In his book, Learning Mindset for Leaders: Leveraging Experience to Accelerate Development, published in 2020, Terrell (2020) offers readers an abundance of suggestions on how to develop and improve their learning ability as the key capability necessary for survival of every individual in our turbulent times. Learning should be embedded in our lives and integrated with our activities, resulting in the learning mindset. We spend our lives in action, which could be either passive and unconscious, focused on producing results determined by someone else, or active, intended, engaged and fully conscious by which we consider our tasks as opportunities to learn and change. In that way, we could either operate on performance mindset, which is a characteristic of the transactional approach to work and management, or embrace a learning mindset by which we transform our attitude and beliefs and often transcend ourselves by not competing with anybody but us.
Terrell (2020) suggests that we take an active approach to learning from experience by developing a learning mindset. Learning from experience is often overlooked and devalued. To have a learning mindset means that we actively engage in interpreting our circumstance and that we are not reactive but responsive, taking every opportunity to learn, develop and grow. In this regard, Terrell (2020) suggests that an individual has embraced the learning mindset if an individual is:
open to new experiences;
has motivation, will and desire to learn from them;
is curious about new things and others;
nourishes an attitude of active discovery and exploration;
always seeks to gain something positive from new experiences; and
believes in their own potential for learning and growth.
Learning mindset could be considered a discipline or a state of mind of those who have mastered it. When an individual strengthens their learning mindset, they create a “virtuous cycle” in that they increase their learning from experience; become more resilient and persistent; and perform better, reinforcing the learning mindset loop. Terrell (2020) goes on to suggest learning practices that can accelerate learning from experience and strengthen the learning mindset:
taking responsibility for learning and development;
approaching new tasks and opportunities with the intention to experience something new and learn from it;
giving and seeking feedback;
understanding one’s strengths and areas of development;
asking questions and being curious;
listening with empathy and intent;
responding by acting flexibly and adaptably;
practicing reflection and mindfulness;
experimenting with new approaches; and
observing and learning from others.
An individual who has a learning mindset actively pursues learning practices, further stimulating their learning mindset and continuously bringing learning practices to a new and higher level.
In subsequent chapters titled according to the learning practices, Terrell (2020) leads us through learning practices by describing them, suggesting behavioral patterns that could reinforce them, followed by suggested developmental actions and self-assessment tools and reflection questions.
Taking responsibility for learning and development
This learning practice indicates that an individual should not only participate in occasional learning programs, but that they should actively seek opportunities for learning and growth, participate in their selection and reflect upon them. To do that, an individual could pursue the following behavioral patterns: develop learning goals to support one’s career; consider every experience as a learning opportunity, for instance while working on assignments, projects, etc.; take initiatives to improve leadership skills; work on overcoming obstacles to implement changes, etc. If a new situation is perceived with curiosity, instead of frustration, resistance, anger and/or anxiety, it opens the door for many new experiences and insights. To stop or at least suspend negative judgement, individuals could write a list of questions about a difficult task, which could be learning questions, and then seek answers from the involved stakeholders. It should be noted that sometimes people not in the least connected to the task could provide a valuable input or point to a new perspective.
Approaching new tasks and opportunities with the intention to experience something new and learn from it
The way we approach new tasks and opportunities highly determines their outcome with regard to performance but also the quality of learning. To strengthen a positive outlook, an individual could, even before engaging in a task, be reminded that a new task is always an opportunity to learn something new. If the nature of the task is new to an individual and requires a new approach, the learning process could also be different, contributing to more benefits. To be able to reach such an attitude, an individual could consider some suggested developmental actions. For instance, an individual could start to be conscious of their reactions. By making them conscious and even by writing them down, an individual could identify weak spots in their attitude and even raise awareness of the necessity to give up total control. Balancing positive aspects, to which an individual has total or some control, to less favorable aspects, with little or no control, could also help boost motivation.
Giving and seeking feedback
Feedback could enable better performance, growth and development if it is provided constructively and continuously. It is important to note that individuals do not need to wait to receive feedback; they could also actively seek it from their peers, associates, superiors but also other stakeholders, such as clients, suppliers and distributors. Feedback could be solicited regarding performance and competences but also attitude, behavior and character traits. It is especially useful to receive feedback from a knowledgeable and well-meaning person with integrity. Listening skills are very important to receive the information in the right way, especially considering the fact that some respondents might not be straightforward and much could be said between the lines. However, it is better not to make assumptions but to ask for clarifications if things sound hazy. It is useful to make notes of the feedback received. In that way, individuals could later focus on both positive and negative aspects instead of just remembering the negative.
