In the fast-paced world of business, there’s a powerful strategy that most professionals often overlook in their career growth journey: the ‘MVP’ or Minimum Viable Product mindset. Not employing this approach may mean you are missing a significant opportunity to unlock your career potential.
Adopting the MVP mindset doesn’t mean compromising on quality and delivering subpar results. The emphasis here is on the term ‘viable.’ This mindset propels you to make informed decisions, fine-tune your offerings based on feedback, and accelerate your career growth.
The MVP mindset is rooted in principles of agility, efficiency, and an unwavering commitment to taking action. It shifts the focus from pursuing perfectionism to delivering value, encouraging open-mindedness towards learning and experimenting.
My Journey Towards an MVP Mindset
Drawing from my personal experience as a lawyer who transitioned into entrepreneurship, I found the MVP mindset to be a game-changing approach. As a perfectionist in my early legal career, I spent countless hours obsessing over minute details. The switch to entrepreneurship, however, compelled me to prioritise pragmatism and time efficiency.
Interestingly, this shift did not lead to a decline in my legal career but instead catapulted it to new heights. While maintaining a part-time legal career, I simultaneously pursued an MA in Psychotherapy and worked as a part-time therapist. While it might seem like an unconventional approach for a lawyer, this multifaceted career path forced me into being productive, embracing swift decision-making and execution.
This newfound mindset also improved my delegation skills, allowing me to empower others to shine in their roles. Within 2.5 years, I progressed from being an associate to a partner in my law firm, achieving this milestone within just six years of qualifying as a lawyer.
Applying the MVP Mindset in Your Career
The question is: how can you cultivate and apply the MVP mindset in your career?
Consider a new project or a challenging task as your MVP. Instead of getting stuck in the details from the start, focus on building a basic yet functional version of your task. Then, iteratively improve it based on feedback and learning, thus optimising your time and resources while delivering value.
Remember, perfection is the enemy of progress. An MVP mindset encourages you to step outside your comfort zone, experiment, learn, and, most importantly, move forwards.
If you’re a professional eager to climb higher up the career ladder, adopting an MVP mindset could be your ticket to success. Embrace this approach, watch your career thrive, and never stop learning.
