Leaders need charisma. Leaders are born, not made. Effective leaders need grit. The world of leadership is riddled with myths and misconceptions. The truth is that mindset is a key differentiator when it comes to outstanding leadership. Here’s why mindset drives leader performance.
Mindset Leaders are Unique
There’s no point in pretending that there’s a cookie cutter formula for the perfect leader. There isn’t. Authenticity is key to successful leadership. Growth mindset leaders are constantly learning, developing themselves, acquiring new skills. Attempting to define them in binary terms is pointless. They’re constantly changing because they recognise that learning is the key to transformation and business growth. What’s more, they encourage development in their teams. They’re not threatened by the success of others.
Mindset Leaders Banish Perfectionism
It might sound tautological but growth mindset leaders embrace failure. They recognise that perfectionism combined with a blame culture when things go wrong will destroy innovation. Continuous improvement can only take place when you’re able to look at what isn’t working openly and honestly.
This means embracing risk and becoming comfortable with uncertainty. Consider companies that have deliberately failed in order to innovate, making it culturally ok to fail. Think James Dyson, Momofuku Ando – the creator of instant noodles, Akio Morita and Sony’s first rice cooker that ended up burning rice instead of cooking it, yes, we said burned it and one of our favourites, as Thrive Global Authors, Arianna Huffington whose second book was rejected by 36 publishers.
Failure is the only way to learn and truly grow. The research into growth mindset and neuroplasticity is impressive. As Dweck says, keep those neutrons firing.
Growth Mindset Leaders Possess Laser Like Situational Awareness
Mindset leaders possess self awareness. They’re able to recognise their own emotions and master them. They self regulate and are able to drill down and focus on the detail whilst maintaining an open awareness of the bigger picture. This enables them to build effective relationships with colleagues. To listen with emotional intelligence and encourage dialogue. They’re honest about their own mistakes and make it clear that when things don’t go to plan it’s an opportunity for growth.
Great leaders leverage peak performance with a growth mindset culture. If you’d like to find out more about mindset, take a look at our free resources along with our Growth Mindset Toolkit
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