A Growth Mindset Alone Does Little Good Without The Scaffolding To Support It

A journal reflection from experiences that have led me on this path in the pursuit of lifelong learning and personal mastery.

A few years ago, I was having a conversation with my then partner about having a growth mindset.

We were sitting on loungers at our resort in Mexico and I had been indulging in the book “originals” by Adam Grant. In the book, Grant talked about leadership and how we approach life, which can be defined as “originals” or “conformists”. I was sharing this with my partner when he replied “I don’t need to read a stupid little book to know that”. It got me thinking… to which I responded “the problem is, if you claim to have a growth mindset, yet say things like that, it doesn’t demonstrate the growth, it’s fixed”.

I remember and elder telling me once “if you have all of the answers, you should be dead, because you have nothing left to learn”. What I took from that message is that we should always be in the pursuit of learning, and I’ve carried it with me since.

I don’t know why I continued to engage in the conversation with my then partner. Maybe I was hoping something would shift with him if I offered a different perspective. So I continued, and offered up that just because I hold a masters in leadership, does not mean that I have nothing left to learn about leadership. In fact, that was just the beginning of my journey and I have so much more to learn. This is why I continue to attend conferences, read a plethora of books while creating my own library, and continue to feed my thirst for knowledge and embracing being a lifelong learner.

The conversation did not go anywhere further, and it created a further divide in our relationship. It was a reminder that the people we choose to keep in our lives, should be in alignment with who and what we are striving to be, or becoming. In partnership, we should be able to support one another in growth. The response I got that day, was a stark reminder that perhaps I was not choosing someone who was striving for the same things, and words were louder than actions and it was something I needed to truly reflect on.

Is this what I want for the rest of my life? To clarify, it wasn’t the first time a comment like this was made, and it was often in regards to my leadership style.

He would often refer to me as a hippy and would suggest “I don’t need any of your hippy leadership ideas”.

We returned from Mexico and carried on with life.

I loved the way Adam Grant wrote and the knowledge he shares, so I pick up another one of his books and begin to read “Hidden Potential”. He says “a growth mindset alone does little good without the scaffolding to support it”.

What does that mean?

We can utilize our own resources to build, but upon reflecting further, I asked myself the question- who are my scaffolders? Are they immediate to me in my circle, or outside of that, and how can I lean into those scaffolders to continue to build on and expand my growth mindset that aligns with one of my values of being a life long learner.

-Leadership experts- continuously reading books by organizational psychologists, subject matter experts in the field to expand my knowledge and challenge my perspectives.

-The strong women in my life who have modelled the way for me, even if when it was difficult. This was a reminder to not be deterred when you first hear something you don’t like. There was a lesson to be learned. Maybe one day I’ll share that story.

-Mentors that I have had along the way that I still remain in contact with.

-The peers I completed my masters with. That experience, the location and the people I was able to experience it with had such a profound impact on my life, my growth, and how I show up today. I still keep in regular contact with a few, especially my learning buddy, who continues to be instrumental in my practice and as a sounding board offering insights I often haven’t considered, honing in on my blind spots.

-Friends and family. Some are a reminder to slow down, reflect and enjoy the moment. Others challenge me, call me out on my shit, and inspire me to be better. We need all types of supports at different times in our lives. Recognizing who can support me in different seasons of life is important.

-The clients that I have worked with over the years. I have learned so much from them, something a text book could never teach you. As much as we may teach them about living healthy, productive, meaningful lives, I think they teach us far more than they will ever know.

When we get specific about things, and the people in our lives who lift us up, teach and encourage us, it helps us to hone in on what is missing from our own life and our own leadership journey.

We all have blind spots. Those that love and care about us will point them out because they care, it’s not to be disrespectful or a jerk (and if that’s the case, those are probably not your people).

We can use all of this a building blocks to create the lifelong learner we aspire to me, on the constant pursuit of what it means to embrace a growth mindset.

In closing, Adam Grant says that we teach what we need to learn, and by doing so it teaches us to reframe our approach and better understand what it is that we are teaching.