How To Achieve Smart Growth
Whitney Johnson was named #8 on the Thinkers50 list in 2021 and recently authored Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company.
She has a few tips on how leaders can grow in a way that will help those around them:
Use Loss Aversion Theory
The theory suggests we’re twice as motivated by what we might lose by what we might gain. While it’s never a good thing to only focus on the negatives in life and work, if you need a hand in pushing yourself onto the next big thing, it can be helpful to focus on what you might lose from not pushing forward.
Identify Where You Are In Your Journey
Whitney Johnson refers, in her book Smart Groth refers to the S-Curve of learning:
The bottom of the S. At the outset, starting something new is hard, and you move more slowly. Your predictions are inaccurate, so you don't get dopamine hits.
The upswing of the S. In the sweet spot of mastering a new skill or workflow, the accuracy of your predictions increases, and your dopamine spikes.
The top of the S. Once you hit a level of mastery, your predictions are accurate—but there’s a little dopamine because you’re now doing what is easy. Growth is slow. This is where you have an opportunity to start anew and begin a new S Curve.
Assess where you are on the S Curve and whether you need a new challenge or if growth is waiting just around the corner on the upswing.
Check In With Yourself if You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
At times like this, it can be important to step back and reflect. Ask yourself questions that affirm if you’re at the right point of the climb.
Decide If It’s Time to Move On – Or If You Just Need To Rest
Do you need to move on to a new S-Curve, or do you just need to rest a little bit? Go back to your checklist, the questions you asked yourself. Yes, I like being here. Yes, I enjoy doing it, but I’m exhausted. If that’s the case, don’t start the process over with a new S-Curve, with a new mountain to climb. Just rest where you are on the mountain before moving on.
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