4 ways leaders can foster a growth mindset within their team

4 ways leaders can foster a growth mindset within their team4 ways leaders can foster a growth mindset within their teamStanford University professor Carol Dweck and colleagues have spent decades studying the distinct ways in which individuals view intelligence and learning, most recently expanding this research tohow students view pursuing a passion. Her research has profound implications for the work environment and how leaders foster a mindset among their teams that drives learning, growth and innovation.In Dwecks research, there are two primary ways in which individuals approach intelligence and learning with a fixed mindset or with a growth mindset. The fixed-mindset perspective is one in which individuals believe that they are born with a certain level of intelligence and talent, and that level will not shift over their lifetime. As a result, they tend to believe that things for which they have skills should come easily to them, with little effort required for success. In fact, failure is deemed as an event which calls into question their true intelligence, resulting in these individuals experiencing significant struggle with setbacks or mistakes.Conversely, those who adopt a growth mindset believe that intelligence, skills and passions can be developed over time. They seek opportunities to be challenged, to stretch beyond their expected capacity, to take risks, to learn and to gain insight from their mistakes. When it comes to learning and skill development, the growth mindset mantra is Bring it onFrom a business perspective, the advantages of a growth mindset culture are evident in Dwecksresearch. She found that in companies with such cultures,leaders viewed their employees asmore innovative, collaborative, and committed to learning and growing.On the whole, these leaders were more likely to view their employees as having management potential than were leaders in fixed-mindset companies. Likewise, employees in growth-mindset companies demonstrated posit ive views of their organization and their work colleagues. According to Dweck, they are also less afraid of failure.Alaina LoveAs leaders, developing a culture of learning and innovation may be the key factor that allows your organization to outdistance the competition. Nurturing a growth mindset among your team is one important way to helfende hand such a culture.Here are four leadership actions you can take to do soPlace a high value on learningAs an HR executive, I noticed time and again that, when budgets were tight, funding for training and education was the first to be cut. True growth-mindset companies view learning as their life blood. Take it seriously by funding your employees development, and view that funding as a contribution to the companys future success.By investing in programs that develop new skills or offer new experiences, you fuel the intellectual curiosity of your team and promote innovation. And, when you cultivate the abilities of those on your team, you fost er engagement, motivation and productivity.Admit when failures occur, and capitalize on themGrowth-mindset leaders view failure as a part of the journey from success to significance. They dont sweep failure under the rug instead they embrace it. Spend time with your employees debriefing what is going well and what isnt during the course of a project, as well as when its finished.Ask people what they learned about the business and what they learned about themselves during the process? Where might they source support and insight next time? What did they learn that they might apply to another objective?And remember, rewarding effort, as well as outcomes, is critical if you want your team to be willing to take prudent risks. As an added bonus, employees behave more ethically in organizations that distribution policy a premium on learning from both successes and failures.Develop as many people as you canEmployees in fixed-mindset companies often describe the opportunities for success and recognition as being limited to a few rising stars. The opposite is true in growth-mindset organizations, where leaders work to develop their entire team, not just a chosen few. What results is deep bench strength across the organization. Leaders who recognize that great ideas come from everywhere work to expand the diversity of talent and thought necessary for solving tough problems. They create teams that are built for success.Stay open to feedbackThe largest roadblock to growth and innovation is a leader who is closed to receiving feedback. A growth mindset begins with you, as does the recognition that you dont have the market cornered on good ideas. Staying open to feedback invites others to be truthful with you about what is going well and especially, what isnt.This mindset allows others to feel free to come forward with ideas as well as questions, and encourages them to readily embrace feedback from others. Perhaps most importantly, when your team feels free to share with you , it positions you to pre-empt failures or mistakes before their impact becomes severe.Leveraging a growth mindset offers you and your organization significant opportunity for innovation and success. Can you really afford to build a culture without one?Alaina Love is chief operating officer and president ofPurpose Linked Consultingand co-author of The Purpose Linked Organization How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results(McGraw-Hill). She is a recovering HR executive, a global speaker and leadership expert, and passionate about everything having to do with, well passion. Her passion archetypes are Builder, Transformer and Healer. You can learn more about how to grow leaders, build passionate teams and leverage passion to create great customer outcomeshere. Follow Love onTwitter,Facebook,YouTubeor herblog.This article first appeared on SmartBrief. If you enjoyed this article, sign up for SmartBriefs free e-mailon leadership and communication, among SmartBriefsmor e than 200 industry-focused newsletters.

