Have you ever noticed how once in while you come across someone who holds you back from realizing your potential? Usually that person is YOU but the good news is that self-limiting beliefs can be broken with the right attitude, a few guiding principles and deliberate effort. Whether you own a business, lead a company or manage employees, creating a growth mindset expands possibilities.
The purpose of being a leader is helping others realize their potential
This time of year, serving as a volunteer ski instructor is a weekend highlight. One of my students is visually impaired. Now imagine closing your eyes and skiing down a mountain. That would be quite difficult, right? Imagine yourself as the ski instructor for someone who is blind and think about the type of goals you would have over several weeks. Are the goals BIG or SMALL? The determining factor is going to be comfort zone, or how far you and your student are willing to stretch.
Begin by creating the right environment and earning trust
On day one, I shared three guiding principles in a very specific order: (1) Have fun, (2) Be safe, (3) Gain confidence and improve as a skier. These principles were wildly embraced because we placed highest priority on having fun and being safe. Focusing on fun and safety first creates the environment for gaining confidence and becoming a better skier. Looking inward, what are the growth mindset principles at your company? Are they effective or ineffective? What is the cost of ineffectiveness?
Set goals and deliberately work towards achieving them
On Day 1, her season long goal was to eventually ski independent of any type of physical assist, meaning she wanted to ski by herself and be guided by verbal cues only when safety became an issue. Because our priorities were firmly defined, we had fun creating and stretching goals on each succeeding run down the slope. By the end of Day 2, she has successfully skied down the beginner chair lift multiple times with zero physical assist. Well… that was the season end goal so now it is time to expand our comfort zone and create new goals. Looking inward, what are the goals set for you and your team of employees? Are they big enough? Are you a bit uncomfortable?
Special bonus content – encourage failure and reap rewards
Temporary setbacks are bound to happen. After the first fall, I congratulated my student for falling. She laughed and said, “What do you mean?” I replied that the only way she would get better is to stretch her comfort zone and get a tiny bit uncomfortable and that my role was to keep her safe while this happened. After the first fall, serious improvement happened almost immediately because she lost the fear of falling and trusted that I would keep her safe. The ultimate reward came when the parents skied over and watched their young daughter ski down the mountain by herself. Looking inward, help your company team grow and everyone will feel a sense of accomplishment! What are you waiting for?