Inspired by Carol Dweck’s “Growth Mindset” and Adam Grant’s “Think Again,” this workshop was designed by Cecilia Yeung during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was intended to guide participants through a reflection process on their achievements, challenges, and lessons learned in the past year, while also using a model to develop a divergent mindset in preparation for the year ahead.
The idea is that a growth mindset enables us to learn and adapt. However, in a post-COVID environment, a growth mindset may not be enough. We need to be more advanced, agile, and alert. An evolutionary mindset is not only about being amenable to change, but also about expecting change as a constant companion, and evolving quickly and adeptly. People with this elevated mindset will already be a few steps ahead and be able to respond to change with the 4 C’s: confidence, calm, certainty, and control.
The workshop was truly tested during the pandemic with participants from public workshops and corporates. Today, we introduced this mindset at HKUST. The workshop was very simple but powerful. Participants were guided to review their journey in 2022. We then introduced the concept of the evolutionary mindset and compared it with fixed and growth mindsets. The group shared different ways to develop an evolutionary mindset, which also aligned with their corporate cultures to support community building and an inclusive environment. Setting intentions for 2023, where participants shared their theme word and cartoon character, was the fun part!
We always have a new year resolution activity at the beginning of the year. This time, we did it differently. Instead of setting specific measurable goals, we set an intention for the new year.
Thank you again, HKUST, for another inspiring learning journey. We love collaborating with your team and hope to meet up face-to-face soon! Thanks to Cecilia for your amazing partnership.
