For founders and entrepreneurs, this can feel overwhelming - with promises of tools that will revolutionise workflows or services that will guarantee unprecedented success.

Yet, when it comes to making lasting transformative change, a critical step is often overlooked. Reading a self-help book, taking a course or subscribing to a new app doesn’t guarantee success; it’s the mindset behind their application that amplifies impact.

Below is exploration of the essential productivity mindset shifts and philosophical approaches startups need to embrace to successfully serve their customer, build an engaged workforce and scale.

Apply the startup growth mindset at an individual level

A growth mindset is one that embraces a constant cycle of learning and improvement.

Startups thrive on a growth mindset, where continuous cycles of improvement and iterations are celebrated and encouraged. Minimal Viable Products, pivots, accelerators, and sprints are all startup concepts that embrace a “good enough” mentality, fostering an environment of creativity and innovation.

However, for this approach to be truly effective it also needs to be embraced at an individual level.

Many startup workforces, from founders and CFOs to heads of marketing and interns, often find themselves trapped in perfection paralysis - the belief that everything must be flawless before sharing with the team or the public. This mentality leads to burnout, poor communication and a fear of failure.

To overcome this paralysis, startups need to establish a culture that doesn’t expect perfection and instead embraces a mindset of Minimal Viable Performance. Minimal Viable Performance is about setting a standard that knows the minimal input required from an individual to get the required outcome. It’s an approach that doesn’t advocate for subpar work but encourages people and teams to be effective with their time and resources and embrace a "good enough" mentality to help move forward, iterate and innovate.

Reframing perfection

The Western idea of “perfection” was popularised by the Greek school of philosophical thought from the likes of Plato and Aristotle. Within this school of thinking, perfection - symmetry, proportion and harmony - were requisites for beauty.

But by striving for perfection, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Perfection isn’t a static state that can be reached, as everything is in a continuous cycle of change. It is only by embracing our failures that we can ever learn, grow and perform to the best of our ability.

An alternative model to consider is the Japanese aesthetic concept of Kintsugi, which is the idea that something is made more beautiful because of its scars and imperfections. Instead of throwing objects out if it cracks or breaks, under this school of thought that object is repaired with a beautiful golden lacquer that highlights the cracks.

When it comes to creating an environment for high performing startup teams to thrive, the “perfect” mindset or the most fruitful, growth focused mindset is a continuous process of improvement, one that embraces all learnings and wears them proudly.

Navigating the grey areas - the dualism of striving for "excellence" and Minimal Viable Performance

Striving for "excellence" for clients while celebrating what is "minimally viable" may seem paradoxical at first. Surely, we should be striving for the best possible outcomes for the customers we serve? How can “good enough” lead to “excellence”?

Here, a reframe of what delivering the best outcome for clients truly means is essential.

Minimal Viable Performance fosters an environment for the most effective use of time and resources, while also encouraging learning, fast failure, adaptability, and resilience - all qualities startups strive for. This approach doesn't advocate for mediocrity. Instead, it champions a strategic allocation of efforts to ensure that every action contributes meaningfully to the overarching goal. It's about avoiding the pitfalls of perfection paralysis and cultivating a mindset that not only meets client expectations but exceeds them through a continuous cycle of improvement and innovation.

Embrace change

In order to embrace a growth mindset, startups will also need to embrace and value change. In many organisations change is often resisted, but needs to be viewed as an opportunity.

Here are two essential mindset shift frameworks that will help you celebrate change instead of fearing it.

1. Beckhard-Harris “Case for Change”:

Seeing change not as a disruption but as an indispensable part of the solution is the crux of Beckhard-Harris “Case for Change” framework. Under this theory, to foster any form of effective change, people have to believe the change can help them personally.

Embracing the "Case for Change" mindset in a startup is vital, as it transforms the perception of change from a disruptive challenge into an invaluable opportunity at an individual and startup-wide level.

2. Kaizen - "change for the good":

Rooted in the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, Kaizen encapsulates the belief that change, when orchestrated purposefully, leads to good and positive outcomes. It is a call to consistently refine and enhance processes, encouraging a culture of small, incremental changes that cumulatively result in significant improvements.

In the startup landscape, where agility and adaptability are essential skills, Kaizen provides a structured approach to navigating change, transforming it from a daunting prospect into a welcomed avenue for progress.

Success is not a destination

As startups grow, the challenge lies in avoiding scaling inefficiencies and concentrating on scaling successful practices.

Embracing Minimal Viable Performance, growth mindsets and change frameworks should cultivate a culture of transparency, where difficult conversations are welcomed, challenges are openly addressed, trust is built and potential issues are mitigated.

Rather than scaling inefficiencies, startups need to prioritise scaling successful practices. They need to leverage tools and frameworks that compound impact and uphold a growth mindset, as incremental gains over time lead to significant results.

What is clear is that success is not a destination but a continuous journey fueled by the right mindset and practices. Embracing change, learning from failures and iterating quickly are the cornerstones of a successful startup. As we step into 2024, let's not just set short-term resolutions but commit to a mindset shift that moves our businesses forward and closer to our goals.