Do you notice a depletion of energy in your team when certain managers are around? Perhaps they don’t maximise the team’s full potential? Do new team members quickly move on to opportunities elsewhere? Consequently, you may have wondered about mindset. We take a look at 3 key signs that you’re working with a fixed mindset manager.
Fixed Mindset Managers Focus on Star Players
“You’re either naturally talented at this job or you ain’t.” is the mantra of a fixed mindset manager. As a result, these managers tend to focus their attention on those they deem to be star players. For example, those already performing to a high level. Fixed mindset managers don’t enable people to develop by learning from mistakes. Consequently, they fail to recognise and foster the potential of other people in the team. However, this usually results in highly capable team members seeking opportunities elsewhere, with managers who will motivate and develop their potential. As a result, the entire team ends up losing out when working with a fixed mindset manager.
A Reluctance to Share Ideas and Expertise Across the Organisation.
Fixed mindset managers are only concerned with the performance of their own team. They can be secretive about successful strategies and guard specialist knowledge, the last thing they want is for another team to outshine them. Other teams in the organisation are regarded as “the competition” and fail to see the bigger picture – when expertise and knowledge is shared across an organisation, everyone wins.
Fixed Mindset Managers Never Share Their Own Failures.
When you work with a fixed mindset manager you’ll never hear them share tales of their own failures. Instead of recognising that sharing challenges and struggles on the path to success might motivate others, they maintain an air of perfectionism. Mistakes aren’t regarded as a data point on the learning curve to mastery, instead, a fixed mindset manager sees failure as a personal attribute.
Working with a Fixed Mindset Manager – the Impact
A fixed mindset manager can unintentionally create demotivated individuals, uncooperative teams that result in organisations that fail to maximise potential. It doesn’t have to be this way. If you’d like to learn more about growth mindset leadership, take a look at the other blogs in this series, hop over to our free resources, or say hi to discuss how our courses could help you and your company develop a growth mindset for success.