At work I look after a program designed to help senior leaders progress at Microsoft. COVID-19 introduced interesting challenges to our program, as it was originally designed to be in person. In one case, a key experience of the program, we did not convert to virtual because we felt the impact in person could never be matched virtually.
Things changed and we decided to convert the experience. My first thought was, there is no room for failure with this audience – we must succeed. This is one of the core experiences leaders have at Microsoft and there is no room for failure at this level.
The team and I recently delivered this experience to mixed reviews. The old Josh would have felt I failed based on some of the negative feedback. The old Josh would have felt it was a direct reflection of my worth and capability as a professional.
As I reflected upon the effort and care we put into this experience I was surprised to feel confident in all that we did. It is after all an experiment. We are learning and the things that landed well, we can call a success and the things that landed sour are opportunities for growth and improvement.
I’m proud that the Josh of today has improved and grown in his mindset. I still have a long way to go but I will celebrate now. I did not default to a fixed mindset when I felt the pressure but rather defaulted to the experimental mindset and the opportunity to learn. I need to regularly check-in with myself to evaluate my learning progress so I can celebrate the growth more often.
I invite you to examine your life, identify what you are looking to improve and make sure you have some way to check your progress or you may go for months (or years) not knowing you have made progress.
