CPA Practice Advisor - 25

BRIDGING THE GAP

JIM BOOMER, CPA.CITP

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

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

Steps for Adopting a
Growth Mindset

EACH YEAR, OUR team provides consulting services to hundreds of top-performing accounting 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.
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.

1. FOCUS ON LEARNING
Seek out the best sources of information from within and outside the
profession and focus on learning
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.

2. C
HOOSE THE RIGHT ROLE
MODELS
Take inspiration from thought leaders and innovators in the 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.

3. C
HALLENGE 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.

4. SET A VISION AND DEFINE
GOALS
Creating a vision and setting goals
can help provide the motivation you
need to move from a fixed mindset
to a growth mindset. What do you
want to achieve in the next year?
Five years? Ten years? Get a clear
picture of where you want to be and
then break your vision down into

FEBRUARY 2020 ■

goals that will help you reach it.

5. S
EE FAILURES AS
OPPORTUNITIES
People with a growth mindset know
that 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.

6. BE AUTHENTIC
A growth mindset 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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