Know Better – Do Better – Power Idea by Carol Burnett Vest

Power Idea by Carol Burnett Vest, Alliance Partner of HPISolutions

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Years ago, when I first read this quote by Maya Angelou, I thought “OK, this makes sense, this is what we all do.”  Then years later as I began studying neuroscience, I began to truly see the depth in her words and the power in her thoughts. I realized that “NO”, this isn’t what we ALL do!

Neuroscience suggests that our brains are “wired” differently when it comes to our motivation to learn and eagerness to understand. The research of world-renowned Stanford University Psychologist, Carol Dweck described two opposite mindsets: growth mindsets and fixed mindsets.

Individuals with fixed mindsets believe that people’s skills, abilities, and intelligence are non-malleable or static and cannot be increased. They frequently tend to interpret challenges as failures and thus disregard these opportunities to learn and flourish.

Individuals with growth mindsets embrace the belief that people’s skills, abilities, and intelligence are malleable, flexible and are capable of being advanced/developed – accepting that we have the ability to learn, grow, and change. These individuals welcome challenges, have an increased awareness of mistakes, are open to feedback (including corrective feedback), and tend to focus more on processes rather than being driven by results.

It’s easy to see why leaders who possess growth mindsets are so valued by organizations. As the leader goes, so goes the crew/organization.

The Prioritized Leader, offered by HPISolutions, is a suite of Leadership processes and tools that provide a profound, systematic foundation for leaders to explore, identify, and solve challenges within their business. Of The Five Priorities needed to succeed in business (Purpose, People, Pace, Perception, and Profit) which should you invest in first? The Prioritized Leader provides a shared language and foundation in which leaders, their people and their organization can engage, learn, and grow. An opportunity to know better, then do better!