There has been a dramatic shift in the workplace as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The long-held meanings of words like “success”, “connected”, “risk” and “plan” are finally starting to take on a more compassionate and human meaning in the workplace. The pandemic has led the worker to reevaluate what it means to be successful at work outside the harsh glare of the CEO. People want success but not at the expense of balance.
I recently read “EMBRACING OUR IMPERFECTIONS” by Hubert Joly and he does a great job of capturing the benefits of this more balanced approach to work and success. A couple of the finer points:
- Stanford University professor of psychology, Carol Dweck, points out that perfectionism is a “fixed mindset” or the belief that abilities are innate or “fixed”. This mindset shuns growth and feeds a fear of failure. If we fear failure, we fail to risk and stagnate.
- Many companies strive to be the “best”. The problem with that mindset is that being the ”best” implies that the world is a zero-sum game. Again – this shuns a growth mindset and deepens the fear of failure.
Growth, for people or companies, does not happen by endlessly striving and comparing ourselves to others. Improvement, growth and strength are the by-products of continually competing against ourselves to become our best selves.
In life and in business, this is a ‘win-win’.