How to Define a Real Job - The Muse

How to Define a Real Job - The MuseHow to Define a Real Job I vividly remember my first job babysitting in high school. I loved it some days, hated it others.But mainly, it didnt feel like a real job. Sure, I was getting paid. But I didnt have a desk, or business cards, or a boss necessarily (even if I worked for some bossy mothers).So I dont count it in my imaginary list of adult experiences. In fact, I dont consider any other gigs I had in school as real jobs. It took getting my own desk in an office, a company-provided laptop, and even my own company swag before deciding I was in my first actual job. I could afford to pay rent, a monthly subway pass, and food all on my own- and that made it real.But is that the right way to think about your career? Every single one of those experiences mattered. In fact, I wouldnt be where I am and who I am today without them. But what are they then, if not real jobs?This is the question I grappled with as I read a recent Billfold article by Megan Reynolds titled, What Defines a Real Job? As a freelancer, she says she struggles to explain her career choices to her loved ones. For them, and for many, an office job is considered the only definition of real work There is a sense of obligation to a larger entity that will punish if you if you fail to do the job you were hired to do. If you dont show up for three weeks, someone will eventually notice. There will be consequences. There is accountability to someone other than yourself.But do objects and people define work? Does a paycheck? Does a timed schedule?As Reynolds points out, the working world is changing and we all know it. People work from home, they travel and work, they work part-time, they have multiple jobs, they freelance, they get side gigs. And from most, if not all, of these activities, people are compensated one way or another. And regardless of how, theyre all accountable to someone or something. Thus, nothing of significance makes these any different from a de sk job.So, Reynolds tries to take a different approach to the real job argument If what you do makes you tired by the end of the day and makes you want to lay face down on the floor for an hour or so, then its work. If the only thing you can think about after your work is closing a computer and reading a book, then thats work. If you need one solid day to recover, alone and silent, sitting outside in the sun, its work. At the end of the day, if you can pay your bills and are happy, then youre doing just fine. To her, its about exhaustion, or the physical and mental effort of work- where you spend your energy, how much of it you use up, and the way it makes you feel.As much as I liked this response, I still wanted to get a feel for how others felt- so I reached out to my own co-workers and asked them this same question, How do you define a real job? Chatu Abeysinghe, an account executive, says its about having a career versus a job- as Chris Rock states in an NSFW bit (a.k.a., just p ut your headphones in before watching),When you got a career there aint enough time in the day...time just flies...when you got a job, theres too much time. Its about flow, or enjoying what you do every day so much that you lose track of time.Ekene Ugboaja, a ausverkauf development representative, agreesAs an immigrant, a real job was always something that was traditionally successful, such as a doctor or lawyer. Something your parents can talk to their friends about. Ive only just started to learn that a job real or fake doesnt even have to feel like a job or work. I now see a real job as something that makes me enough money to sustain a healthy, happy lifestyle. Muse Senior Editor Stacey Lastoe argues that they come in many different forms After working as a server for years, I received an offer to manage the restaurant I worked in. I took the position, in part, I now believe, because it felt more real than waiting tables. It came with benefits and was salaried, so there was a cer tain level of security that wasnt present before. That to me made it feel real. In retrospect though, I think servers and bartenders and hostesses and bus boys and line cooks- basically all of the people who contribute to the operation of a restaurant- have real jobs. Why is an office job more of a real job than a pastry chefs? After hearing these answers, I asked a follow-up How do you find the right real job for you? Andrew Weisse, an account executive, for example, says he defines his own version by the three Fs fit (how much do you personally and professionally fit into the company?), family (is there a good sense of work-life balance?), and fortune (do you have enough money to live comfortably?). If all three of these things arent met, its not a real job. Kara Walsh, CMO, similarly says that to be considered legitimate, it should contribute to your overall career- and life plan Its a pursuit in which you spend the majority of your waking hours and think about even when youre of f hours. Not a real job is one youre doing just to pay the bills and kill time until you get the real one.Truth talk I dont have the ultimate answer. But whatever definition you decide to take, its clear from all these answers that one big part of the definition is that it mean something to you- for some that means a way to pay the bills, for others its a channel to explore your passions, and for some in my office, its the right step on your chosen career path. Perhaps, if youre lucky, youll be able to find a position that hits on all three of those. What do you consider a real job? Tweet me, Id love to knowPhoto of desk courtesy of JGI/Tom Grill/Getty Images.

