We all know the changes technology has brought society over the last 10 years; as individuals if we hadn’t kept pace with these changes we would have struggled. Change is inevitable and most realize that.
The organizations we work for, which are naturally an extension of society, must continuously change in order to remain relevant. This is why there has been such a push towards change management training within many organizations. The problem is, if we don’t have the ability to use the tools this training teaches, then they won’t get us to where we need to go.
So more important than any change management training, is a growth mindset for leaders in the modern workplace.
“In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.” (https://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/)
Leaders with a fixed mindset will struggle to be the leaders of the future. A fixed mindset fears change and naturally resists it. As all leaders are responsible for implementing organizational change, fostering a growth mindset is crucial.
So before we provide everyone with the tools, let’s make sure the leaders in our organizations have the right mindset to use them.
- Provide awareness and training for existing leaders on the different mindsets. This is crucial, and can’t be done in a few hours ‘PowerPoint’ session. It should be an ongoing process, and must take the time required. It will require critical reflection and thinking, and everyone’s learning journey will be different. One size fits one. For some that won’t be long, for others it will. It all depends on their start point. If a leader already has a growth mindset then start to give them the tools to help drive the change. But one thing is for sure, if you don’t take time to develop a growth mindset within all your leaders, then your change management training is futile.
- Use growth mindset as a key attribute when hiring your leaders. Yes, that means carrying out some subjective assessments and seeing what the results are. Look at the candidates holistically, and ask yourself where they’ll be in the spectrum between driving the change or resisting it. As a leader there is nothing more frustrating than trying to coax other leaders to drive change as opposed to resisting it. Place a priority on this attribute, and start hiring for character.
If you have an organization with leaders resisting change then you will never move forward at the pace you need to.
