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So you’re trying to make something new happen, a new hospitality job, no matter the career goal a growth mindset is key to get there.

Today we’re discussing what it is, what it definitely isn’t and what to ask yourself to develop that growth mindset. So let’s start talking about a growth mindset.

Several years ago, Carol Dweck wrote the book “Mindset”. In it she explained that the most successful people in life have what’s known as a “growth mindset”. You can have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset let’s talk about fixed mindsets first.

Someone with a fixed mindset thinks that things cannot change

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For example “What is today is what tomorrow will be”, “who I am today is who I will be tomorrow”, “I can’t get better at Kaiseki or Sushi skills”, “Anyway, I am who I am“.

I realised it’s very easy to dismiss this and go “No, that’s not me. I’m not that kind of person, I understand people can change”. But then I think about how many people I know have told me they could never do something. “Oh, I could never start a business, I could never become a Hotel GM or switch careers this at this late age, or I could never go back to study more about hospitality, I could never run a marathon”… So it seems like we all have a fixed mindset in regards to something.

A fixed mindset believes that you are who you are.

A growth mindset is key to career success because it keeps you innovating and creating rather than making fear-based decisions. People with a growth mindset see change of any kind as an opportunity rather than a deficit or a setback.

So how can you develop a growth mindset?

Well anytime you have any sort of experience. It’s really good to evaluate it. So ask yourself some of the following questions. Or all of the following questions.

• What did I learn?
• What did I contribute?
• What did I create?
• What can I take from this experience?
• What would I maybe do different next time?

I think sometimes to have a growth mindset we just have to wait for the opportunity to try something again. So you might get harsh feedback, but if you don’t get the chance to replicate that event again you can think “next time if it happens. I’m going to do these three things differently”. What I love about this is you can use these questions for any situation. This will enable you to see how you want to grow as a human being as well as for your career. Have a new project at work or a position you just got laid off from? Ask these sorts of questions to get the opportunity to think through new ideas and get further along in your career!

How To Implement A Growth Mindset

I personally think it’ll really help you figure out what are the things I’m actually really good at and how do I go deeper in those areas. And so I really hope today you will try and find a way to develop your growth mindset, but it doesn’t have to be work related. Want to be better at organising your filing or having a clean apartment and you think “I’m just not an organised person”. Well, let’s reframe that. Ask ourselves some questions about how we can do that a little bit better and move towards being a tidier person. Maybe you just got laid off or you’re trying to figure out what your next career position will be? Ask yourself some questions today such as What do I really like about my job? What do I want to change about myself?

Kickstart your hospitality job search by thinking about that “new self” you can be

Start acting upon that, use that growth mindset to start becoming a new better different version of yourself that will set you up for career success. So let me know below. What’s one way you are going to try to have a growth mindset?

Look forward to hearing how you were able to inplement this, until next time happy career hacking!

Nathan.