At the Lean Innovation Summit during the open space session, attendees had the opportunity to discuss topics they suggested. One of the topics that immediately caught my attention was fixed mindset and how can we change it. We are often talking about this with our team, clients, during workshops, so I was curious to hear a few more perspectives. I am sharing some ideas and insights from our discussions.
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Find the right people to support your ideas.
Who is the right person to listen to your idea? Who can relate with your need? Who is the best person to spread your message?
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If possible, change person’s position.
Sometimes one person with fixed mindset slows down the whole team and no matter what you do, they will not change. So if possible, change the position of that person, find them new opportunities.
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To avoid fixed mindset, make sure that you rotate positions regularly.
This will create a much more open culture, the team will have a bigger picture and will not be so fixed on only one point of view.
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Implement a pilot project.
This will bring a few quick wins and consequently make people more open towards the practices you want to spread or ideas you want to implement. Quick wins will also bring you the trust of others.
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Hold regular feedback sessions.
The sessions will contribute to a healthy feedback culture and psychologically safe(er) work environment.
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Be patient and find other people inside the company, that can help you implement changes.
You can not fight this battle alone.
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If you are dealing with top management, try to figure out whom do they trust.
Is that an institution or consulting company, maybe an educational platform, so that they can hear the same message from another source.
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Know your customer
What is your boss/team lead/management interested in? What are their pains and their gains? Does your idea solve their issues or only create more work for them?
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Empathize with your boss/team lead/management.
Try walking in their shoes and figure out, how they think, what are they thinking about, how can you help them.
Promoting change is far from easy. Be patient and don’t expect results right away and don’t fight battles on your own. We also truly recommend the book Mindset by Carol Dweck, that spent years researching the difference between fixed and growth mindset. If you’d like to read this book, you’re welcome to visit our office and borrow it from our CorpoHub library.
