the process? So you just introduced me to this amazing definition of growth mindset. So I’d love for you to kind of share where that came from.

Murray Guest  02:18

Well, I am mindful of us doing this at a very surface level. Sure. So I encourage people to to search out the work of Carol Dweck. She is very much a pioneer through her book mindset, the new psychology of success that came out in 2007, a great book. And in this book, I just want to read a direct quote, because I think that sums up really what we’re talking about here with a growth mindset. And Becky, I love your perspective on this as well. What Carol says in the book is “in the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome, if you fail, or if you’re not the best, it’s all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing, regardless of the outcome. They’re tackling problems charting new courses working on important issues. For example, maybe they haven’t found a cure for cancer, but the search was deeply meaningful.” I read that and I think Yep, I think about fixed mindset. And some people I’ve met over my my years where it’s like, ah, if we didn’t win, or we didn’t get the exact outcome, that was a waste of time. And that’s a fixed mindset versus Okay, we’re moving forward. There’s a pursuit of excellence. We’re learning in the process, where we’re growing, we’re sharing in this growth mindset. And I know, honestly, Becky, they’re the people I want to work with.

Becky Hammond  03:48

That’s true. The people as coaches, it’s awesome. When people have a growth mindset, and just as, as leaders of other people, when you can be the one who is leading the way, because in some ways it comes through as optimism instead of pessimism, right. It’s like, I can find something good out of this. And it’s not Pollyanna, we were talking about this at some in some other conversation. It’s not about just painting everything bright rainbow colors when it’s been very gray. And it’s been very grey this year, for a lot of people under a lot of circumstances. And even if you just even if it was you’re just counting the uncertainty that’s been laid over on top of everybody, let alone the the physical and financial downturns that a lot of people have experienced. But as as a leader, as a person who’s following a leader, you want to follow someone who paints a picture of what can be based on the hard things that we have done. Not necessarily someone who’s saying, oh, too bad. We didn’t get that goal. We’ll try again next year. There’s a difference. There’s a difference. You

Murray Guest  05:00

Yeah. And can I share another quote Becky?

05:03

Yeah.

Murray Guest  05:06

Well, we were talking about this one earlier. And I think I’ve got to share it because I love your reference to Pollyanna. And for those maybe in the southern hemisphere who aren’t familiar with Pollyanna, it is the fictitious young girl going through life that everything’s okay. And don’t worry about this catastrophe. And don’t worry about that. But it’s all going to be alright, I’m sure she got pig tails as she walks. That’s that fictitious sort of character. But the quote I want to share, which I think really combines beautifully with Carol Dwek quote that we shared before, and this is one from Admiral Jim Stockdale who got a medal of honor through being a POW and helping people get out from the Vietnam War. And in this quote, I think it sums up beautifully what you’re saying, Becky, and that is, “you must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end, which you can never afford to lose with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

06:11

Mm hmm.

Murray Guest  06:13

So there’s been some unfortunate, you know, we could just list so many of those brutal facts in 2020. that have been, as you said, tough for so many people in so many areas of their lives. But what we’re saying is, let’s not disregard those, but let’s acknowledge those, and then start to build this faith that will prevail in the end through that growth mindset about how we’re going to move forward. How can we take some lessons from that? Because as you said, on the first of January, our pandemic doesn’t just finish. It’s unfortunately, still around. But we’re going to acknowledge that. And then, okay, apply that growth mindset to move forward.

Becky Hammond  06:54

Yeah, yeah. I love that. And there’s hardly anyone that has experienced more brutality and be brutal facts, then a prisoner of war during the Vietnam era.

Murray Guest  07:07

Yeah, yeah. And of course, with this is a short conversation. And, you know, to do Admiral Jim Stockdale, the real respect he deserves, and that would be much bigger conversation. So again, encourage you to to look at his story. And you’re right, Becky, that some absolutely horrifying conditions that they would have faced? Yeah. I know that. a growth mindset is critical in leadership. Tell me Becky, with the leaders you’ve been working with? What have you know, that’s worked really well for them?

Becky Hammond  07:44

Yeah, it’s interesting. I think, especially because of these different layers of uncertainty or just different, you know, no matter what business people are in, something has changed. And so it seems that time scheduled is one of the biggest I was gonna say biggest, but really, it’s small, right? It’s very small thing, but most impactful small thing that leaders have done to make sure that they’re operating from a growth mindset. And growth mindset really comes from the power of reflecting. And we’re going to get into that as we explore the success map, and then the next conversation in more detail. But it really is about allowing space and time to reflect and take learnings from even the brutal facts. And so it’s going to look different, right? Like for me, it’s going to look like reserving the middle spaces. To think, you know, I, I have been listening to this really, really good book audiobook. But what I realized is it was stealing, it was stealing my in middle spaces to think to reflect on what has happened just to acknowledge, oh, this didn’t go as planned. But you know what, I can move forward and there’s going to be a better a better way forward, was kind of stealing those times. So I kind of had to steal those back, take them back for myself. And one particular leader that I was working with, just knew that he was a thinker, like from a CliftonStrength perspective, high in strategic thinking strengths. And he knew that about himself, but he realized that, oh, I actually need to schedule time in to think back and reflect. But it’s not gonna be the same for everybody. I know that you’ve had different experiences, as well as leaders that you’ve worked with, what are some other ways that people might grab on to continue to build and cultivate this growth mindset through reflection?

