It is essential for People Operations professionals, especially talent acquisition specialists, to constantly source and retain individuals that are flexible to change and constantly seeking opportunities for progress in order to ensure success in organisations. They need to source individuals with the frame of mind that embraces learning, growth and improvement. Talent acquisition specialists are mainly accountable for the long-term recruitment, development and retaining of talent required to contribute to the future success of the organisation.
The recruitment aspect of people operations can play an essential role in identifying individuals with a Growth Mindset from the employment interview and assessment phases. Individuals with a Growth Mindset are accepting of change, broad-minded, observant, and willing to learn and transfer information. People operations professionals need to use these characteristics as a benchmark to recruitment of individuals as well as offer incentive to keep individuals happy and encouraged.
During the interview phase, people operations professionals can identify individuals with a Growth Mindset based on the type of questions asked by the candidate. They need to be cognisant of the questions that reveal that the candidate is inquisitive, seeking growth and advancement. People operations professionals can ask behavioural and adaptability interview questions to identify individuals with a Growth Mindset, this can be done by questioning candidates to assess how receptive they are to challenges and, they dealt with change and failure in the past. People operations professionals can use pre-employment assessments as a tool to identify individuals with a Growth Mindset, by using assessments such as individual adaptability assessments, cognitive aptitude tests and personality tests that evaluate an individual’s adaptability to change and willingness to learn.
People with a Growth Mindset believe that intellectual capabilities can be learned and developed at any stage in life . People operations professionals can help instil this mentality in their new and existing talent by applying their organisational development, and learning and development expertise. In terms of organisational development, people operations professionals change management techniques such as culture mapping, Kotter’s eight step change model, Kurt Lewin’s change model and ADKAR analysis. People operations professionals can apply their learning and development expertise to help cultivate a culture of learning and change this can be done by providing e-learning and training and development opportunities. People Ops professionals can ease the shift from a rigid way of thinking and help retain talent with a Growth Mindset by recognising and rewarding employees’ efforts, creating a culture that values feedback and promoting learning opportunities. Employees need to feel safe in their effort to grow and adapt, talent needs to be welcomed as well as treated with all integrity and care to reach their full potential.
In all it’s promise, Growth Mindset will reshape our future and benefit individuals from a work and well as a mental health perspective creating a progressive and healthy world.