How to motivate your team: How a Growth Mindset Can Transform Your Team

‍Understanding the Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

Psychologist Carol Dweck's research highlights two contrasting mindsets: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Individuals with a fixed mindset believe their abilities, intelligence, and traits are static, leading to avoidance of challenges, giving up easily, and feeling threatened by others' success. In contrast, those with a growth mindset view abilities as flexible, view effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism, and find inspiration in others' success.

Why Mindset Matters in the Workplace

The mindset we adopt significantly impacts our behavior, outlook, and success. In a professional context, employees with a fixed mindset might resist challenges, see feedback as personal attacks, and perceive their colleagues' successes as threats. Meanwhile, those with a growth mindset will be more likely to embrace new challenges, learn from their mistakes, and celebrate their colleagues' accomplishments, contributing to a more positive and productive work environment.

Training has the potential to be a pathway to improve mental well-being, quite immediately. Exercising makes you more aware that you're physically fit, which translates into an increased understanding that you're also mentally fit. In other words, training is an arena where experiences related to "growth" through physical training will also promote a growth mindset in a work context.

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Cultivating a Growth Mindset in Your Team With Physical Activity

Shifting your team towards a growth mindset can yield remarkable results. Here's how:

• Promote Physical Activity: Regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance cognitive function—all of which can contribute to a growth mindset. Encourage your employees to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines. You might offer gym memberships as a benefit, organize group fitness activities, or provide opportunities for movement during the workday, such as walking meetings.

• Highlight the Connection Between Physical and Mental Growth: Explain the link between physical health and mental resilience to your team. Regular exercise not only strengthens the body but also the mind. The discipline, commitment, and resilience developed through physical activity can transfer to a work context, fostering a growth mindset.

• Encourage Incremental Progress: Just as fitness improvements don't happen overnight, neither does a growth mindset. Use physical activity as a metaphor to emphasize the value of continuous effort, patience, and persistence. Celebrate progress, no matter how small, in both physical and mental realms.

• Provide Resources for Physical Wellbeing: Equip your team with the tools they need to maintain physical health. This might include training programs for physical health support, such as access to the Myworkout GO app or wellness contests. When employees feel that their wellbeing is a priority, they may be more likely to adopt a growth mindset.

• Lead by Example: Show your commitment to physical health and its connection to a growth mindset. Share your own fitness journey, participate in group fitness activities, or simply integrate movement into your work routine. Your actions can inspire your team and reinforce the value of physical health for mental growth.

By integrating physical activity into your team's routine, you can promote both physical health and a growth mindset. These initiatives can enhance the work environment, boost productivity, and support your employees' overall wellbeing. 

Remember, the journey towards a growth mindset is a marathon, not a sprint. Patience, persistence, and consistent effort are key to cultivating a growth-oriented culture.

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