Mindset and Self-assessment
There is this thought that was instilled in my mind by Vagmi, CTO Tarka labs(https://tarkalabs.com/) to write about Mindset. It took me a while to assimilate thoughts to start writing the post because I am only 3 months old in Tarkalabs and most of us being scattered in client locations, getting every consultant’s time proved to be a challenge for me to deep dive and understand the mindset, culture so on and so forth.
Did you just notice the objections(my intention was to convey mindset)I had, for taking the time to write this article?
Yes, I am getting to the point, Mindset- Fixed and Growth. Most of this post will reflect thoughts from the book Mindset by Carol Dweck.
“A growth mindset puts emphasis on process rather than results, teaching us to set store by our work ethic rather than our natural abilities”
Nurture, nature, genes don’t determine an individual’s capacity
Tarkalabs, founded in the year 2014, has had organic growth in terms of headcount and clientele. One of the foremost reasons that this happened is the need to build a team with the right mindset which means hiring likeminded folks who are keen to invest in the continuous process of learning for self-fulfilment.
“Hire an attitude, not just experience and qualification.”- Greg Savage.
The focus has never been on getting the crème de la crème. Instead, the emphasis has been on building a team that becomes a virtuoso of anything. The value proposition of this quality is to challenge the natural talent and take challenges as opportunities to pursue purpose-filled action and relish them.
The intention is not to paint a rosy picture but the client projects can sometimes be daunting with no immediate results or to the developer’s dismay all of his work can be scrapped because the client decided to pivot. The plausible way for us to get ahead in such tough times is to be curious and eager to learn. This reflects in the way consultants are expected to carve identities for themselves,
- create an identity through conferences, meetups(tech and on social awareness)
- more open-source contributions
- produce content that enables more extraction of value rather than the reproduction of content in different forms
In the times of toil and rigmorale, the values that an employer can create,
In other words, not let the mindset be a limiting factor to accomplish.
The ballast ecosystem imparts scope for perpetual improvement in projects, personalities. The growth mindset is based on the belief that basic qualities can be cultivated through efforts, strategies and help from others.
You must have a level of discontent to feel the urge to want to grow
Idowu Koyenikan, Wealth for All: Living a Life of Success at the Edge of Your Ability
Indeed, the growth mindset presents a great opportunity to reach out for support, and openness to criticism to make viable concrete plans for achieving our goals. At the same time goals should not let the individuals be consumed into proving their intelligence, the character instead should be about stretching oneself even when the journey is not going well. That is the hallmark of the growth mindset that allows people to thrive during the toughest times.
Time to reflect
Assessment to figure out if you have a Growth Mindset, the questions are framed referring to the books Mindset by Carol Dweck and Growth-Mindset by Helen Glasgow and Joshua Moore
- Have you always felt you are born with certain traits that will remain unaltered for life or not trainable?
a) I know my limitations
b) I am a freewheeler willing to experiment and fail. - What do you do when criticised?
a) Subject yourself to guilt-trip and start reasoning out why you are not shrewd
b) Reflect on the criticism, and reason out on the judgement, work on them if they seem beneficial to you. - How do you feel when there are setbacks?
a) You feel paralysed, powerless and incapable of handling challenges
b)You feel like you wore a Superman cape and make sure that you remain unperturbed by setbacks. - Do you feel genetic diaspora plays a huge role in a person’s abilities? For example, believing certain individuals are gifted, brilliant.
a) Yes
b) No - How do you handle conflicts at work/Life?
a)Leave the situation as is or wait for the other parties to take efforts to solve because you don’t like rejections
b) Initiate conversations, introspect, negotiate and try arriving at a midground - Do you feel the constant need to be praised and validated to perform consistently?
a)I see them as a way to motivate individuals
b) I feel self-sufficient - What happens to you when you fail in unknown territory?
a) You feel failures are painful experiences
b) I shrug, deep breathe and consider it as a learning experience.
If you have more than 4 a’s you need some help with altering your mindset. More b’s means you are doing a good job, be at it. :)
The growth mindset is all about,
The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.-Carol Dweck
There is no failure, except in no longer trying - Elbert Hubbard.
