Mindset plays a crucial role in navigating life's challenges. As Stanford University professor Carol Dweck explains, a growth mindset involves recognizing the value of failed attempts and seeking opportunities for learning and improvement. Throughout history, individuals such as Thomas Edison, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and Steve Jobs have exemplified the power of a growth mindset in overcoming obstacles and achieving remarkable success.
While most of us may not achieve fame, Guy Kawasaki, a renowned author and chief evangelist of Canva, emphasizes the universal benefits of adopting a growth mindset. In his book "Think Remarkable: 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference," based on insights from interviews with exceptional individuals, Kawasaki presents a compelling call to action for those striving to reach their full potential.
According to Kawasaki, embracing change is pivotal for success. Understanding the benefits of stepping outside one's comfort zone, assessing personal boundaries, embracing vulnerability, and taking incremental steps are essential components of cultivating a growth mindset. This approach has been instrumental in the journeys of numerous successful individuals, serving as a guiding principle for anyone seeking personal and professional transformation.
Finally, Guy advises you, seek the support of like-minded people who encourage this new you and who will hold you accountable. “It’s difficult for a growth mindset to survive if it’s only in your head,” he says. “Your environment counts, too.”
Guy says “Until you’ve got the growth mindset flowing through your neurons, set small goals so that success begets success.” He explains with a sports analogy.
“Let’s say that your growth mindset has made you want to learn how to surf. A small goal for this process is to take a class with an instructor using a long, stable board in gentle waves. You don’t start out with 100-foot waves. There’s embracing vulnerability, and there’s stupid. Don’t confuse the two.
“Besides the danger of big steps, there’s also the likelihood of abject failure. With a monumental growth mindset, you may still overcome such a failure, but it’s wiser to take small steps, achieve some success, and keep at it. On your first day of surfing, if you catch two or three waves, you can rightfully declare victory.”
For someone who wants to navigate life with a growth mindset, it’s of course important to operate in an environment that encourages such an orientation. So, if you’re either pursuing or being recruited by a particular organization, what are some good ways to determine if that organization provides an environment that promotes a growth mindset?
Guy offers four suggestions:
1. Look for investments in learning and development programs. “This shows that the organization believes in investing in people and helping them grow. A simple question is, ‘Does the organization have learning and training classes?’”
2. Determine if there is diversity in the composition of employees. “Diversity means the organization doesn’t embrace stereotypes, and it sees people for what they can be, not what they are.”
3. Do your homework by reading the company’s website, press releases, and reviews on places such as Glass Door. “Look for unwitting tells such as statements like ‘We hire the best and brightest,’ which is vastly different from ‘We help people become the best and brightest.’”
4. Look for flexibility in the workplace including work hours, in-person attendance, and working conditions. “Flexibility in these areas is indicative of a growth mindset organization.”
What are some telltale warning signs that an organization has institutionalized a fixed mindset?
Guy points to two warning signs that a fixed mindset is institutionalized:
“First, look for a lack of innovation in products and services. This means that ‘good enough is good enough’ in research and development which probably carries over to the entire organization.
“Second, ask people who work there, or a recruiter you’re dealing with, if performance and evaluation focus on immediate results only or includes rewarding effort and growth. Suffice it to say, not much growth occurs in organizations where the attitude is ‘you eat what you kill.’”
He says you could also ask the recruiter a very revealing question: “Is it okay to ask stupid questions at this company?” Ideally, he says, the response is along the lines of, “There are no stupid questions at this company.”
Guy says mentors are “force multipliers.” He offers tips on finding a mentor—or, as he calls it, a “hero”—to help with your growth journey?
“First, look for individuals at the top of the pyramid and who are busy. Most people are intimidated by such characteristics, so you’d be surprised at how few requests they receive.
“Second, do your homework to demonstrate your intelligence, grit, and desire. Truly personalize your request so that people you approach never wonder, ‘Why me?’
“Third, remember that mentors are force multipliers. They are not necessary nor sufficient. The onus is still upon you.”
Guy says finding a mentor is different from assembling a support group—or “village,” as he calls it—to help with a person’s growth and development.
“A support village is made up of many mentors,” he says. “Divest yourself of the concept that only rich, famous, powerful people can help you. Don’t be proud. Everyone you meet can probably do something better than you. The question is whether you need help in that person’s area.”
Then he offers what he calls a power tip: “Naysayers can be part of a support village. Bizarre as this may sound, the desire to prove people wrong can prove to be a very powerful motivation to grow.”
Guy urges people to pursue “interests,” not “passions.”
“I’m afraid well-intentioned people have set up others for failure and disappointment by extolling the concept of finding a passion as if it’s an act of love at first sight,” he says. “Even worse, that it will last forever. That sets the bar too high. Rather, I suggest pursuing interests—to scratch what itches. In other words, to sample, not gorge yourself. You need to collect a lot of data to know what you really like to do. You’re going to live until you’re 90, there’s lots of time to find your multiple passions in life.”
Grit, he says, is “the most important four-letter word in the English language for a person trying to be remarkable.”
He recalls an old saying, ‘Man must stand by the side of a river a long time before a Peking duck flies into his mouth.’ In other words, it’s hard to make a difference and be remarkable.
“Sure, some people may be born with more talent, but in the long run, grit trumps talent—especially when there are many talented people,” he says. “The probability that you are so other-worldly talented that you don’t have to work hard is extremely low—zero as a matter of fact.”
Guy says “embracing grace” helps a person become remarkable.
“Grace and graciousness are at the top of the pyramid of remarkableness because they show that a person has advanced beyond ‘self’ to a higher calling of ‘others’ or ‘society,’” he says. “At the end of life, we’re all equal—just some dust. But remarkable people leave behind a better world, and that’s grace.”
So, what does genuine grace look like in terms of observable behaviors?
“Genuine grace, in my book, is a fulfillment of what I call ‘success oblige,’” Guy says. “That is, if you’re successful, you have a moral obligation to help others. With a combination of luck, growth, and grit, you walk through a door. Now your role is to leave the door open for others, if not expand it even more. This can take the form of mentorship, investment of capital, and patronage of people to help them get started.”
Guy quotes historian Daniel Boorstin as saying, “The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance—it is the illusion of knowledge.” How can that perspective help someone who genuinely wants to be remarkable?
“I believe Boorstin’s point is that ignorance can at least be fixed—by learning and growth. However, if you already think you know it all, you won’t be motivated to learn and grow. This is the fundamental problem with what’s called the Genius Culture. If you think you’re a genius, you’re not motivated to learn more. And if you don’t learn more, it’s unlikely you’ll make a difference and be remarkable. In short, when in doubt, choose growth.”