The most successful people are constantly improving. Having a self-improvement mindset involves being willing to learn and being open to new ideas and ways of thinking. This mindset is necessary for effective problem-solving and personal and professional growth.
Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Those with a self-improvement mindset see failure as a learning opportunity. These individuals understand that learning new skills requires practice and failure. Don’t fear failure; learn from it. We learn from our mistakes because it forces us to question our methods and try something new. Effort and resilience are keys to growth.
Conversely, people with a fixed mindset believe they have a fixed set of skills that cannot be changed. Therefore, any attempt to learn anything new is futile. They avoid challenges for fear of failure and see any failure as evidence of their lack of abilities and potential and they settle for “good enough.” But we should never settle because we can always do better; accept nothing less than greatness.
We live in a world that values immediate results and this can contribute to our unwillingness to keep trying when we don’t get them. We have to shift our focus to the effort and process and value that growth more than a quick outcome. While unproductive effort is never helpful, most growth happens incrementally. Here are some ways to achieve this mindset.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Seek feedback from your supervisor, team, and others and use the feedback to improve. Accept constructive criticism without becoming defensive or taking things personally and be willing to put forth the effort to improve.
- Adopt an attitude of genuine humility: a modesty that comes from understanding our place in the greater scheme of things. Having a servant mindset increases our ability to learn and be good leaders.
- Avoid arrogance as it leads to overconfidence and complacency. These have detrimental effects on safety and our ability to adapt and grow.
- Practice mindfulness and self-reflection. Maintain awareness of your feelings and thoughts when you get carried away by negative or defeatist thought patterns. Make an honest assessment of your traits, attributes, and performance and adopt and attitude that is accepting of change.
- Be adaptable. Always be willing to change your approach to problems to meet ever-changing needs.
Those with the growth mindset confront chaos and turn it into order. They learn from their mistakes, use feedback to their advantage, and they consider mindset as a skill that must be practiced.