The Evolution of Learning Mindset

For a couple of years, I have been writing about the Learning Mindset (LM) that characterizes people who successfully adapt and perform well in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) conditions. It has been gratifying to see interest in LM slowly growing, as I have published articles and LinkedIn posts describing LM and its impact on leaders’ learning. Having the opportunity to become steeped in research and thinking about learning from experience, learning agility, and Learning Mindset has allowed me to further refine my thinking about the concept. 

It’s interesting and puzzling to me that one aspect of LM that I have always considered to be central to its definition, and that I use to describe LM when presenting the concept in workshops or presentations, has never been included in the model and materials that I have published to date. I’m not sure why I never explicitly addressed it, but I want to begin addressing that missing element now. I would love to receive your reactions, thoughts, and questions.

Learning Mindset

Learning Mindset is an attitude that predisposes you to be open to new experiences, to believe you can and will learn, and to intentionally grow and develop from your experience. Your attitude about learning, especially learning from experience, dictates whether you approach it favorably disposed to learn, grow, and develop. In turn, if you have a Learning Mindset, you will see more opportunities to learn in all aspects of your life and you’ll tend to learn more than those who are closed to learning.

The definition of Learning Mindset, until now, has comprised the following six components:

• Belief in your own learning and growth potential
• Openness to experience
• Motivation, willingness, and desire to learn
• Curiosity about others
• An attitude of discovery and exploration
• An intention and willingness to gain something positive from experience

The Learning Mindset Model:

New Insight, or Old Oversight?

These six components still seem, to me, to be valid and necessary elements of the LM model. However, I now think that I may have omitted an important aspect of the definition; could it possibly be a seventh component? Learning Mindset is all of the above six elements, and it is also a posture or orientation toward the world, life, and work, and is virtually “always on.” As a trial, I’m referring to this seventh element as “Mindful Readiness” and view it as having these features:

• Always alert and aware of self, others, and the world around you, subtly observing and allowing your own subconscious mind to freely process incoming information (mindful)
• Poised – like a coiled spring, but not tense to the point of overly stressed – ready to engage and respond quickly to new, emerging information and conditions (ready)
• The “learning engine” is always running, sometimes at “idle” and at other times, when your curiosity has been piqued enough to actively explore enough to search for and find all the “dots” and connect them, it’s running at full throttle and revving high RPMs (ready)

An aviation metaphor seems to apply (please forgive me if I am reaching too far!):

• In aviation, attitude refers to the orientation of an aircraft relative to the earth, and the performance of the aircraft is a function of attitude plus power. As you adjust the flaps on the wings while applying power, you gain or lose altitude, or you change direction. As a pilot, you want to master and control the aircraft's orientation at all times, in order to ensure a safe flight that takes you where you want to go.

• In learning, attitude refers to your orientation towards learning from experience, and your performance is a function of your attitude (positive/negative, open/closed, eager/reluctant, etc.) plus power, i.e., the energy you put into learning. As you engage in experiences with a Learning Mindset, you gain altitude, i.e., learning, growth, and development, and you gain perspective by seeing things from new angles or directions, i.e., insights, appreciation for the bigger picture, etc. As a learning leader, you want to master your attitude towards learning from experience, in order to ensure you gain the most learning, growth, and development possible from every experience.

This aspect of Learning Mindset refers back to a phrase in the original definition: “favorably disposed.” Mindful readiness expands on that phrase and hopefully gives it greater depth and makes it more understandable. In other words, if you are “favorably disposed” to learn, grow, and develop you will be constantly attending to yourself and your surroundings, ready to engage and respond quickly to new questions, problems, and challenges. And because the learning engine is already (always) warmed up you will naturally (almost “instinctively”) pursue information to answer the questions, solve the problems, and overcome the challenges.

Your Thoughts? 

This may sound amorphous and “loose” to you. It feels that way to me, but it also feels a bit more complete than the previous definition of Learning Mindset I have been using to date. I’ll keep thinking about it and hopefully refining it, and hope you will share your thinking and questions about this new aspect of Learning Mindset with me.

 Thanks!

Steve Terrell