The power of beginner's mindset

'The opposite of curiosity is judgment,' writes Vision Coaching CEO Dave Veale, 'and judgment has the potential to kill possibility faster than anything else.'

September feels like the real start of the year, doesn't it? There's something powerful about this season's "back to school" energy that we can leverage as leaders.

I've been thinking about beginner's mindset lately, particularly after a humbling experience with my colleague Pete Stoddart. We were pursuing a potential client, and in my head, I had it all figured out: they didn't have the budget, they weren't ready, it wasn't going to happen. 

Pete, bringing fresh eyes to the situation, kept suggesting we follow up. 

Guess what? The client signed on.

Stark reminder

It was a stark reminder of how easily we lose the very thing that makes us most effective – the ability to see possibilities instead of limitations.

Here's what I've learned: a beginner's mindset isn't just valuable when you're actually beginning. 

In delivering our High-Performance Team Coaching, I often hear, "We should wait until our new team member has been here a year before doing this program." 

But that misses the point entirely. New team members see things we've become blind to. They ask questions that challenge assumptions we didn't even know we had. They haven't yet been pulled into groupthink. Best to capture that straight away.

The same principle applies to hiring a coach. Too many leaders wait until they "really know what they're doing" before seeking support.

Natural reset

A friend of mine writes coaching into his contract every time he takes on a new role, recognizing the value of support precisely because everything is new and fresh.

Because here's the thing: you only have a beginner's mindset at the beginning. Once culture starts to pull you in, that fresh perspective gets harder to access.

But we can practise getting it back. 

It starts with curiosity – what I've come to believe is a very underutilized leadership skill. The opposite of curiosity is judgment, and judgment has the potential to kill possibility faster than anything else.

September offers us a natural reset. Just like changing leaves signal a new season, we can look at our teams, our challenges, our opportunities with fresh eyes. 

Coaching facilitates the reflection we often skip. When we ask ourselves, "If I were approaching this for the first time, what would I be wondering?" we open up new possibilities.

So as September unfolds, I invite you to embrace your inner beginner. Challenge your assumptions. Stay curious about your people and your problems. 

Sometimes the most experienced thing we can do is admit we don't know everything – and stay open to learning something new.

Dave Veale

Founder & CEO

Vision Coaching Inc.