A Growth Mindset was first posited by Dr Carol Dweck, in her groundbreaking 2006 book, Mindset.
And a real-life beneficiary of a Growth Mindset is Sandra Ballij, founder of CTalents. A recruitment agency that specialises in placing talented people with vision or hearing challenges into big corporates and other companies.
Before Coronavirus, Sandra’s business relied on building relationships with clients through speaking at events. However, with the arrival of COVID-19, such events have become a thing of the past. She realised that she needed to diversify her business model to include digital formats if she were to succeed.
This lead to her enrolling on a course with Growth Tribe, where she first encountered a Growth Mindset.
“To be quite honest, digital skills and a Growth Mindset were new to me. I admit to being blind myself to this world and way of working. But now, I feel like the seeds have been planted and I am ready to reap the fruit. A Growth Mindset, in particular, has helped not only in my professional life but my personal life too.”
So what is a Growth Mindset? And how can it help? Tess Lucassen, of Growth Tribe, explains. “Some people believe their success is based on innate ability; as a result, they avoid challenges and failure, see effort as fruitless, and ignore useful negative feedback. They are said to have a ‘fixed mindset. Others, who believe their success results from hard work, learning, training and perseverance in the face of challenges and failure are said to have a growth mindset.”
For Sandra, during what are undeniably difficult circumstances, a Growth Mindset has led her to reevaluate and update her ways of working. And ultimately, her dream of helping those with sensory challenges find the career they seek will only benefit.
Those with visual or hearing difficulties experience an unemployment rate of 60%. Compared to a national average of around 4% in the Netherlands.
“My dream is that CTalents won’t exist in the future. Because the issue of unemployment among this group will no longer exist. It all starts with a mindset, though. That’s the important thing for me, my clients and the talent I represent.”
Nov 10, 2021
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