--- title: How to adopt a beginner’s mindset description: How to adopt a beginner’s mindset image: https://donovanleadership.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/The%20image%20depicts%20a%20serene%20minimalist%20workspace%20bathed%20in%20soft%20morning%20light%20A%20sleek%20laptop%20sits%20open%20on%20a%20wooden%20desk%20its%20screen%20displaying%20a%20video%20-1.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-to-adopt-a-beginners-mindset#main-content) ![cropped-DON_LongRGB01](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cropped-DON_LongRGB01.jpg?width=886&height=247&name=cropped-DON_LongRGB01.jpg) - [Home](https://donovanleadership.com/) - [Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/executive-coaching-transform-your-leadership-style-donovan-leadership) Show submenu for Coaching - [One on One Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/one-on-one-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/group-coaching) - [Blog](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) Show submenu for Blog - [All Posts](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) - [Research](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/research) - [Books](https://donovanleadership.com/books) - [About](https://donovanleadership.com/about) Show submenu for About - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://donovanleadership.com/) - [Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/executive-coaching-transform-your-leadership-style-donovan-leadership) Show submenu for Coaching - [One on One Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/one-on-one-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/group-coaching) - [Blog](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) Show submenu for Blog - [All Posts](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) - [Research](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/research) - [Books](https://donovanleadership.com/books) - [About](https://donovanleadership.com/about) Show submenu for About - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) - [Influence Curve Quiz](https://influence-curve.lovable.app/) [Influence Curve Quiz](https://influence-curve.lovable.app/) Sep 17, 2020, 2:00:00 PM # How to adopt a beginner’s mindset [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-to-adopt-a-beginners-mindset) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-to-adopt-a-beginners-mindset) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-to-adopt-a-beginners-mindset) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-to-adopt-a-beginners-mindset) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-to-adopt-a-beginners-mindset) Have you had a first time experience during lockdown? In the past week I have attended an online funeral service, a virtual wine-tasting session, a zoom book launch and held client coaching sessions via video. They were all alternatives to traditional face-to-face meetings. Of course, they were not as good as the real thing. But they were better than nothing. I am sure you have your own examples of first time experiences. Perhaps you started a new job and you are meeting people while working from home. Maybe online meetings with interstate attendees have saved you time and money. Or possibly you have tuned into webinars, audiobooks and podcasts to learn new skills. Leaders need a beginner’s mindset to experiment with these new ideas rather than trying to return to how we always did things in the past. The pandemic has turned the world upside down. We are all doing many things for the first time. Fundamental business models and strategies have changed too. A recent [Deloitte article](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/leadership/beginners-mindset-decision-making-for-leadership.html) attributes the term a beginner’s mindset, to Shunryu Suzuki (1904–1971), a Zen monk, teacher, and author of the book [Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind](https://www.amazon.com.au/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Informal-Meditation-ebook/dp/B00I8USOM0/ref=sr_1_1?_encoding=UTF8&dchild=1&keywords=Zen+Mind%2C+Beginner%27s+Mind%3A+Informal+Talks+on+Zen+Meditation+and+Practice&qid=1600238187&s=digital-text&sr=1-1). The article quotes Suzuki’s opening sentence, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” He challenges the traditional ways of doing things to open ourselves to progressive thinking. To incorporate a beginner’s mindset, the article suggests starting by considering these four possibilities: ✳️ What if my assumptions are wrong, despite the best evidence at hand? If you feel you’ve developed a dependence on knowledge and expertise in making decisions, consider temporarily setting aside those accepted beliefs to welcome ambiguity and explore new possibilities. ✳️ What if what seem to be perfect solutions drawn from history are no longer relevant? By constantly questioning the assumption that the present replicates the past, you can open the door to alternative possibilities. ✳️ What if I could wish for anything I wanted? By establishing a wished-for end state— “I wish our products appealed more to older women,” for instance—you open an imaginative path toward this destination that also illuminates obstacles along the way, providing clarity to guide your actions. ✳️ What if my critics are right? It’s comforting to ignore criticism, but you do so at a cost. What if what sounds like criticism is actually sound advice? 