You are too left-brained, so maybe this is not for you.
We prefer to hire people that have a growth mindset.
Two quotes from the same person.
See the irony? Or is it just me?
The corporate world defines growth mindset as the belief that a person’s capacities and talents can be improved over time. Everyone I meet in the corporate world wants to hire a person with proven one-to-one link between the new role and their past experience. And yet almost every person or company waxes eloquent about the need for a growth mindset at every JD or L&D session possible.
This tendency of people to tell you what to do, what to stick to, is not just restricted to the professional world.
The world around us – our closest of friends, family and everyone around them – seems to have a view about what is our place in the world, what we should do or not because of what they perceive as our orientation, natural talent and everything else that pop psychology feeds into their mind.
I think there are a couple of reasons why.
One, people around you project their own self-belief and personal limits on to you. It’s also a great way to keep other people’s ego in check, and consequently, preserve your perceived place in the social/economic hierarchy.
Second, more obvious in the corporate setting, there is a lot of fancy talk and promises across the board, but hardly the courage to walk the talk. People face a problem, propose a solution to change the process so it never happens, whatever the cost. But no one is really prepared to bear that cost. And so when it’s time to pay, people fall to their base instincts and forget all aspirations. Growth mindset is one of many such aspirational goals that our companies show us.
Don’t get me wrong. I think growth mindset – whether the actual term is scientific or not – is a useful mindset to have. But like all other aspirational goals (better prioritisation, no-meeting-Fridays etc.), we never rise to these goals because of insecurities, fear of what-ifs, and countless other psychological traps that hold us back.
About two-and-a-half years back, when I had just bought and brought home a guitar that was what many people say too good or too early for a beginner, someone remarked that music is not everybody’s cup of tea. That I was doing well at my job and should just stick to that. Apparently she had tried and failed and realised one needs an inherent musical orientation to be anywhere near good, to make it worth the while.
Though it hurt at that time, I – thank heavens – brushed that aside. Today my life is much better for it. I have a hobby I am pursuing with a lot of love. My life decisions – where to live, what jobs to look, what kind of place to live in – and my day-to-day routines are now decided by what’s best for my guitar routine.
Don’t let anyone tell you why you should or should not do something. Don’t let someone force you to stick to “what you are good at”.
Utkarsh's Blog 