Quality Alchemist (品質煉金術師): ESG Seminar - Adversity Leadership - How to use Growth Mindset to embrace Challenges

2019年3月8日星期五

ESG Seminar - Adversity Leadership - How to use Growth Mindset to embrace Challenges

The Executive Study Group (ESG) seminar – Adversity Leadership “How to use Growth Mindset to embrace Challenges” was held by the ESG, Asia Pacific Institute for Strategy Limited (APIFS) and the Cyberport Hong Kong on 8 Mar 2019. The seminar was held in Cyberport Smart-Space 8 @Tsuen Wan in this time. I would like to summarize the seminar for sharing below.

Smart-Space 8 is designed specifically for young entrepreneurs who aspire to turn their innovative ideas into impactful products and solutions.

I also met my CMATCL friend Mr. Arthur SY Lam (GM, Business Development, CMATCL).

In the beginning, Dr. Mark Lee briefed some background of ESG and Asia Pacific Institute for Strategy (APIFS) as well as their monthly research report. Firstly, He quoted Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft) statement as starting his talk that was “We will grow as a company if everyone, individually, grows in their roles and in their lives.” Then he briefed today’s talk content included “Microsoft’s Difficult Time”, “Fixed Mindset”, “Growth Mindset” and “Implementation Strategies”.

Dr. Lee briefed the Microsoft’s difficult time after 2000. If a hi-tech company stock price had steady (or no growth) for 14 years, talents were no longer stayed in that company. At that time, Microsoft faced product aging, new market loss that they had failed to lead such as Android and iOS. Two key challenges were “Mobile First” and “Cloud-base”. Satya Nadella became CEO in this difficult time of Microsoft on 4^th Feb 2014.

Then Ms. Jill Tracie Nichols (Chief of Staff) performed new focus group feedback from hundreds of employees that CEO could get a real-time pulse of the organization. They discovered three symptom as “The Company was sick”, “Employees were tired” and “They were frustrated”. From the following organization chart, it was drawn up with understanding and perception from outsiders. It observed that Microsoft competing and killing each other internally!

Satya said “Our culture had been rigid. Each employee had to prove to everyone that he or she knew it all and was the smartest person in the room.” Rigid means over control and accountability first.

And then Dr. Lee quoted Prof. Carol S. Dweck (Stanford University) that “Believing that your qualities are carved in stone – the fixed mindset – creates an urgency to ‘prove’ yourself over and over.” Prof. Dweck also said “The fixed mindset makes you concerned with how you’ll be judged; the growth mindset makes you concerned with improving.”

The first exercise about Fixed Mindset was showed as following diagram.

After that Dr. Lee shared the case on Windows 10 product launch. They usually though media and in Paris, New York, Tokyo, etc. During coffee break side conversation, one of members rose launch in Kenya. They found back their mission rather than product that’s to empower every person on the planet. Growth mindset means possibility that is ‘Listening’, ‘Learning More’ and ‘Talking Less’.

Dr. Lee showed how Satya Era success that the stock price raised three times within 5 years.

Based on Prof. Dweck, Growth Mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies, and help from others. (My comments: It seems like ISO 9001 continual improvement.)

The comparison diagrams between Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset were showed as follows.

The second exercise was identified the ratio of the different level of management between Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset. During discussion, one example was very interested that is using Mahjong (麻雀) game to talk about Growth Mindset. Fixed Mindset will win lower faan value (e.g. 三番叫糊). One of participants said he needed to win on 10 faan value (e.g. 十番叫糊) moreover, he said he had experience to win three time per night for above 10 faan value. Eventhough he was expert, he thought he still had area for improvement.