Understanding one’s strengths and areas of development
This aspect is especially important for developing leaders. Even though a person could identify their own strengths and weaknesses, additional information coming from different people is also useful. They could assess our weaknesses as potential for growth and not something that could hinder us indefinitely. Feedback and attentive listening without prejudice is again of much importance. However, feedback could be combined with the feedforward input in that a person receives suggestions regarding what should be changed so that tasks are accomplished well.
Asking questions and being curious
We cannot really manage something if we do not honestly and passionately care about it. That is reflected in our curiosity in asking questions and always wanting to learn and gain more insight. Asking probing and open-ended questions could help people relax and share more of their insights and knowledge, especially tacit knowledge. The simple “why,” when uttered with curiosity, could be the phrase that leads the conversation into a new direction. Open approach free of any bias or prejudice further strengthens the relationship and provides a more relaxed atmosphere for a fruitful conversation. Asking random questions about the problem could then help reveal a solution or several potential solutions.
Listening with intent
If we value the input from others, it is only by careful listening that we can start the transformation process. That is why Terrell (2020) suggests that we start to listen transformatively. Transformative listening is a skill, even a discipline, that requires dedicated practice. It requires that we free ourselves from assumptions, judgments and fears. It means that we are willing to be vulnerable to what is as shared by other human beings. However, before doing so, we should first try to explore our filters of perception, mental models and biases to be able to be more receptive. Then a true dialogue can begin in which people share insights and explore opportunities together, often by discovering new perspectives to a current situation, which can be transformative.
Responding by acting flexibly and adaptably
Responding flexibly and adaptably requires a lot of learning and further reinforces the learning mindset. By reinforcing our learning mindset, we are less inclined to act on autopilot or based on our previous experiences. Today, the conditions are so volatile that even a person who has had the same experience may end up failing if they use the same approach as previously. There are always new contingencies added to the situation that make it impossible to continuously operate in the same fashion. That is why conversations and dialogue leading to information and knowledge exchange are so important. Having broader interests could also be helpful as reading different material could help an individual discover new perspectives and approaches to deal with new situations.
Practicing reflection and mindfulness
Action without reflection means that the same behavior is repeated many times with the same outcome. That is a problem if the result is unfavorable. However, in changing conditions, action without reflection becomes dangerous. If reflection is done carefully while the problem is still ongoing, an individual could self-correct their actions to achieve a more favorable outcome. By practicing awareness, an individual remains on high alert and aware of many details and unexpected occurrences, which would otherwise go under the radar. Some people would recognize this advice as being in the moment or being in the now, which is also a spiritual practice of overcoming detachment to thoughts and actions. Reflection is not only important for individual learning, it is also the only effective way to achieve true single- or double-loop organizational learning. In any case, for true learning to occur after reflection, deep-held assumptions or mental models, as drivers of action, should be identified and revised according to new circumstances.
Experimenting with new approaches
Reflection can leave an individual in only one state: desire to move forward, often by trying out new approaches. Experimentation is a powerful learning tool: it helps an individual gain new insights regarding the approaches that work but it also helps learn from mistakes first hand. However, experimenting could also be done in teams when everyone is invited to participate in designing the best solution. In that way, responsibility is shared so people could feel less pressured and therefore be more creative.
Observing and learning from others
Observing, just like listening, is a skill that should be practiced with a heightened sense of awareness. However, the process itself is just one part of the equation. It is equally important to identify an object (or a subject) worth observing. One could engage in careful observing by engaging in job shadowing or by simply watching someone else perform some tasks or exercise a specific skill. However, relationships, especially those in a group or in a team are equally worth careful observing. Observing leaders can also be very helpful in developing leadership skills, especially social skills.
Learning Mindset for Leaders by Terrell (2020) is not a boring theoretical book. It is predominantly a how-to book and a guide on how to achieve that goal. Its approach is direct and to the point, targeted at action-oriented practitioners aspiring to work on their learning mindset. It is dynamic and packed with many resources such as assessment tools and questionnaires. Every learning practice is supported by a list of behaviors, behavioral trends and patterns to implement them, potential development actions, self-assessment tests and reflection questions. That makes this book an outstanding book of instructions on how to develop and fine-tune a learning mindset. Even though it is targeted at practitioners – managers and leaders who have interest in exploring and leveraging their learning mindset, this book could be of use to almost anyone: consultants, trainers, mentors, HR managers, learning and development advisers and lecturers who provide learning-related content. Academics and PhD students could also benefit from reading this book and find it inspirational for their future research as questionnaires suggested in the book deserve further empirical validation.
This work is a part of the project “Development of management in the entrepreneurial economy and society” supported by the University of Rijeka (Grant No. 18–44 1174).
