644: Help Your Team Embrace Growth Mindset, with Eduardo Briceño
Sep 3, 2023
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Eduardo Briceño, a global keynote speaker and co-founder of Mindset Works, dives into the critical elements of fostering a growth mindset within teams. He discusses the importance of balancing performance and learning zones to achieve high performance. Briceño also highlights the dangers of internal competition and forced rankings in performance management, suggesting that collaboration and individualized assessments can drive success. He provides practical strategies for leaders to create a culture of continuous development, transforming feedback into a powerful tool for growth.
Teams need to spend intentional time in both the performance zone and the learning zone for optimal performance.
Creating a culture of learning requires setting learning goals alongside performance goals and implementing systems that support regular learning.
Deep dives
The Performance Paradox: Balancing the Learning and Performance Zones
The podcast episode explores the concept of the performance paradox, which highlights the counterintuitive fact that excessive focus on performance can actually hinder results. The episode introduces the performance and learning zones as two distinct states of focus. The performance zone is characterized by solely focusing on completing tasks, while the learning zone emphasizes growth and improvement. It is emphasized that both zones can coexist, though many individuals tend to prioritize performance over learning. The episode stresses the importance of embracing a growth mindset, which involves believing in one's ability to change and improve. However, simply having a growth mindset is not enough; individuals must also understand how to effectively bring about change. The episode provides examples from organizations like ClearChoice and New York Life on how to create a culture of learning within teams. It highlights the significance of providing a sense of purpose, encouraging collaboration over competition, setting learning goals alongside performance goals, and creating systems and structures that support learning on a regular basis.
Creating Learning Systems in Organizations
The podcast episode delves into practical strategies for creating learning systems within organizations. It explores the case study of ClearChoice, a company that fosters a culture of learning through intentional structures and habits. ClearChoice uses videos to observe skilled performers, conducts role-playing exercises, and encourages continuous improvement through frequent feedback and reflection. The episode also discusses study groups implemented by New York Life, where peers come together to share knowledge and support one another's learning goals. The impact of these learning systems on performance is highlighted, with high-performing individuals and teams consistently engaging in the learning zone. The episode challenges common myths surrounding learning and performance, and invites managers and leaders to inspire their teams to embrace both zones effectively.
Performance Management and Embracing the Learning Zone
The podcast episode explores the role of performance management in fostering a learning culture within organizations. It suggests moving away from forced rankings, where employees are graded based on their relative performance against one another. Instead, the episode advocates for evaluating individual performance based on predetermined standards or rubrics. Additionally, the episode encourages setting both performance and learning goals for employees during the performance management process. Learning goals focus on areas of improvement and personal development, allowing individuals to enhance their skills and knowledge. The episode emphasizes the importance of creating structures, rituals, and templates that support learning conversations and help employees reflect on their learning journeys.
Inviting Collaboration and Conversations about the Learning Zone
The podcast episode emphasizes the need for collaboration and open conversations about the learning zone within teams and organizations. It suggests initiating discussions and sharing resources, such as TED talks or relevant content, to raise awareness of the learning zone and its benefits. The episode acknowledges the discomfort that may arise when engaging in learning activities but underscores that with practice, individuals can become more comfortable with learning structures and habits. It highlights the role of leaders in creating a culture that values learning over knowing, where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth. The episode concludes by encouraging individuals and teams to reflect on their current practices, initiate conversations about integrating the learning zone, and collectively evolve their culture, habits, and systems to foster continuous learning and improved performance.
Eduardo Briceño: The Performance Paradox
Eduardo Briceño is a global keynote speaker and facilitator who guides many of the world’s leading companies in developing cultures of learning and high performance. Earlier in his career, he was the co-founder and CEO of Mindset Works, the first company to offer growth mindset development services. Previously, he was a venture capital investor with the Sprout Group.
His TED Talk, How to Get Better at the Things You Care About, and his prior TEDx Talk, The Power of Belief, have been viewed more than nine million times. He is a Pahara-Aspen Fellow, a member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leadership Network, and an inductee in the Happiness Hall of Fame. He is the author of The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset Into Action*.
Many of us have heard the invitation in recent years to have a growth mindset — but how do you establish this for an entire team? In this episode, Eduardo and I explore his research on systemizing the learning zone to help teams perform at the highest levels. Plus, we explore tactical shifts that managers can make in order to align intention with reality.
Key Points
In order for teams to performance at top levels, they need to spend intentional time in both the performance zone and the learning zone.
Internal competition can hold back teams from learning — and can over focusing on the present instead of the future.
Systemizing the learning zone helps build a culture where this is expected and normal. Setting expectations for feedback, role plays, and study groups are a few of the many ways organizations can do this.
Eliminate forced ranking systems, as they often over-perpetuate a culture of performance only vs. performance and learning together.
Include learning goals in professional development, not only performance goals. This normalizes and systemizes the learning zone as a critical part of work.
Resources Mentioned
The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset Into Action by Eduardo Briceño
How to Get Better at the Things You Care About by Eduardo Briceño (TEDx talk)
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
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