🙋 Which of these questions appeals to you to adopt a beginner’s mindset? 🙋‍♀️ ## Related posts [![](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/The%20image%20depicts%20a%20modern%20office%20setting%20illuminated%20by%20soft%20natural%20light%20streaming%20through%20large%20windows%20In%20the%20foreground%20a%20diverse%20group%20of%20prof-1.jpg?height=200&name=The%20image%20depicts%20a%20modern%20office%20setting%20illuminated%20by%20soft%20natural%20light%20streaming%20through%20large%20windows%20In%20the%20foreground%20a%20diverse%20group%20of%20prof-1.jpg)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/why-leaders-need-to-stop-trying-to-be-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer) ## [Why leaders need to stop trying to be the sharpest knife in the drawer](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/why-leaders-need-to-stop-trying-to-be-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Jul 6, 2023, 2:00:00 PM Gary always prided himself as the sharpest knife in the drawer. And for good reason! He was... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/why-leaders-need-to-stop-trying-to-be-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer) [![Peter Watson](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Peter%20Watson.jpeg?height=200&name=Peter%20Watson.jpeg)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/walk-together-rather-than-follow-me) [The Gentle Art of Leadership](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/the-gentle-art-of-leadership), [Peter Watson](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/peter-watson), [Dr Sunnie Giles](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/dr-sunnie-giles) ## [Walk together rather than follow me](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/walk-together-rather-than-follow-me) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Sep 18, 2025, 3:30:00 PM Peter Watsonrecalls a time when he was CEO of Transfield Services when they were entering the... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/walk-together-rather-than-follow-me) [![](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/In%20a%20bright%20modern%20office%20space%20filled%20with%20natural%20light%20Dianne%20sits%20at%20a%20sleek%20wooden%20desk%20her%20expression%20a%20mix%20of%20determination%20and%20relief%20Surroun-1.jpg?height=200&name=In%20a%20bright%20modern%20office%20space%20filled%20with%20natural%20light%20Dianne%20sits%20at%20a%20sleek%20wooden%20desk%20her%20expression%20a%20mix%20of%20determination%20and%20relief%20Surroun-1.jpg)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/take-the-busy-monkey-off-your-back-the-shift-from-doing-to-leading) ## [Take the busy monkey off your back; the shift from doing to leading](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/take-the-busy-monkey-off-your-back-the-shift-from-doing-to-leading) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Mar 9, 2023, 4:00:00 PM Dianne was a prodigious doer. She accomplished more than most people. But it meant she was always... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/take-the-busy-monkey-off-your-back-the-shift-from-doing-to-leading) [facebook-f icon](https://www.facebook.com/DonovanLeadership/) [linkedin-in icon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfdonovan1/) [Twitter icon](https://x.com/Briandonovan1) - [Privacy Policy](https://donovanleadership.com/privacy-policy) - [Disclaimer](https://donovanleadership.com/disclaimer) - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) --- PO Box 536 Camberwell VICTORIA, 3124 Australia [![Donovan Leadership](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg?width=886&height=236&name=cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg "Donovan Leadership")](https://donovanleadership.com/) Copyright © 2025, ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Brian Donovan", "url" : "https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-09T08:08:51.936Z", "datePublished" : "2020-09-17T04:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "How to adopt a beginner’s mindset", "image" : [ "https://donovanleadership.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/The%20image%20depicts%20a%20serene%20minimalist%20workspace%20bathed%20in%20soft%20morning%20light%20A%20sleek%20laptop%20sits%20open%20on%20a%20wooden%20desk%20its%20screen%20displaying%20a%20video%20-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-to-adopt-a-beginners-mindset", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://donovanleadership.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg" }, "name" : "Donovan Leadership" } } ```