A good starting point for how to grow ourselves is to start with understanding a bit about what is a 'growth mind-set'
The concept of a growth mind-set first appeared in 1988 as a theory relating to learning and education. It was cited as the reason that super smart kids can still fail, despite their actual capability. The central thought is that a childâs attitude towards taking on a challenge, instead of their innate ability, was the main factor for success
Stanford professor and psychologist Carol Dweck talks about two approaches that can determine results: âfixed mind-setâ and âgrowth mind-setâ. A fixed mind-set is the idea that our abilities are high or low, and there is nothing we...
The thing is â as anyone who has launched their 27th cost cutting project dressed up as a âtransformation projectâ knows â knee jerk cost cutting, in fact knee jerk anything has a frustrating way of taking us backwards rather than forwards in business
So, what do we need to do to genuinely move those business measures which make us all feel a bit more joyful about why we do what we do? Maybe the answer lies in investing in being more who you want to be â who knew it!
According to Harvard Business Reviewâs recent report about the most successful businesses right now, they say,
âInstead of exploring how they can improve the bottom line, these regenerative leaders work backward and ask: How could we invest in our people to create a long-term impact? How could we work together differently to build a differen...
But how does this enlightening insight stack up in an everchanging world designed and built by lightning quick technology?Â
Do you remember back in the day how teachers, parents, career counsellors would offer their guidance to help you make "the right career choice." Well look around, with the speed of technological change, itâs easy to see that this "right career choice" is a myth: the idea that time spent on the "wrong" ladder or studying the "wrong" course is a waste of time if we donât then complete the course or climb the ladder. Letâs face it, in todayâs world, even the walls we have propped our career ladders against are themselves moving
The great news is, even in this evermoving world, skills and insight acquired in a previous caree...
In fact, look around, itâs actually shameful, we have all the gear, yet no idea how to actually communicate. Sure, right now everyoneâs a super fast âcommunicatorâ, replying to messages instantly to show how âon itâ we are, making people laugh with our TikToks, wowing with our altered reality photography, catchy captions and punchy comments. Yet, at the same time a disturbing trend is clear â polarisation, sensationalism, and extremism are drowning out reasoned debate, compromise, and consensus-building
What we all really need right now is courage, this does not mean the courage to leave anonymous commen...
When we're feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the relentless deluge of things to juggle, the last thing we would think, would be to do less. The reality is - Â just like keeping our homes organised, rather than chaotic - overloading our schedules doesn't make us more productive. It makes us less effective
A great insight here is that it is not just our time that is limited each day, it is our energy too. So this is where the famous Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto's theory steps in, which is commonly known now as the 80/20 rule. The principle is simple: identify the 20% of tasks which generate the most value in our life, and then we invest our energy primarily into them
Many people view multitasking as a necessity in the face of all the demands they juggle, yet in reality multitasking undermines productivity as focus is dimin...
As humans, one of the biggest mistakes we make is forgetting everyone doesnât think like we do. We assume what we are thinking is what everyone else is thinking
Not true
Look around and you will see this clearly is not the case in reality
The truth is people are different. We think differently, want different things, and fortunately have different ideas. The way we process and share our ideas is often different from one another. This can be frustrating if we allow it to be, but with intentionality it can also be the secret sauce which unlocks our potential. Increasing our insight unlocks our potential
So, if we recognise the need for different perspectives, how do we actually gain them?
Left on our own, we judge ourselves by our intentions and we judge others by their actions. This gap between intention and action is often the context for our relational conflicts â we expect others to give us a break and at the same time we blame them for not doing what they should be doing
Have you also ever wondered why people complain about politicians yet not vote? Why do people talk about the importance of climate change, yet moan about recycling their rubbish? Why do people extol the virtue of integrity yet tell numerous white lies every day?
Because we are imperfect, flawed, human beings and our intentions are a different thing from our actions. The great leadership guru, Ken Blanchard said,
That is a really helpful way for us to think about Owning C...
Guess this is why that of the 5 Progressfull Principles, the one which people often find the most appealing, is Being Playful. The very idea that being playful is something which successful, evolved, high performers incorporate into their life is refreshingly new and a real relief, a lot of our clients tell us
As the philosopher Elbert Hubbard once said,
This is because in todayâs world of constant change, hyper-visibility and endless choices, many of us end up agonizing over even the tiniest decisions. We can spend hours re-writing emails, overthinking comments, ruminating on conversations - believing that the endless hard work of perfecting every detail of every aspect of our lives is the route to success and therefore the good life
Hubbard reminds us that time is a precious gift we canât get...
How sad is that? Yet alsoâŚlook aroundâŚhow normal!
Itâs true that most of us are often looking for the sources of success and confidence in the wrong places â a new job, a new makeup haul, a new pair of sneakersâŚ
Instead of our barometer for success being externally derived through âseeming perfect on the outsideâ we can choose our own internal barometer. Our own personal progress, not a mark on an exam paper, a response on social media, a performance review at work, or how fabulous we look (or donât look) in the mirror
This means we are much more in control of our own happiness, our own fulfilment, because our confidence is sparked by our own progress, not someone elseâs approval
So the great news is real confidence is something we choose to develop and grow - itâs a work in progress. Even better news is, prog...
Back in Madrid the streets started to fill with joyful celebrations
Talk about bouncing back - over the course of the month-long world cup event, Spain played through the shock of last yearâs player rebellion and the recovery from injury of two-time Ballon dâOr winner Alexia Putellas
âWe fought hard, thatâs the truth, until we felt like we had nothing left. But when we go to the airport and see a girl with a football or with a football jersey and the desire to play it fills us with energy again and makes us keep fighting for what weâre still missing,â Putellas said
The 19 year old superstar Salma Paralluelo exclaimed, âYou have to dream big to achieve things and, when the opportunity arrives, take advantage of itâÂ
Wow was it tense - a single goal separated the two sides as Spain made history and lifted their first-ever trop...