Help to protect you from dreaded layoffs
‘An unfireable employee knows their mindset, their triggers’
With several industries recently announcing layoffs, perhaps you or someone you know is worried about being let go. Of course, you can’t control the economy and marketplace, and mass layoffs aren’t a reflection of an individual’s value. However, there are things within your power that could help make you less expendable within your organization, says Mary C. Murphy, author of “Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations.”
While earning her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University, Murphy worked with Carol Dweck, the Stanford University psychology professor best known for her research on fixed and growth mindsets.
“With a fixed mindset, you either have something or you don’t,” Murphy says. “The growth mindset is about potential, and how we can grow, develop and change over time. An unfireable employee is someone who knows their mindset and their mindset triggers. They’re always going to be shifting themselves toward their growth mindset.”
One of the biggest misconceptions about mindset is the idea that it’s set. In fact, mindset exists on a continuum, explains Murphy, who is a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University. “What moves us along the continuum?” she asks. “The answer is mindset triggers.”
Four common and predictable situations can trigger your mindsets, Murphy says. By understanding what causes you to move toward a fixed mindset, you can create an environment that reroutes you toward growth.
1. Evaluative situations
The first trigger is when you know you’re being judged by someone. For example, you might be writing or giving a presentation to a client. “I know other people are going to make decisions based on how I perform,” Murphy says.
Sometimes, this trigger moves people to their fixed mindset, causing them to think “I have to show how smart I am. I have to make this bulletproof. I’m not going to leave a lot of ‘question time’ at the end of my presentation because I don’t want people to actually challenge or find the fatal flaw in what I am presenting,” Murphy explains.
“For other people, that same evaluative situation can move them to their growth mindset. They think about it as an opportunity for learning. They might leave a lot of time for Q&A to be sure that they’re getting as much feedback as they can to make the thing even better, even stronger.”
2. High-effort situations
The second trigger is a situation where you’re given a stretch assignment or a new area to master that is going to take more effort than anything you’ve done before.
“Sometimes that moves people to their fixed mindset,” Murphy says. “If I have to try hard, it means I’m not naturally good at this. Other people might believe that the way to get better is by applying effort, and they move toward their growth mindset.”
Knowing whether you tend toward a fixed or growth mindset in this situation will help you understand if you approach high-effort situations in a threat state or as a challenge that you want to take on.
3. Critical feedback
How you receive critical feedback is the third trigger for a fixed or growth mindset. Some people move into a fixed mindset when they hear negative remarks, feeling as if they have failed. But criticism can also trigger you to move toward a growth mindset.
“Critical feedback is saying, ‘Here’s a place where we’ve seen there’s some potential for growth and development. You’re not where you need to be yet, but let’s figure out ways to get you there,’ ” Murphy says.
4. Success of others
Our own praise practices can trigger someone else’s mindset. If somebody on your team has done a good job, and you simply say, “Good job,” for example, you haven’t given enough information about practices they should repeat, Murphy says.
Your feedback can also affect anyone who hears you deliver it, especially if they thought the person was worthy of praise.
“They may say, ‘Well, I’m never going to be as good as that person’ and move into their fixed mindset,” Murphy says. “But if you identify the strategies they used to have that success, it could trigger others toward a growth mindset.”
Know your triggers
Knowing your triggers gives you the ability to change the associated mindset. If you know a high-effort situation is one of your fixed mindset triggers, for example, you can catch yourself when you start to think, “This isn’t my strength.”
Murphy recommends reminding yourself that you have a support system and you’re not in it alone. “You can reach out to others, saying, ‘To focus on mastering this new assignment, I’m going to need resources and energy. I wonder if you can help me by X, Y and Z,’ ” she says. “You’re sharing that you’re moving toward a growth mindset and showing a lot of self-awareness.”
Staying in a fixed mindset can lead to feeling like you could be fired at any given moment. You become more risk-averse and less likely to ask for stretch assignments. You’re also less likely to admit mistakes, which costs you learning opportunities for yourself and for your team. Moving from fixed to growth mindsets, however, helps you become less expendable. (And if you do get laid off, you can bring those skills to a new role.)
“When you feel you’re unfireable, you feel more innovative,” Murphy says. “You can take risks and be more creative, which will inspire more growth and development for you and for the organization. It also gives you confidence to explore directions you might not otherwise have explored. You’re always going to be growing, developing and improving.”