When you receive disappointing feedback, does it feel like a personal attack or an opportunity to grow?
Carol Dweck has spent decades researching fixed mindset vs growth mindset. In a fixed mindset, we view our abilities as innate, (aka, “just the way I am,”), making failure and constructive feedback feel personal and insurmountable. On the flip side, in a growth mindset, we are comfortable with improving over time, not fearing being wrong, and making failure or difficult feedback an opportunity to be curious about how to do better next time.
The good news is, we can learn to choose a growth mindset. So the next time you get a Cloverleaf coaching tip about an area for growth, know that that is truly what it is: an area for growth.
Or, the next time you realize you made a mistake or didn’t perform up to your own standards, take it as an opportunity. Ask others for feedback, or dig into your Cloverleaf profile to learn more about how you can do your best work.
What about your Teammates?
Just as we can have a growth or fixed mindset about ourselves, we can view others through the same lens.
When a teammate makes a mistake or doesn’t meet your expectations, do you start to question their abilities, or even their character? Or do you feel the freedom to have an open conversation, knowing that your teammate is innately valuable, and can grow from this experience?
The next time a teammate drops the ball, watch your internal reaction. If you find yourself questioning their abilities, head to that teammate’s profile and look through their work style insights to see where their strengths truly are. You may be surprised.
We’re all in this together!
