CPA_Practice_Advisor_March_2020 - 25

BRIDGING THE GAP

Steps for Adopting a
Growth Mindset

EACH YEAR, OUR team provides consulting services to hundreds of top-performing accountJIM BOOMER, CPA.CITP

CEO, Boomer Consulting, Inc.
Director, Boomer Technology Circle™
jim.boomer@cpapracticeadvisor.com

ing firms. The thing about being a consultant, as many CPA firms are learning, is that while
you can provide insight and advice to help your client solve a problem, you can't make
decisions for them or force them into action. We can help build consensus and commitment
and provide ongoing accountability, but it's ultimately up to the client to decide whether
and how to implement the plan of action we've recommended.

Most of the time, the difference
between success and failure of a
project comes down to mindset. In
the book Mindset: The New Psychology
of Success, author Carol S. Dweck
explains how mindset impacts
growth and change.

FIXED MINDSET VS.
GROWTH MINDSET
Your mindset is a spectrum. One
side of the spectrum is a fixed
mindset, while the other side is a
growth mindset.
■ Fixed mindset. People with a fixed
mindset believe that abilities,
intelligence and talents are all
traits we're born with. They often
obstruct their development through
their belief in innate talent and
their fear of failure. They see failure
as a disaster.
■ Growth mindset. People with
a growth mindset believe their
talents and abilities are developed
t hrough effor t, teach i ng and
practice. They believe anyone can
improve and be smarter if they
work at it. They're open to new
ideas and learning and see failures
as opportunities.
Our mindset shapes whether we
can learn and change and grow. The
good news is that anyone can adopt
a growth mindset, think differently
and become more open to innovation and growth.
James Anderson, a Certified

Growth Mindset Trainer, identified
several misunderstandings about
mindsets. Before we jump into
how to adopt a growth mindset, it's
essential to address at least two of
those misunderstandings.
First, your mindset is not an
innate part of who you are. You
weren't born with either a fixed or
growth mindset - you developed it
through your experiences, especially the role models you had as a
child and the messages you received
from others.
Second, growth vs. fixed isn't an
either/or proposition. No one has a
completely fixed or growth mindset.
It's more accurate to talk about the
degree to which a person holds a
growth or fixed mindset about abilities. We all have a mixed mindset
to varying degrees.

SIX STEPS TO ADOPTING
A GROWTH MINDSET
It's possible to develop a growth
mindset, and in the accounting
profession today, we believe it's
not just a good idea, but vital to
long-term success. Here's how you
go about moving toward the growth
end of the mindset spectrum.
FOCUS ON LEARNING
Seek out t he best
sources of information
from within and outside
the profession and focus
on lear ning from the best. Read

books, industry publications and
quality blogs. Listen to podcasts and
attend conferences. There is a lot of
information out there, so work on
developing the skill of identifying the
best and avoiding the rest.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT
ROLE MODELS
Take inspiration from
thought leaders and
i n nov at or s i n t he
profession. Follow them on social
media and attend the same events.
Try to model their way of thinking
and adapt their mindset in a way
that fits you.
CHALLENGE YOUR
CURRENT BELIEFS
One of the most critical
steps in changing your
mindset is acknowledging that you have a fixed mindset
- at least in some areas. Look at your
current belief system and identify
where you have self-limiting beliefs.
Acknowledging this isn't shameful - it's
human. Shine a light on the roadblocks
you're putting up for yourself and work
on turning them around.
SET A VISION AND
DEFINE GOALS
Creating a vision and
setting goals can help
provide the motivation
you need to move from a f i xed
mindset to a growth mindset. What
do you want to achieve in the next
year? Five years? Ten years? Get a

MARCH 2020 ■

clear picture of where you want to
be and then break your vision down
into goals that will help you reach it.
SEE FAILURES AS
OPPORTUNITIES
People with a growth
m i nd set k now t hat
failure is a necessary
stop on the road to success. When
faced with failure, they see it as an
opportunity to change tactics or apply
extra effort to improve results.
BE AUTHENTIC
A g row t h m i ndset
demands authenticity in
how you think and act.
Know who you are and
what you're all about. You don't have
to put on a perfect front to others.
Don't be afraid to be yourself and
let your values be known to others.
When you are open and honest in
your interactions with others, people
know where they stand with you and
trust you.
To innovate and think differently, accountants need to adjust
their mindsets. But realize that
a growth mindset isn't the only
ingredient for success - it's just the
first step. You also need to do the
work of transforming yourself and
your firm to become future-ready.
Having a growth mindset doesn't
guarantee success - it just opens the
door to getting there. It's a process
that involves mindset, goals and
action that leads to results. ■

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