7 Tips for Personal and Professional Growth

According to Stanford professor and author Carol Dweck, there are two types of mindsets. A fixed mindset and a growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe their personal traits can't be changed. They are confident in their intelligence and talents rather than wanting to improve them. Their core belief is that talent alone leads to success.  People with a growth mindset believe that learning and intelligence can grow with time and experience. They believe their basic abilities are just a starting point for what can be achieved and are willing to put in the extra time and work to grow. If you want to reach your full potential, the easiest way to do that is to adopt a growth mindset. 

So, let’s talk about some tips to help foster a growth mindset. 

1).  Seek opportunities.

We are constantly faced with important decisions and obstacles that pop up in businesses--whether it is hiring a new employee or learning a new skill or training your team to help your practice scale. Facing challenges head-on and viewing them as opportunities is a big part of developing as both a professional and as a person. The more we challenge ourselves, the more opportunities we get to learn about ourselves and stretch and grow.

Having a growth mindset means you don’t just give up and say you tried. It’s about asking yourself:

• Did I really try my best?
  
• Did I push myself out of my comfort zone?
  
• Did I do everything possible to improve the outcome? 
• Did I seek out the help of an expert if needed?

Sometimes you must check in with yourself and do some introspection. That often takes strength and vulnerability, especially to acknowledge you need help.

Some introspective questions you can ask yourself at this mid-year point are:

• What am I capable of?
• What do I want to accomplish and how am I going to get there?
• Who can help me get there? 
• What could I have done differently or better or have changed?
• What is holding me back? Or my team back? 
• What is going well? Which areas am I thriving in? Which areas is our practice as a whole thriving in
• Which areas do I know I need help with?
• Have I taken any action to get help?
• Why not? Is it based in fear? Is it financial? 

I encourage you to push yourself, look for different ways to challenge yourself, and always be open to learning new things. Embracing learning on a daily basis is fundamental to a growth mindset. 

2. Believe there is always room to grow.

If you don’t believe there is always room to improve or grow, then you will just stay static – and who wants to just be static, right? Even if you just try to do something another way besides the way you’ve always done it, that is acknowledging there is always room to improve.

3. Always do your best.

I think the definition of integrity I love the most is doing the right thing even when nobody's watching. The same goes for trying your best. Even if you know that nobody is checking over your work or looking over your shoulder, you show up and do your best. 

When thinking about your practice, here are some questions to consider: 

• Is your team doing their best while answering the phones? 
• Are they asking the right questions to qualify a caller?
• Are they handling objections with ease? 
• Can they talk knowledgeable about the categories of services you order and know the features/benefits of each?
• Can they credential your providers and your practice? 
• Are they booking appointments at 70% rate or higher? 

If you or your team is a bit stuck, APX Platform is here to help with our sales, finance, and operations training courses.

4. There are no failures, only opportunities.

If you shift your perspective, you can view failures as small setbacks that will help you go further and much faster in the future. Be willing to make mistakes and experience challenges. It’s not a failure if you need to improve on something. Making mistakes often means you are on the right track, but just not quite there yet. So, keep going! 

5. View feedback as information.

People tend to shy away from feedback. They feel like it is criticism or judgment. I challenge you to be open to receiving constructive criticism. These are teachable moments. If you're weak in an area and someone brings it to your attention, it is likely an area you should be focusing on to improve. Don't take feedback personally. Think of feedback as information and a path to learning and growing. Be willing to embrace this challenge to push you out of your comfort zone. Your ability to overcome challenges is rooted in your strength. 

6. View other’s successes as inspiration.

When other friends, colleagues, or family members are successful, don’t be envious. Look to them as a source of inspiration for you to strive for. Personally, when I see someone’s success in an area that I consider to be one of my weaknesses, I have always invested in coaches or experts to help me. 

7. Have perseverance.

When it comes to your ability to reach long-term goals and to keep going despite obstacles, it takes perseverance and determination. Every time you reach a new milestone, celebrate your progress, and then set new goals for yourself to stretch even further. People with growth mindsets are always creating new goals to stay motivated as there is always a new level to reach. Remember, if you want to truly master a skill set, be prepared to put in the work as it takes time. Nothing worth having comes super easily. It takes time to learn new information, process it, implement it, and then determine if it works for you or not. 

My wish for you in the second half of this year is to think about how you can feel more fulfilled, inspired, motivated, and intentional about showing up, playing full out, and doing your very best personally. Adopting a growth mindset personally spills over into your practice because how you do one thing is how you do everything!