The pace at which the IT industry is evolving makes it difficult for businesses to keep pace with it. Businesses that embrace change, digital marketing framework transformation and adopt a growth mindset are the ones that succeed. Arthur Hu, Senior Vice President and CIO of Lenovo Group said, “Growth mindset is important because the world is dynamic and changing more quickly than ever.”
He further adds, “With nobody able to stay at the cutting edge of every technology field, it is an invaluable orientation that ensures you stay focused on learning how to embrace the latest challenges and focus on discovering the best ideas to capitalize on these challenges, rather than spending energy defending your own ego as the person who has to have all the answers.”
In this article, you will learn about eight qualities that IT leaders with a growth mindset have, which makes them stand out from the crowd.
8 Qualities of IT Leaders With Growth Mindset
Here are eight qualities of IT leaders who have a growth mindset.
-
Curiosity
What really makes an IT leader with a growth mindset special is their curiosity. Despite reaching the top of the ladder in their perspective organization, they always explore new things. They always stay in the learning mode and want to explore new avenues.
They are always on the lookout for new ideas from multiple sources. This is what spurs innovation and allows your organization to gain an upper hand over your competitors by staying one step ahead of the pack.
-
Creativity
“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” —Edward de Bono
One of the biggest differences between an ordinary and extraordinary IT leader is creativity. Successful CIOs always think about unique and innovative ideas instead of following the status quo.
They look at problems from a completely different perspective and come up with a solution that others might not have thought about. Most IT leaders use this trait to solve complex problems and get their organizations out of tough situations.
-
An Eye For Talent
Good leaders always understand that their reign is temporary and someone would replace them after some time.
That is why they always focus on preparing new leaders by nurturing them. They are also good at identifying talent.
Once they realize that an employee has the potential to climb up the leadership ladder and fill the leadership role perfectly, they invest their time and resources to prepare them for that position.
Good IT leaders always focus on the capabilities and potential of an employee instead of prioritizing what he or she have achieved in the past. This gives them access to a pool of highly talented individuals with immense potential.
-
Never Settle Mindset
IT leaders who have a growth mindset would never let their team members to live in the past glory or allow them to rest on their past achievements.
Instead, they would ask them to strive for perfection. They want their team to adopt learning agility, continuously polish their current skill set while also adding new skillset into the mix.
This will make them more valuable as a resource and could also take their careers to the next level. What’s even more important is they don’t rush this process as they know it takes time.
-
Courage
One area where you will feel the biggest difference between mediocre and exceptional IT leaders is in their approaches.
Most average IT leaders might prefer to stick with the tried and tested formula and are afraid to experiment. On the flip side, IT leaders with a growth mindset have the courage to challenge the status quo and usually choose paths that very few people have been on.
This allows them to make considerable progress and even take the organization forward. They plan ahead and are proactive while traditional IT leaders wait for the lightning to strike and then react.
This puts them in a better position to deal with threats and protect their IT infrastructure such as the best cheap dedicated servers. This trend is reflected in all aspects from strategy to talent hunting and even in day to day operations.
-
Compassion and Resilience
CIOs who have a growth mindset consider their mistakes as a learning opportunity. They are much kinder to themselves when they make a mistake.
They admit their mistake and avoid repeating the same mistake. They show compassion to their team members. They don’t have the fear of failure.
Their primary goal was to make a solid comeback when they are hit by a failure.
-
Self Awareness and Open-Mindedness
One of the biggest downsides of having a fixed mindset is that it could lead to blocking feedback and input from other sources. This can slowly make you resistant to new ideas.
This will negatively impact the progress of your organization and slow the process of innovation. On the contrary, if the IT leader is open-minded and self-aware, they will not only encourage employees to share their feedback but also make changes according to their feedback to improve the organization.
By removing all the roadblocks, you can guide your organization on the path to success.
-
Living Out of The Comfort Zone
IT leaders with a growth mindset always live out of their comfort zone and they want their team to do the same.
Even though some of your team members might resist this move but you need to make them understand that good thing comes to those who get out of their comfort zones.
Once they realize the real benefits, they will follow in your footsteps and stop resisting the change. That is when you start to see the best results. Show empathy with your team members and address their concerns regarding moving out of their comfort zone.
Which qualities should a CIO with a growth mindset have? Share it with us in the comments section below.
