An extension of the Growth Mindset

Growth mindset as we know it is about picking yourself up after a failure and focusing on the learnings and knowing that talent is ever-improving. There is more to it than that - being able to identify exactly what the issue is that needs addressing.

I learnt this skill of identifying what the "error" is from playing ultimate frisbee competitively at the top level. I used to be a player who would blame themself for simply being not good enough, whether it is that I am too short, lacking skills or not training hard enough. This negative self-talk motivated me somewhat to train harder and upskill but it actually didn't address the specific issue that I was facing plus it eroded my confidence. There are so many variables in an ultimate frisbee game that it is important for a player to identify the exact set of circumstances when the error has occurred: a windy day, tough opponents, teammates' movements on the field and my skill level in throwing a tricky forehand under time pressure. To improve in this situation, I would have needed to practise throwing a tricky forehand, then add in the time pressure, then add in wind, then add in etc etc.

I am of the opinion that we don't do this level of identification enough when it comes to work and continuous improvement. When things haven't gone according to plan or to what we expect, we are too quick to blame ourselves and everyone and everything else.

For example, I am currently going through my next level of coaching certification and I have found myself saying in a blanket fashion that I need to do better in reflecting back the essence of what my client is saying to me when I know I am generally quite good at listening for the essence. The specific set of circumstances that I need improvement on is when I have a talkative client while I am learning a new way to coach. Therefore, the solution lies more in integrating this new way of coaching into my existing ability and practise more on talkative clients. If we were to dig into this issue a level deeper, we might see the real issue is my habit of allowing clients plenty of space to talk, which can be conducive for most but counter-productive for some so the solution is more about flexing my muscle of discernment.

Can you think of a situation where you have felt like a failure or stuck and you have not been able to see exactly what is the issue that needs addressing?