6 Useful Tips for Acing Your Next In-Person Job Interview

6 Useful Tips for Acing Your Next In-Person Job Interview6 Useful Tips for Acing Your Next In-Person Job Interview Job hunting has been stressful, but you did a great job on your resume and phone interview, and youve made it all the way to the in-person interview. Youre finally getting face time with the people who matter and you dont want to blow it So how do you show up as a strong contender and not a total dud?Sadly there are some common mistakes that candidates like yourself make during in-person interviews, and ansicht missteps can mean the difference between a job offer and a stone-cold rejection .Everyone deserves a fighting chance, so we caught up with Grammarly recruiter Angela Ritter to get the inside scoop on how to avoid making a bad impression.Angelas an experienced recruiter whos screened, interviewed and made recommendations on thousands of candidates. She knows firsthand which factors will help you win or lose the job, so read on if youre ready to hone your interview chops.Here is Angelas expert advice on six major gaffes you should avoid at your next in-person interviewIf you jump around jobs, be prepared to talk about it . Employers dont love to see that in a background. Why should the company invest in you if youre going to jump ship in a year?If your work history includes a lot of short stints , make the reasons clear in your resume - even adding a parenthesis that explains there was a layoff or something to that effect is better than nothing.Be mindful when you talk about your previous companies. Even if youve had a negative experience, its important to present the positives from it .Complaining about a previous company, co-worker or manager makes you look petty, and it may cause the interviewer to question your judgment. Instead, focus on what you learned from challenging experiences and how youve grown because of them.Pay attention to social cues. Its tough to interview for a job . People get nervous and thats certainly f air. But candidates often ramble and overlook cues from the person on the other side of the table.Check in with your interviewer and ask if your answers are making sense. Offer to elaborate as needed.Be punctual and arrive for your interview on time. If a candidate is late for or entirely misses their scheduled job interview, this is a huge cause for concern . If you have to reschedule an interview more than once (which does happen), try to avoid doing so at the last minute. Otherwise, youll signal to the employer that you are unreliable and not committed.Humility is your friend in a job search . Theres a fine line between talking positively about your experiences and overselling your abilities. You dont want to come across as egocentric.If there are projects you worked on with teammates, make sure to acknowledge their contributions and avoid taking credit for the entire thing. Its apparent when someone is not humble about their accomplishments .Investigating the company youre inter viewing with is an absolute must. Make sure you have used their product or checked their website and social media accounts so you can speak about the company intelligently and ask relevant questions. You dont have to rely on the same canned questions most candidates ask at the interview table.This is a really important point - it can be embarrassing and awkward if a candidate advances in the interview process and still doesnt have a baseline awareness of the companys mission. Educate yourself before you ever walk through the doorThis article was originally published on Grammarly. It is reprinted with permission.