Hi Ibu Anin,

I've read your article in The Jakarta Post titled "Developing employees within their comfort zone."

That one is very insightful.

As you wrote, job enrichment or enlargement is not suitable for those with a fixed mindset, I have some questions on that:

1.     Is there any chance to change a fixed-mindset-person?

2.     What kind of "treatments" are viable to develop a fixed-mindset-person?

3.     What kind of job roles are suitable for a fixed-mindset-person?

4.     How far should a fixed-mindset-person be authorized (or have authority); mid-management, senior management or higher/lower position?

5.     Are there any certain conditions that a fixed-mindset-person may be suitable to have a role as a leader or key decision maker?

6.     What should we know more about a fixed-mindset-person?

I hope we can learn more from you.

Can't wait for the next article (I hope those questions will be published on the next article :D)

Thank you in advance. God bless you.

***

Thank you for your letter! It’s so heart-warming to receive a note from a reader who really cares about developing others at work. I am sure many would aspire to work with you.

With that said, let me first be clear that having a growth mindset vs. fixed mindset is not about being right vs. wrong, if chosen consciously. Some people love challenges and push themselves towards new boundaries while some others like to stay in territories they are familiar with. Most people are somewhere in-between and they are entitled to their choices as long as they are willing to accept the consequences from those choices.

Having the outlook that their intelligence and skills are static, people with a fixed mindset are not up for challenges because they fear risks and failures. Thus, they prefer working on things which they are already familiar with and this is fine. There are a lot of jobs out there which are largely routine, repetitive or business as usual. A certain level of stability is needed for any enterprise to prosper.

The same approach also works with authority. It’s not about which level of authority is suitable for them but more of what kind of authority they are familiar with. It’s possible that people with a fixed mindset be trusted with a leadership position but only when it is somewhat static in nature. Admittedly, in this world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), there are not many leadership positions like that. Most leadership positions nowadays are dynamic and require a lot of adaptability. The higher the leadership position is, the more agility is required. 

What should we know more about people with a fixed mindset? If you are in a leadership position, these people may pose some challenges for you if their aspiration is not aligned with their mindset. For example, they demand career promotion without wanting to leave their comfort zone. If this happens, your job as a leader is to have that honest conversation with them about aligning their expectations with the mindset of their choice. 

Is there any chance to change people with a fixed mindset? Of course! But only if they want to change their mind. Perhaps they don’t, maybe they have different goals or priorities and we need to respect that. Now, in the event that they do want to grow, there are many resources out there available. Which one to use depends on the specific context. But if you are their leader, you can begin with a few simple steps, such as giving them growth-oriented feedback, incorporating learning in their performance reviews, investing in their upskilling and re-skilling and supporting cross-functional collaborations. 

In the end, however, everybody must take ownership of their own career decisions, along with the consequences that come with them.