Does Your Mindset Support Your Ambition?
“We are making a ton of mistakes, and I’m thrilled!” That’s what a seasoned CEO recently told me. She was referring to a new market expansion project that she is convinced will eventually double her company’s revenues and profits.
Celebrating Missteps
I say eventually because at the moment things are not going well. She and her team have launched many different initiatives and a good number haven’t worked. And yet she’s excited because she knows that to succeed at something new she has to take steps she’s never taken before and that there will be plenty of opportunities to learn new lessons. She reminds herself that “the first time is the worst time.”
Beginner’s Mind
Fortunately, she has a growth mindset. She believes that she can always do better and to do better she must approach things with a beginner’s mind. Beginners are comfortable with the fact that there is much they don’t know and that they will make mistakes along the way. Yet they are confident they will build knowledge and skill over time and that eventually, they will achieve their goal, whether it’s playing the piano or succeeding in a new market.
Note that the opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset, where a person prefers to do things they are familiar with because they don’t believe that they can master new challenges and they don’t want their confidence challenged.
Matching Mindset
I’m not saying either is necessarily better. But certainly, a growth-driven CEO benefits more when having a growth mindset.
- Does your mindset match your ambition?
- Do you want to achieve great things?
- Are you open to being wrong?
- Do you celebrate mistakes because you know they teach you something that will speed you along the path to success?
If so you’re exactly where you need to be.
