Leadership, Growth Mindset & the Rearview Mirror

Today I'm thinking about #leadership, #growthmindset and the rear view mirror.

Carol Dweck literally wrote the book on growth mindset, and countless Org Psych researchers & scholars reference it in their work as a key ingredient in healthy cultures.

With the organizations I work with, we often focus on growth mindset from the perspective of the individual performer. We focus on how to develop a growth mindset, how to coach others to develop growth mindset and what that reflection & coaching looks like in action. We embed the principles in values, language, learning, reflections and culture.

Where I believe we've fallen short is in how #leaders practice a growth mindset when it comes to how they lead and look at talent on their team. It's no secret that traditional performance reviews and often talent reviews are riddled with unconscious bias and subjectivity - you name it, Halo, Horns, Recency, Affinity, Conformation, I could go on. Many of you reading my recognize a time where this happened to you. Who holds the power here? Leaders.

Many organizations embed the principles of growth mindset into their talent & leadership philosophies but not into their practices & processes.

One particular space that I asked my #coach colleague about when we were conducting #360degreefeedback reviews is, "what data do you have on how to MY strengths impact & influence the way I rate others in those same areas?" My hypothesis is that I might rate others who don't share my strength lower - i.e. if you're not just like me, you're not as good. (They're looking into this... more to come)

Another is #performancereviews (I could go on and on about this broken process). In a traditional process we ask leaders to assign an arbitrary number as a reflect of 2000 hours of a team member's work, influence, skills, accomplishments, etc. More often than not it's based on 1-3 key observations and/or measurable outcomes. Most leaders don't have deep insight in an individual's collective performance (aside from the WHAT or RESULT) and most hate the process itself. They're #incomplete, a #timesuck, #disruptive, #bias ridden and add very little #value. The also disproportionately focus on the rear view.

I have friend who went through a high stress period of life years ago and wasn't their best self. They received feedback and took action - the deeply reflected, did the inner work, worked with a coach, shared their goals, asked for continued input - everything a leader would expect in a team member. What they discovered through the process was the inner work wasn't nearly as hard as the outer work in the organization. Their leaders, coworkers and peers had "branded" them in a fixed way and that organizational identity was anchored in the past - not the present. This is not how a growth mindset based culture works.

Are past mistakes are forever on your permanent record? Who can wipe it clean?

Leaders. Leaders have the influence and impact to wipe the slate clean. Leaders can create space & opportunity. Leaders can remove obstacles. Leaders can advocate. Leaders set the standard for the mindset that matters.

How often are we doing this or are we operating with a with a #fixedmindset from looking at the rearview mirror too long? What can we do to #practicewhatwepreach and step more fully into leading with a #growthmindset? Here are my thoughts:

• Reframe Potential: In a traditional #Talentreview process, we rate a person's potential on an axis. This is often an incomplete view, specifically if you believe, like I do, that human potential itself is unlimited. Adding context & clarity to this axis can narrow scope and provide guiderails in which to frame the exercise. For example: thinking of potential as "potential impact or potential performance" in the short, mid & long term based on desire, individual strengths and past performance in the context of a role (current or future) keep us focused in growth potential vs. individual potential. Said differently, it's reframing potential in the context of a role vs. just a person.
• Focus on the Windshield. Our line of sight from the windshield is exponentially larger that our line of sight in the rearview mirror. Objects in the mirror are closer that they appear and the view from the windshield is vast & wide. Think about it, when we're driving we glance at the rearview mirror briefly but stay focused on what's in front us. We can think about leadership this way. Never looking back is risky, so is looking back for too long. We spend most of our time looking through the windshield because it's the path forward.
• Build on Strengths: There is overwhelming research on how focusing on strengths drives performance, engagement and results. It's #growthmindset in action. It's #positivepsychology. It's good for business. Just google "strengths based leadership."
• Illuminate Blind spots: Humans are oriented to find flaw. This innate skill has helped humankind survive, innovate and improve. That's not a bad place to visit, but it's not a great place to live. While it's important to shine a light on blinspots, focusing on trying to improve where you aren't as strong is often a waste of energy, time and engagement. I shared insights here last week.

When we know how we show up as leaders and shine light on our own blind spots, we see ourselves and how others expereince us more fully, which it strengthens us wholly

• Check Yourself and Your List: As leaders, we all have folks we've put on our mental "list" either based on a past experience, observation, or performance. You know what I'm talking. Chances are we've all been on someone else's "list" too at some point in our career. We are only human. We're not always our best. We're never perfect. We're rarely even close. Catch yourself before you go to judgement and ask yourself what you're basing it on. Chronic performance issues need to be addressed, yes. Past mistakes, seasons of stress, life events, short-term challenges are all to be expected at some point with every single employee. Give grace. Make generous assumptions. Check yourself and your intentions.

Life and work are so much sweeter when we are all taking in the views in front of us and mapping the path forward together.