As part of a wider initiative to shift the culture across the organisation, #LET’SGROW, DT Europe were looking to explore the importance of a Growth Mindset through a series of internal interventions. They approached Maynard Leigh Associates to help them communicate this, through participation in webinars and through leading live workshops on Growth Attitude in Athens, Vienna and Bonn.
We adapted our Victim & Chooser model to align with DT’s thinking on their trajectory towards growth. Embracing Growth Mindset encourages people to see challenges as opportunities, which would in turn help DT keep up with the changing marketplace.
Groups of leaders and managers from across Europe were transplanted from their offices to a dance studio, where instead of a classroom setting with chairs, handouts and a slideshow, they stood facing full-length mirrors and were invited to ruminate on how their mindset affected their leadership.
On the first day, the focus was on introspection. Participants were asked to consider: who were they as a person, and as a leader? They had many creative provocations and invitations, including sharing a song that meant something to them and explaining why, and creating a self-portrait which was added to throughout the day as they collected feedback, impressions and perspectives on themselves as leaders.
The second day looked outwards, focusing on “extraspection” and the impact had on others. This pushed individuals to embrace their authenticity, authority, and agility. Through highly interactive sessions, including performing sketches and presenting, they learned methods of expressing themselves creatively.
The sessions were aimed at provoking active self-reflection, stimulating deeper self-awareness, challenging self-assumptions, and developing personal insight, alongside driving a growth mindset. By embracing a growth mindset, participants took away a commitment to engage, involve and inspire those that they lead to follow suit.
The international groups embraced the event and challenged their perceptions on their individual mindsets. Sabine Weishaupt, the Global Head of Leadership Consulting & Initiatives, called the event a “truly engaging and deep-reaching growth opportunity,” and added, “the Growth Attitude training offers an experiential journey: you will discover yourself and get to reflect on your thoughts and behaviour in very quiet, very loud, and always provoking moments throughout two exciting days.”
