To move from a closed (or fixed) to an open (or growth) mindset is to develop and use smart skills to tame our brain’s amygdala as described below. Smart skills combine hard and soft skills to meet our daily mental and emotional problems with new possibilities.
Each of Weber’s 5 Mita Growth Mindset Model phases helps us seniors to cultivate smart skills for a growth mindset in ways that allow our default reactions to avoid slipping into a fixed or untamed amygdala. As stated more clearly in the Mita Model image below we begin with a question and end with a reflection about where to move next.
MITA Smart Skills 1 – survey for getting more positive results with a growth mindset:
How would you describe your most successful profile. The smart skills survey below will highlight areas some seniors wish to grow mentally with successful results to follow when we apply Mita Growth Mindset tactics offered at this site.
How are the 10 Smart skills we see here different from traditional hard and soft skills?
1. Outcome Based – Do we take solid steps toward doing our ideas? Yes ___No ___
2. Make Abstracts Concrete – Do we see and work for specific results? Yes ___ No ___
3. Approachability – Do others come to us for advice and for fun? Yes ___ No ___
4. Boss Relationships – Does what we say to any boss show support? Yes ___ No ___
5. Building Acumen – Would others describe us as skilled at projects? Yes ___ No ___
6. Change agility– Have we upgraded or improved any situation lately? Yes ___ No ___
7. Caring About All Others – Do we develop and grow from others’ wisdom? Yes ___ No ___
8. Comfort Around Leaders – Do we share ideas with and learn from leaders? Yes ___ No ___
9. Command Skills – How are we with taking and giving productive insights? Yes ___ No ___
10. Compassion – Would others describe us as compassionate when in need? Yes ___ No ___
Over the next few sections, let’s discuss further questions in our conscious quest for even more senior “smart skills”. Let’s especially pull onboard those growth mindset opportunities that will enable us to reboot our brains and learn how to discover wonder in new growth mindset ways that keep us more compassionate, creative and caring and only competitive against ourselves.
MITA smart skills 2 – survey for getting positive results using diverse approaches
How would we describe our most successful profile. The smart skills survey below will highlight areas to enjoy mental growth with successful results to follow when we apply Mita growth mindset smart skills demonstrated at this site.
How do smart skills below suggest different approaches from traditional hard and soft skills?
11. Composure – When frustrations come, are we calm and rational? Yes ___ No ___
12. Conflict Management – Would others choose us to maintain peace? ? Yes ___ No ___
13. Confronting troublemakers– Do we confront difficult people effectively? ? Yes ___ No ___
14. Creativity – Are our ideas and outcomes original and innovative? ? Yes ___ No ___
15. Customer Focus – Would customers rate us “high” in all feedback? ? Yes ___ No ___
16. Timely Decision Making – Do we follow timelines to make decisions? ? Yes ___ No ___
17. Decision Quality- Do others follow and benefit from our decisions? ? Yes ___ No ___
18. Delegation – Do we recognize and capitalize on talent around us? ? Yes ___ No ___
19. Supporting others– Do we often support others’ talents? ? Yes ___ No ___
20. Directing Others- Do we find ourselves chosen as leader to guide others? ? Yes ___ No ___
Look for further “smart skills” in the next few questions that will enable us to learn how to learn in innovative ways that keep us discovering mind-bending adventures in our senior years.
MITA smart skills 3 – survey for getting positive results with brain based tactics
How would we describe our most successful profile in smart skills survey 3? The survey below will highlight further areas to grow mentally with successful results that follow when we apply brain based tactics offered at this site.
How do the following 10 Smart skills below differ from traditional hard and soft skills?
21. Managing Diversity – Do we value and promote differences in all? Yes ___ No ___
22. Ethics and Values – Would our practices be valued by others as ethical? Yes ___ No ___
23. Fairness to all concerned – Are we fair when it comes to differences? Yes ___ No ___
24. Function/Technical Skills – Have we upgraded our technical skills lately? Yes ___ No ___
25. Hiring and Staffing – Do we look beyond personal biases when we hire? Yes ___ No ___
26. Humor – Would others describe us as fun and witty on most days? Yes ___ No ___
27. Transparency – Do we let others know details daily to keep them informed? Yes ___ No ___
28. Innovation Management – Would others say we see and welcome creativity? Yes ___ No ___
29. Integrity and Trust- Can we be trusted with confidential information? Yes ___ No ___
30. Intellectual Horsepower—Do we expect mental rigor from ourselves and others? Yes ___ No ___
Over the next few sections find further questions in a search for further applicable “smart skills”– those that will enable us to learn how to learn in ways that keep us open to developing and sharing our offering for the age we live in.
MITA smart skills 4- survey for getting positive results with a growth mindset:
How would we describe our most successful profile in the following smart skills which differ from traditional hard and soft skills interpersonally and organizationally?
