I hear many say, “Can I be on a board of directors?”, “What skills do I need to be successful on a board?” and “How much of a commitment is it?”
The Growth Mindset is a way of thinking that says we evolve and develop over time. It states that we are not fixed and static. To be successful in business, you need to adopt this mindset so that you can continue to learn and grow. An important element of this mindset is charting your own progress.
A Feedback Loop for Success
How do you know if you’re growing? One of the key ways is to chart your progress. This means identifying each milestone and recognizing when you’ve reached it.
This milestone offers proof that you’re growing and can change over time, while simultaneously demonstrating that you’re making progress towards achieving your goals. It serves as a kind of positive feedback loop. Each milestone provides more evidence of your growth, which helps you keep pushing ahead and setting the next milestone.
Create a Digital Success Folder
How do you chart your progress? When teaching students to learn with the Growth Mindset, teachers encourage them to keep a success folder. You can do this too with a digital success folder. Save screenshots or files somewhere for completed projects you’ve done. Include anything you consider an achievement. You can use this material for motivation when you need it. It offers evidence of how far you’ve come.
Learn to Set Better Goals
The way you set your goals can make a difference in your development. To set a milestone you’ll achieve, it has to be SMART:
Specific – Identify exactly how you will know once the goal is achieved.
Measurable – Attach some numbers so you can easily measure it.
Actionable – Break it down into the steps needed to reach it.
Realistic – It needs to be something you can achieve.
Timely – Set a deadline for when you’ll do it.
With clearly defined milestones, you’ll know for sure when you reach them, and they’ll be more effective in reaching your goals and charting your progress.
Reframe How You View Mistakes
The key to a Growth Mindset is reframing how you think about mistakes. Mistakes aren’t failures; they’re learning experiences. They don’t impede your growth. They’re a necessary part of growth, just like successes. If you understand this, you can take action toward goals and more easily reach your milestones.
Charting Your Progress Is Important Work
Successful people chart their progress as a matter of course. It becomes a habit. But if you want to adopt a Growth Mindset, you must make it an intentional part of your business. This means setting aside time for strategic planning and taking the time to learn new skills and techniques. Put time on your calendar to set goals, review results, and remind yourself how far you’ve come by referring to your digital success file.
