Regional Managing Director for Ogilvy Africa, Akua Owusu-Nartey has said there is a need for organisations and employees as well as individuals to develop a growth mindset, stating that it is a critical tool for development.
Speaking at the maiden edition of Brand-CON Africa on the topic ‘Not Mere Rhetoric: How Brands Are Getting Results in the New Normal’, Ms. Owusu-Nartey noted that maintaining a growth mindset is essential for success, adding that it does not only help the individual, but also helps organizations and their respective brands.
“A lot of time we have a fixed mindset, when we are asked to do something we say it’s not possible, we have people saying this is how we’ve always done it. We are not solution-oriented; we are not actively looking for ways around things. As we develop organizational cultures one thing we need to start nurturing is a growth mindset that is looking at solutions. We should be also looking to innovate, that requires constant curiosity and a desire to learn all the time.
“You can make investments into research and explore data but if your mind doesn’t tell you that this is possible, or see real opportunities then you won’t be able to start anything meaningful.
Answering a question on strategies that organisations can adopt to encourage employees giving meaningful feedback, Ms. Owusu- Nartey said, “One thing we’ve done that is making an incremental difference within our business is that we have moved from appraisals to career conversations.
What do you need to grow? What goals have you set for yourself? What goals did your boss set for you? How are you tracking on these goals? What support system do you need to achieve your goals? What do you want to do next? What are you passionate about? This approach makes everyone in the value chain actively accountable.
People are very different when they know you actually care about their wellbeing and progress. We need to invest better in people and their personal growth beyond the bottom line,” she noted.