31. Interpersonal Savvy—Do we enjoy others and mix well with peers? Yes ___ No ___
32. Learning on the Fly – Do we learn new skills as we move through a day? Yes ___ No ___
33. Listening – Do others speak and feel heard because of us? Yes ___ No ___
34. Managerial Courage—Do we take risks and act for the good of all? Yes ___ No ___
35. Managing & Measuring—Can we accurately measure what we do? Yes ___ No ___
36. Motivating Others – Are others motivated because of our encouragement? Yes ___ No ___
37. Negotiating – Do we negotiate well so that we garner good ideas from others? Yes ___ No ___
38. Organizational Agility – Is our area, calendar and day organized for the most part?
39. Organizing – Could we lead a workshop on organizing smart skills as a model? Yes ___ No ___
40. Dealing with Paradox – Are we open to practices that seem to contradict past? Yes ___ No ___
Over the next few sections find further questions in our discovery of “smart skills” that will enable us to learn how to unpack and play with wondrously improved ways that keep us open and growing new insights and possibilities.
MITA smart skills 5 – survey for getting positive results with a growth mindset:
How well are you spotting strengths and skill growth areas? The smart skills survey below will point to mentally sharp or dull skills to help us apply brain based building tactics and growth mindset tools offered at this site.
Below are 10 more smart skills which differ from traditional hard and soft skills, in that they require multiple intelligences and brain based tactics to accomplish.
41. Patience – Would others describe us as patient in most cases? Yes ___ No ___
42. Peer Relationships – Would peers rank our relationships with them as high? Yes ___ No ___
43. Perseverance – Do we follow through on most projects? Yes ___ No ___
44. Personal Savvy – Do we share personal perspectives only when appropriate? Yes ___ No ___
45. Personal Learning – Do we update ideas, skills and personal growth regularly? Yes ___ No ___
46. Perspective – Would we be seen with a positive perspective in most cases? Yes ___ No ___
47. Planning – Do we plan in short range and long range targets? Yes ___ No ___
48. Political Savvy—Would others describe us as politically savvy to land a deal? Yes ___ No ___
49. Presentation Skills – Do we get strong positive feedback on presentations? Yes ___ No ___
50. Priority Setting –Could we name a priority named and met on most days? Yes ___ No ___
In the next section we’ll share further questions in a test for “smart skills”– those that will enable us to learn how to learn in ways that keep us relevant in a diverse community.
MITA. smart skills 6 – survey for getting positive results with a growth mindset:
How do we live a Mita Growth Mindset to bounce back after bad breaks and thrive more joyfully in every age?
Through moving our mental resources into dividends that work we improve our situation with the Mita Growth Mindset program.
Still finding and highlighting our most successful profile? The smart skills survey 6 will help us to highlight further areas of growth mentally and emotionally with successful results that apply brain based tactics offered at this site.
51. Problem Solving – Do we create solutions for problems in winning results? Yes ___ No ___
52. Process Management – Do we help others to benefit from projects? Yes ___ No ___
53. Drive for Results- Are we motivated by achieving quality results daily? Yes ___ No ___
54. Self-Development – Would we say our strengths come from ongoing growth? Yes ___ No ___
55. Self-Knowledge- Do we describe ourselves in ways that others describe us? Yes ___ No ___
56. Sizing Up People- When we hire or appoint others do hires work out well? Yes ___ No ___
57. Standing Alone—Can we walk alone well at time when others depart? Yes ___ No ___
58. Strategic Agility- Do we apply current skills well in changing situations? Yes ___ No ___
59. Managing Systems—Do we use technology and navigate systems well? Yes ___ No ___
60. Building Effective Teams– Do we select teams to blend harmony and diversity? Yes ___ No ___
Over the next section, we’ll share further questions for “smart skills” in a growth mindset approach that will enable us to sustain growth as our mindset in ways that keep us growing and helping others to do the same.
What unique and additional smart skills would help to improve our day with added adventure? What would help us to break free of habits that hold us back? What one new skill could we use this week?
It’s not about perfectionism that we attempt to avoid stagnation. Yet we all can fall into routines that make activities in a day about as exciting as going for a root canal. Gradually others notice … and eventually pour energy and expectations fail us.
If that’s our situation we may simply need to sharpen one creative smart skill together here to help us solve everyday problems in an exciting new way. What do you think?
Luckily, we already possess all the mental resources we’ll need to better our situation. Change starts with us though, and it’s best to start small. Pick one habit you’d like to replace, and try any opposite activity and our brain do the rest. Yes, we will already have begun to build a smart skill for surprising success this week.
Perhaps we might hit on one weaker skill we spotted through doing the smart skills surveys and simply decide to make one change. Pick an area that interests us. Since lasting change comes from doing an opposite action, let’s simply try one fun new approach today.
While making up our mind on a new skill to develop, try replacing one old habit with a new routine. That will help us to grow new pathways in our brain. Even one more creative approach will build new neuron pathways which could take our day in a delightfully different direction.
Make it fun and we’ll get even better results. Drive home along a new route…walk the dog at different times … that way the dog can get out of a few ruts too! Sit in a new place at the dinner table… stand and look out a new window… ask an opinion of a person who differs from us on a hot topic and then listen as we avoid adding our differences to the mix.
By the way, let’s stop being so hard on ourselves and we’ll move forward faster. Avoid blame or guilt that holds us back mentally. What do you think?
Dr Ellen Weber‘s Growth Mindset Materials and Publications Below:
Grace Mindset Book – paperback
The Teen’s Growth Mindset Workbook – paperback
Growth Mindset Interactive Materials at TPT