I recently finished reading Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. and all I can say is “wow. Mindset? More like mind-blown!”
*take a moment to groan. It’s okay*
Brilliant, this book dives into the difference between individuals with a fixed mindset – those who believe their skills, talents, and IQ are pre-determined and limited – and those with a growth mindset – those who believe they can cultivate qualities through effort, strategies, and support from others*. Stopping me in my tracks (figuratively – I was sitting on my couch. Safety first when learning), each chapter challenged me to look at The Write Harle and how we add value to our clients.
A large driving force of the company is to support clients in understanding how to use content in relation to their business mindset or even belief about their value as an organization.
Come again, Lindsay?
When you think of your business content (website, blog, social media, emails, all that jazz), do you believe that there’s a limit to how it can support your business? After all, words are just words. OR, do you believe it can enhance your growth, allowing you to build real opportunities through online conversations, knowledge sharing, and developing more efficient/effective strategies?
The difference here is that the latter looks to build deeper connection and client/prospect engagement with your content creation to move specific business or marketing goals forward. This mindset provides unlimited potential for how you can use content to enhance your business, so long as you further your knowledge and see challenges as opportunities to improve content strategy.
The former? Create your content and forget it. If the content works, great. If not, that’s as good as it’s going to get, so move on.
What is the difference in mindset with content development?
Fixed Mindset and Content Development
I used to believe that first drafts had to be perfect. How much I could help a client relied on that first interpretation of what they wanted to say. With a fixed content mindset, all first drafts I sent would be perfect and any revisions or feedback meant that I “failed” in developing branded content for a client. Fortunately, I was raised that when a setback happens, listen to feedback to improve, get resourceful and think of what could be done differently, then try again (thank you Harle namesakes, Mom and Dad).
Growth Mindset and Content Development
Today, revisions are truly things of beauty! Each piece of feedback from clients and colleagues, each revision to a draft, and each writing or branding course taken helps us continuously improve The Write Harle’s client content. Not only that, but for every client conversation, we learn to ask better questions, develop more effective processes, and focus on growing brand value for clients, not on submitting the perfect first draft.
Alternatively, “I’m not a good writer,” crosses my ears almost every day by someone. The truth is, most people are good writers, they just may not have the tools to start or they were once told, “this is poorly written” by someone they looked up to and their writing dreams were crushed. When given the proper tools, they stop being scared of that blank white page and start growing with confidence.
I’m not saying that we can all be Shakespeare (neither does Dweck), but I am saying by having a growth mindset when looking at content, you can use it to create opportunities of growth in your business.
Do you believe that your content has the potential to enhance your business by improving your content strategies, tools, or even mindset?
Share your ah-has and learnings below or contact The Write Harle for a branded content chat!
*Yes, this is a very simplified explanation of the two mindsets…may I suggest picking up a copy? Trust me, it’s oh so worth it! You may want to purchase highlighters and post-it notes too.