I am fascinated by brain studies and find it so interesting that there is still so much we don’t understand about this amazing machine we all carry around in our heads.
Did you know that until recently scientists thought each person was assigned a certain number of brain cells and that growing more cells was impossible?
In just the last couple of decades research has revealed you actually do grow new cells every time you learn new information. These cells are generated in the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain, so every time you practice what you’ve learned, you add new connections to those cells.
Along those same lines, recent studies have shown that doing something over and over actually thickens the nerve paths in the brain associated with doing that activity. So, practice not only grows your brain, it strengthens it as well!
These findings, of course, tie right into the practice of nurturing a growth mindset. We’ve already explored the theory that people with growth mindsets welcome experiences, whether the outcome is positive or not, as opportunities to learn and to better themselves.
Now we see that experiencing those learnings builds the brain and that putting new learnings and skills into practice time and time again makes it stronger. But what if I told you nurturing a growth mindset can also help you grow leadership skills that will make you and your company stronger?
Here are a few things you can start doing today to make that happen.
Learn from others.
Instead of being threatened by the expertise of others, be inspired by and learn from them. Competition is exhausting and defeating, but drawing from collective wisdom lifts everyone. And, people with a growth mindset know there is always room to learn more.
Look for the new.
As we discussed in blog six, the world is actually filled with opportunities, not challenges. Actively seeking new opportunities can lead to new skills for you and may pave the way to expanded products or services for your company.
Give perfection the boot.
Perfectionists usually have fixed mindsets. They are also not the best leaders because they create unattainable standards for themselves and their team. When you embrace a growth mindset, more realistic expectations will follow.
Build on your success.
Make it a habit to set a new goal every time you achieve a goal. This keeps you from becoming stagnant and sets you up for new, brain-building experiences.
Give your company a growth mindset.
Just as you are growing and evolving, so is your organization. When you give others permission to experience and learn from bumps in the road, it becomes that much stronger.
Practice these tips until they become a habit. Doing so can create pathways to increased potential for you and those you lead.
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