Murray Guest  09:50

Yeah, so the process I introduce a lot of leaders to is a stop, start, continue. Okay. So that’s very simply a framework of What do I need to stop doing? What can I start doing? What do I need to keep doing or continue doing? And I know a lot of leaders have embraced that over the years. And that’s just helped them in their weekly review cycle. And this is what the best leaders, do they, as you said, invest that time, where they’ll set aside a short period to do that reflection. What do I need to stop doing? What do I need to start doing? What do I need to keep doing to help me be effective? So that’s a simple sort of reflective piece. And we’ll talk more about that as we go along in our conversations. For me, I know what has really worked is talking through things I love to talk through ideas and talk through my challenges. And luckily, Tammy, my wife is very much a talker. I look back when I was a leader, leading teams, I’d love to talk through with my team and our weekly meetings, and scheduling that time. Whereas other leaders, I know it’s a need for some quiet time, they need that time to, to sit down and to journal, some reflections. And also what are those lessons out of that, and my invitation is around, to try a process that works for you. And if it doesn’t quite work, give it a bit more time because we’ve got to give these things a bit of time. But then look at some different processes that work and could even be a mind map. Or it could be some active reflection when you walk the dog or commute to work, or ride your bicycle, whatever it might be.

Becky Hammond  11:25

Yeah, I love it. I love that this is where all of our strengths show up, right? Like, there’s not going to be one way that you can cultivate your growth mindset. But the important part is that you’re you’re going into the next year, you’re going into your reflections about 2020 knowing that there’s room for growth, but there’s value in the process, even when the outcomes weren’t hit exactly how you expected, which is certainly happened this year.

Murray Guest  11:51

Yeah. And for anyone listening right now that’s thinking about what that might look like for them. And how valuable is this reflective piece. If you think about the leaders at the top of their game, the most effective leaders, or if you think about sports professionals or sports team at the top of their game, whatever that might be, I say with all confidence that all of them are ruthless or rigorous in a reflective process. They taking the time out to do that, and applying that growth mindset to make sure that they are learning from their experiences, and then applying that to help them improve all the time.

Becky Hammond  12:31

I wonder what it would look like if we had videotapes of us as leaders like right, like we do that in, in sports, like we definitely watch videotapes of that pitch or that pro or that path or that thing? Yeah, like, I mean, it seems a little freaky, and a little bit of an invasion of privacy. But I feel like in in some ways, that would be one of the most powerful things. So we can kind of recreate that by a daily or weekly reflection back on the things that have happened and what we might change going forward.

Murray Guest  13:02

Yeah, 100%. And I’ve worked with a number of teams where they start each shift or each day with a stand up meeting. In some areas, it’s called a toolbox or a pre-start or a huddle. But fundamentally, it’s a short meeting within that is a reflective piece. What do we take from those lessons and how do we apply it to what we’re about to do? And the best teams that do that, Becky, they shine, they’re always improving. And I tell you what, it also creates a culture of trust. With we’re not talking about so much of the as again, go back to Carol Dweck work and the outcomes we’re talking about, well, how do we learn from that? And how do we apply that to what we’re doing going forward? So yeah, I would actually love to hear what people are trying and what you’re doing, and to what process works best for them.

Becky Hammond  13:53

Yeah, to continue to cultivate that growth mindset. Because that’s the foundation of what we’re talking about here with the success map that we are very excited to be your virtual coaches on. We’re going to walk you through step by step, this success map, you can find it at leaders who give a damn.com / success map 2021. So if you can’t, that’s kind of a mouthful. So if you can’t do that, then also you can just go straight to our website, and there’s a Resources tab, you can grab it there. leaders who give it give it m.com. And there’s a few other things that we have talked about maybe would be good next steps before the next conversation comes out. What are some of those other things?

Murray Guest  14:31

Yeah, so I think the next thing would be we’ll definitely get that success map and start to look at those reflective questions on page one, which is what we’re going to talk about in our next conversation. Also do a Google search on Carol Dweck who wrote mindset, the new psychology of success, and there’s some really great summaries of her work. And of course, you can get her book, but really encourage you to check that out. And check out Jim Stockdale and the Stockdale paradox where he talks about understanding the brutal facts and having a sureness of success. That is powerful. I know when I first heard that 12 years ago that shaped my thinking. And I really encourage everyone to check that out as well as part of your learning and that reflective process as we move forward. But honestly, the only other bit that I really share Becky right now is just take some time out to reflect, you know, start to schedule that time for yourself to really do it.

Becky Hammond  15:27

Yeah. All right. Well, I’m looking forward to this these next conversations and walking through the success map and setting sights on total success for leaders in this coming year. So thanks for the conversation.

Murray Guest  15:39

See you soon Becky. Thank you. Yeah, bye