Laura Wolfe Coaching LLC

Supporting the Evolution of Careers, Leaders,

& Climate Consciousness

Mindset, Downton and Your Career

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Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailAs a Downton Abbey fan I am fascinated by the underlying theme – the question of adapting to change and modern technology. The show’s producers are meticulous about getting every detail of history correct but to me it’s a study of contemporary times.

Lord Grantham is actually that person who can’t get the hang of voice mail or e-mail or smartphones and texting. The Dowager Countess is simply appalled by facebook and twitter. Maybe the new way is crass or common or not proper but failure to adapt may be much worse. Do you really want to be the one responsible for the loss of Downton?

Last week I wrote about Carol Dweck‘s work on mindset and here’s a quick review.

  • People with a fixed mindset believe basic qualities, like intelligence and talent, are fixed traits. They spend time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. In addition they think talent alone creates success—without effort.
  • People with a growth mindset believe that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work and that brains and talent are just the starting point. They also love learning and possess the resilience necessary to accomplish great things.

I bring this up again because having a growth mindset is important to successfully dealing with today’s rapid change. As a coach, I have clients in their 40s and 50s trying to figure out where they fit into the new world of work. They are concerned about their age and being perceived as old. I have to say that the stereotype of old people not being tech savvy is alive and well. And the reality is that most employers want job candidates who are fluent in technology.

So if you are > 35 and not already a stereotype buster, how do you develop that fluency?

Get out there. Create a profile, page, account, whatever. Connect. Lurk around social media sites and observe how people interact. Go to forums or other virtual places where people discuss what you don’t know. Listen to podcasts. Read the FAQs. Take classes. I guarantee you there is a free teleclass or webinar on whatever bit of technology you don’t understand.

It’s not always easy. People who ‘get’ technology and benefit the most aren’t necessarily blessed with some special tech ability. They just have the mindset to figure it out. They don’t dismiss and reject it or throw up their hands and wail ‘I don’t understand’. They keep at it until they figure it out. They just do it.

Hmmmm. Could that be the tagline for an entire mindset (in addition to Nike of course)?

Would love to know what you think about mindset or Downton Abbey.

Mindset

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human brainEvery now and then someone says to me “you are just so smart you can do anything” which really irks me. I know it is meant as a compliment but the logic of the statement seems to discount all the hard work I’ve done as well as the reality of failure which has happened before and will certainly happen again.

For a long time, I could not articulate why this bugged me so but the work of Carol Dweck and the idea of mindset provides the framework I’ve needed to explain it. Dweck is a researcher at Stanford and based on twenty plus years of research has identified two distinct mindsets – fixed and growth. For a good overview of the concept, listen to an interview with Carol Dweck here.

From her website:

  • People with a fixed mindset believe basic qualities, like intelligence and talent, are fixed traits. They spend time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. In addition they think talent alone creates success—without effort.
  • People with a growth mindset believe that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work and that brains and talent are just the starting point. They also love learning and possess the resilience necessary to accomplish great things.

Someone who says “you are so smart, you can do anything” likely has a fixed mindset and attributes success to a fixed trait. They believe people have it or they don’t. People with a growth mindset believe talent can be developed, know they can improve, learn from mistakes, and almost get a buzz from the challenge.

I’ve been thinking a lot about mindset because last week I participated in New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. The crowd was a great mix – old, young, black, white, Asian, Hispanic and pretty much every other facet of diversity out there. I talked to artists and fashion designers and musicians as well as attorneys and MBAs and yes, even academics! A VERY diverse group indeed. Monday’s keynote speaker, Walter Isaacson, traced the history of entrepreneurship in NOLA and eloquently pointed out its relationship to diversity and creativity.

NOEW brought many diverse types together but we were all connected by a common mindset – a growth mindset. People were there to learn, develop, and connect. Some had failed before, many knew failure was a distinct possibility, but everyone was on fire about their idea. It was great to be part of such a gathering.

One final thought – mindset can change. Someone with a fixed mindset when young can absolutely develop a growth mindset later in life.

Would love to hear what you think about mindset.

No Time to Write

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whoosh - it's gone

whoosh – it’s gone

Whoosh. Another week gone and no time to write. So instead of my thoughts, I’m sharing the thoughts of others that have stayed with me. Hope something from this list makes you think too.

Would love to hear what you think about any of these.

That Very Moment

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Lucky

escapee #1

My heart is still pounding. I just drove past my sister’s house on the way home from Wal-Mart. Her dogs had escaped the yard and were running down the very busy street. I stopped, ran, grabbed and returned them to inside the fence. She was not home

This right place, right time situation happened because while at the store I decided to slow down, to not rush through like a maniac, to smile at people and endeavor to have a pleasant grocery shopping experience. I even chatted with the cashier for an extra minute because no one was in line.

That’s why I was there at that very moment. If I had passed by 30 seconds before or 30 seconds after I would not have seen nor saved the pups because those two are very fast.

Rose bud

escapee #2

Sometimes when you focus on making the most of things, even a mundane task, you end up where you need to be at the exact right time.

Whew.

 

Have you ever had a right place/right time experience?