Episode 225 - The Leader’s Mindset - Part Five - Drive for Growth

Leadership Today - Practical Tips For Leaders

Summary

We each have mindsets that we bring to our leadership. In this final of a five part series, we explore Drive for Growth and the role it plays in The Leader’s Mindset.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode 225 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we share practical tips to improve your leadership. In this final of a five part series, we explore Drive for Growth and the role it plays in The Leader’s Mindset.

We are continuing to explore The Leader’s Mindset which has four elements: Goal Orientation, Optimistic Outlook, Options Thinking and Drive for Growth. I encourage you to listen to the previous episodes first and also take the time to complete our free Mindset to Action assessment. This provides detailed feedback on all four areas along with development suggestions. Just go to https://leadership.today/mta

Continuing our journey metaphor, we can be clear about where we’re going, have a positive attitude towards that journey, and even be great at identifying various options to get there, but without Drive for Growth we won’t make progress.

Drive for Growth is like momentum and making forward progress on the journey. With a Drive for Growth mindset, a person will be motivated to keep going and persist even when things get hard. They push themselves to standards that are greater than the minimum that’s expected. Without a Drive for Growth, a person tends to give up when things become difficult to achieve. They also find it hard to get going on a task they know will be difficult.

Sometimes it can feel like some people are just born with higher levels of drive and motivation, but we can all develop and improve our Drive for Growth. Here are five practical ideas you can use:

1. Boost Your Mood: Procrastination is about putting short term mood repair over long term results. We procrastinate because it makes us feel better in the moment. Research demonstrates that boosting your mood by completing an activity you enjoy makes you less likely to procrastinate. Whether it's going for a quick walk or talking with a colleague, take a few moments to boost your mood before you begin.
2. Start Small: Getting started can be the hardest part of pursuing any goal. Identify a small first step you can take to make progress. Dedicating a short amount of time such as 10 to 15 minutes to begin can also be a useful approach. You can then add another 10 to 15 minutes on at the end, as you're likely to be more motivated once you get started.
3. Review Why It Matters: It's challenging to make progress when we lose sight of why our actions matter. Think about your broader goals and sense of purpose in life. Identify how activities align with this purpose to give you that extra motivation.
4. Reflect on Progress: Take stock of the progress you have already made. Think about where you were a month or a year ago and reflect on what you've learned and how you've grown. This will help to build your confidence and motivation to keep going.
5. Recognise That Growth is Difficult: Learning anything new is uncomfortable. Feeling awkward and wanting to give up are natural responses to trying any new activity or pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone. It doesn't mean that you lack potential. Push through the awkwardness towards growth and improvement. Becoming comfortable with feeling uncomfortable is a key part of a Drive for Growth mindset.

Choose one of these to practice over the coming week. That’s our final episode in this series on The Leader’s Mindset. If you found the episodes and Mindset to Action assessment helpful, please share them with a friend or colleague. We are committed to sharing resources that help everyone with their leadership and you play a big part in spreading the news. Have a great week as you become an even better leader.

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