The Growth Engineer Mindset
Inspired by on Lenny's Podcast
You laminated the chore chart. You bought the gold stars. You presented it with ceremony. It's not working. Let it go.
Ben Williams has a specific profile for engineers who thrive in growth teams: they move quickly, embrace imperfection, and will 'happily discard their code, their ideas even.' They're not precious about what they've built. The experiment failed? Cool. Throw it away. Try something else.
Contrast this with the parent who spent three hours crafting the perfect chore chart, laminating it, buying gold stars, presenting it ceremonially to their children... and then can't let it go when it doesn't work. 'But we have the CHART! Just USE the chart!'
The growth mindset in parenting means being willing to abandon approaches that aren't working. Your elaborate bedtime routine taking two hours? Maybe scrap half of it. The reward system not motivating anyone? Toss it.
The best parents, like the best growth engineers, are motivated by results rather than attached to their methods. They experiment rapidly, fail cheerfully, and always ask: 'Is this actually working? If not, what's next?'
PM Theme: Experimentation mindset / iteration
Parenting Theme: Flexibility in parenting approach
“The devs that really thrive in a growth context are the ones that are motivated by moving quickly, iterating to create measurable impact. They're not attached to their work. They embrace imperfection as part of the process. They happily discard their code, their ideas even.”Ben Williams · 00:48:17
“I've also known incredible engineers that are most motivated when they're working on really deep technical challenges and love the process as much as the outcome. And they've struggled in growth.”Ben Williams · 00:48:38
