This document summarizes an article from the Graduate Recruiter publication about cultivating a growth mindset in graduates. It discusses that there are two types of mindsets - a fixed mindset where people believe their abilities are set, and a growth mindset where abilities can be developed through effort. It recommends that managers model a growth mindset, praise effort as well as outcomes, and provide opportunities for graduates to learn from mistakes to encourage their development of a growth mindset.

1. RECRUITER
GRADUATE
Issue:
EIGHTY nine
April / May 2016
A Publication of AGR - the collective voice of graduate recruiters and developers
Your bi-monthly knowledge guide
RECRUITER
GRADUATE
Your development trends:
An exciting year ahead
for development,
according to Samuel
Gordon, AGR.
Realisingtheelusive70%:
Josh Mackenzie, DBL,
urges organisations
to challenge their
thoughts on learning.
Giving more to early talent:
Lisa Saunders, Microsoft
talks of ‘stretch projects’
and their benefit.
70:20:10 for apprentices
GSK uses the 70:20:10
approach to develop
their apprentices to
their full potential.
Plus
Plus
LeadArticle
Cultivating a growth
mindset:
The best way to manage
a graduate, explains
Rachel Lyons, Fitch Learning.
DEVELOPMENT
SPECIAL

2. 00 Graduate Recruiter | www.agr.org.uk
Cultivating a growth mindset
Rachel Lyons, Management and Personal Development Tutor from Fitch Learning asks the question of how easy
it is to manage graduates and how easy people think it is…
Fixed vs growth mindset
16 Graduate Recruiter | www.agr.org.uk
M
anaging new graduates,
hey? How hard can that
be? Ease them in gently,
show them how it is done and give a
motivational speech once or twice a
week. Job done.
Erm. Let me stop you there. Actually,
subtle changes in your management
style can result in dramatically different
behaviours from your graduates. For
example, you may encourage new
graduates to be open to challenge and
eager to learn. Or you may find yourself
with a graduate who shies away from
challenge, is desperate for approval and
has a propensity to be dishonest!
“Say what?! I wouldn’t encourage
lying in my team!”
Well no. I’m guessing you would not but
you could unintentionally influence the
mindset of your graduate.
“What do you mean mindset? I’m a
line manager not a Zen master.”
True, but we can all impact the mindset
of the people around us. Especially if we
are in a position of power. By mindset
we mean the attitude a person has and
the beliefs that they use to interpret the
world around them. So two graduates
with different mindsets may interpret
the same situation totally differently
according to their mindset at the time.
According to Carol Dweck, a hugely
influential Stanford psychologist, there
are two key mindsets: a fixed mindset
and a growth mindset.
Graduates with a fixed mindset will feel
compelled to prove how smart they are
at all costs. For them their abilities are set
in stone. Talent and intellect are fixed. So
challenges are to be avoided, as they may
expose their “deficiencies”. Graduates
with a fixed mindset see things in
black and white and are always asking
themselves:
“Will I look smart or stupid?”
“Will I win or lose?”
“Will I get it right or wrong?”
“But being smart, winning and getting
it right are good things! Aren’t they?”
They sure are. But when we adopt a fixed
mindset these things come at the cost of
learning, accepting challenges and even
telling the truth. Interestingly, Carol
Dweck’s research shows that those with
a fixed mindset are more likely to lie in
order to cover up our weaknesses!
“Right well…clearly that is not great.
Tell me about the growth guys.”
Well, the other mindset is the growth
mindset. This is where we view our
talent and abilities as things you
cultivate through hard work, challenge
and feedback. This mindset creates
a real passion for learning and self-
improvement. Graduates with a growth
mindset throw themselves into new
challenges. They soak up feedback and
embrace mistakes as opportunities to
improve themselves.
“I want that for my graduates! How do
I encourage a growth mindset then?”
Glad you asked.
Firstly, model a growth mindset yourself.
Make it clear that you are a learner too.
Share what you are learning. Reference
how you have developed and grown
as a professional. No one enters the
workplace as the complete package so be
open about your journey.
Secondly, praise effort just as much as
outcomes. Focus on highlighting the
hard work put in during the process of
a project just as much as the outcomes.
This will cultivate grit and resilience
in your graduate. If the results of the
project fall below standard, use the word
“yet”. Telling a graduate “This isn’t good
enough” may push them into a fixed
mindset whilst “this is not there yet…” is
likely to motivate them to jump back in
and improve.
Finally, create space for growth. By this, I
mean provide opportunities where they
are able to risk making mistakes that
they can then learn from. We all learn
best when we are teetering on the edge
of what we already know, so set them up
with tasks and projects that stretch them
right to the edge of their comfort zone. If
mistakes are made, use them as golden
learning opportunities about how they
can be successful in the future.
“So if mistakes are made I instruct
them how to do better next time?”
You could do that. How do you feel about
being “instructed”?
“I don’t love it. Unless I have
specifically asked for advice. I much
prefer to work things out for myself.”
Your graduates are likely the same.
You can be helpful by asking the right
questions to facilitate their thinking
process.
“Like coaching?”
Exactly!
Managing millennials