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Four Ways Business Leaders Can Develop A Growth Mindset In Their Teams Everyone who works for you will be affected by your attitude; therefore, it's important to keep an eye on your mental health to prevent drifting into toxic terrain.

By Oweis Zahran Edited by Aby Sam Thomas

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

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If I want my company to be successful, which of course I do, the first step is for me to be an effective leader. After all, the agenda is set by the leader, who also assigns responsibilities to other members of the team, and also ranks the work that needs to be done. They are probably going to come to me for advice, comfort, and criticism. Therefore, it is crucial for all leaders to be mindful of their attitude at work. Your mindset will influence the tone and attitudes of everyone in the office- for better or worse.

We all try to be optimistic, but sometimes, it's not always possible. Your mood may be negatively impacted by your day so far, or perhaps another source of stress outside of work is impairing your judgement. In either case, you need to be careful not to bring that stress to work, particularly if you want your team to perform at its best.

It's easy to adopt an antagonized attitude at work, but as a leader, I must actively fight against it. Employees will remember my interactions with them for the rest of their workdays, and this will change how they engage with each other. The final word? Everyone who works for you will be affected by your attitude; therefore, it's important to keep an eye on your mental health to prevent drifting into toxic terrain. These negative views will gradually change the culture of your business and for worse.

Here are my favorite ways to help encourage a growth mindset at work:

1. FOCUS ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT If you want to create a solid corporate culture, employee engagement is key. Selling employees on the company's future vision, and, more crucially, doing so in a way that appeals to them is one strategy for increasing employee engagement. Your staff members will be more enthusiastic and involved in their work when they can see how their individual efforts contribute to the overall success of the business. On the other hand, the wrong attitude might discourage worker involvement. For example, if you have unrealistic expectations of your staff, they might totally stop having satisfaction with their work. They'll likely start giving the absolute bare minimum, since they'll start to realize that nothing they do will be good enough.

Related: Influence For Impact: Steve Harvey And Oweis Zahran, Co-Founders, MELT Middle East

2. ALLOW FOR A CREATIVE SPACE The level of creativity among employees is frequently increased by company executives who value each employee's ideas. Employees will eventually stop taking risks and exercising their creative faculties if a leader adopts a negative or controlling attitude. Establishing an environment in which everyone feels acknowledged and valued is crucial in any company, because nobody wants to contribute new ideas if they're worried about being criticized or humiliated. Your staff will begin searching for methods to make you happy, rather than what is best for the business. This will stunt creativity and prevent the growth of your business.

3. BUILD AN ENVIRONMENT OF TRUST No matter what kind of work is done, trust is crucial in any company. Employees must have faith in their leaders to act in their best interests, and leaders must have faith in their teams to complete tasks in a timely and effective manner. According to studies, staff members who are more cynical are more likely to doubt their manager's plans. Additionally, people are more likely to have doubts about your motives, and wonder why you are making particular choices in the first place, which prevents them from seeing the whole picture. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it's that trust in authority is essential, especially when changes are occurring. Building a positive, strong, and long-lasting workplace culture depends on your staff's ability to adapt and prosper, even in the face of change.

4. REINFORCE PERFORMANCE MOTIVATION One of the biggest factors in the overall performance of your company is your mindset. Consider this: whether it's in their personal or professional lives, employees look to their leaders amid challenging times. If you have a good working relationship with them, they will consider coming to you for support if they're having trouble with a task. Every interaction you have with your team is absolutely vital, because if you choose to scold an employee once, they may never ask you a question again. Reframing how you view obstacles and setbacks is among the best things you can do. One tip is to stop viewing setbacks as failures, and instead see them as chances for improvement. Never hold your staff accountable for unsuccessful business outcomes; rather, applaud them for being open to trying something new.

Finally, it's critical to support the growth of your staff members' mindsets. People who have a growth mindset believe they can improve their skills by working hard. Give feedback to your staff in a way that encourages development. Motivate them to keep learning and improving their abilities; you'll be amazed at the incredible outcomes you can obtain.

Related: 11 Innovation Strategies That Can Effectively Increase Your Businesses' Growth

Oweis Zahran

CEO, OWS Auto

As a dynamic entrepreneur in both the automotive industry and in the VC space, Oweis Zahran is a hands-on CEO with expertise in business development, operations, innovation and diversification. Through his strategic foresight, drive and determination, he has built multiple businesses and a strong foundation including his successful multi-million-dollar company OWS Automotive and the ever growing OWS Capital.

As an American, Oweis has been spending his time in the Middle East region since he was a teenager and dabbled early on in the business world. Once he graduated from the University Of Maryland, he moved to the UAE to launch his automotive venture. He has been the force behind launching multiple innovative solutions in the automotive world and as a born leader and visionary, Oweis’s hands-on experience prepared him to seamlessly embrace a leadership role, which helped in the evolution, expansion and success of scaling his business from the MENA region to globally.

From setting up the largest end to end transportation management companies, OWS Automotive, in the UAE and expanding it to seven countries to developing exclusive auto solutions to launching a joint venture with the governments of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, Oweis Zahran achieved a lot before he even celebrated his 30 th birthday. Oweis’s ability to build high-performance teams, including his strategically selected executive management staff, has served as a growth catalyst and infused productive energy to his businesses with massive expansion plans being rolled out for OWS Automotive into Saudi Arabia as well as South East Asia including Brunei, Philippines and Malaysia. In 2020, OWS Capital was launched with a series of partnerships and verticals that came into being under its umbrella.

One of them is MELT ME, a joint partnership with Hollywood icon Steve Harvey, who are already working alongside government bodies such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai tourism to bring unique IPs to the country. In 2021, one such event under MELT ME was the first annual Steve Harvey Golf Tournament which was a resounding success. Primarily focused on bridging the gap between the Middle East and Western cultures, with a mandate to create synergy between the two regions whilst breaking down barriers and showcasing what each region represents, MELT ME will be redefining the celebrity events landscape in the Middle East region. Under OWS Capital, cutting-edge health and wellness gym brand Platform Health Club was launched in 2022 across the UAE with an aim to deliver unique and personalized quality service. From celebrity trainers to high-tech and top-of-range equipment, the gyms will cater to health-conscious audiences in the country. The vision for 2022 and beyond for OWS Capital is to bring unique experiences and cutting-edge businesses in the fitness and entertainment verticals to the region with ambitious expansion plans already in the works.

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