Stimulate employee development with a 'Growth Mindset'

Although employees are certainly also responsible for their own development, managers can coach them in continuous dialogues and provide valuable feedback and feedforward. It is desirable for managers to have a so-called 'growth mindset'.

The growth mindset encompasses our beliefs about our intelligence, talents and qualities. Managers with this mindset believe that employees' talents are a starting point and that they can improve and develop with effort and discipline. They stimulate this development and identify potential progress more quickly, so they are able to spot talents in their employees sooner. Managers with a growth mindset give feedback on the growth process ('how well you did that' or 'how great that you try again!') and less feedback based on something fixed ('how smart you are! or you're really great at this!')

Managers with a fixed mindset argue that employees are born with a certain intelligence and qualities and that these determine what they can and cannot do. They take less initiative to coach their employees and when tasks threaten to go wrong, they take these tasks upon themselves. This deprives employees of the chance to learn from their mistakes and do well in the long run.

"See mistakes as practice and not as failure"

This positive approach to development naturally also applies to employees! Employees with a growth mindset more often choose something new, leave their comfort zone and, so to speak, go on an adventure. 'Fixed thinkers' are more likely to choose work that demonstrates they can already do something. For them, making mistakes is not an option; the result counts, not the chance to learn something.

In the famous play 'Pygmalion' by George Bernard Shaw, Professor Henry Higgins had high expectations about the development of Eliza Doolittle, the 'common-speaking' flower girl from a disadvantaged neighborhood. 'I will have her speaking like a duchess within three months,' he proclaimed. The girl beamed and his bystanders all laughed up their sleeves. However, after three months, the flower girl had developed into a well-mannered and eloquent young lady who, adorned with a beautiful hat, attended the horse races at Ascot.

High expectations as a driving force

You undoubtedly know the phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Henry Higgins had high expectations of the flower girl. The expectation he had of the other is known as the Pygmalion effect. In turn, the girl began to believe in herself and tapped into talents that were also unknown to herself. An intense belief in herself, her own self-expectation, was ultimately the driving force that enabled her to reach the highest noble heights (the Galatea effect). This example makes clear that both effects can reinforce each other.

Source: Het GROTE gesprekkenboek, Jacco van den Berg, 2010.

Let employees experience success. This way, learning and developing becomes more enjoyable, employees become more engaged and their confidence increases. Success creates success.

In the book 'Making Mistakes Takes Courage,' Remko van der Drift advocates creating a climate where employees can see mistakes as learning moments. In such a work environment, employees have no fear of being held accountable. They consider themselves lucky to have a (coaching) manager who is happy when they say they don't know something and/or can't do something and therefore haven't done something well.

It has long been known that giving feedback on the process is more valuable compared to the end result. Don't forget that compliments are at least as important as areas for improvement!

Want to know more about renewing your HR cycle? Also read our blog 'The modern HR cycle: tips, examples and everything you need to know!'.