Turia Pitt: An Agile Learner in action

Turia Pitt is an Agile Learner. She has a Growth Mindset and knows how to take on challenges and overcome adversity.

Completing a double bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mining) and Science at the University of New South Wales in 2010, Turia went on to successfully apply her learning as a mining engineer at a prestigious diamond mining company in Western Australia.

Not content with only pursuing academic and career goals, Turia excelled in many other areas of her life. She was a contestant in the Miss Earth Australia contest, a professional model, and a successful ultramarathon runner.

Tragically, on 2nd September 2011, while competing in a 100km ultramarathon in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Turia was caught in a grass fire. She suffered burns to 65% of her body, including her face. Turia was placed in a medically-induced coma for six months, underwent more than 200 operations, had her left foot amputated, and lost all the fingers on her left hand and two on her right. In total, she spent more than two years in hospital recovering from her burns.

Turia’s life would never be the same. To say that she’d suffered a setback would be an understatement. But Turia did not let the events of September 2011 define her. She understood that, although circumstances beyond her control had radically changed her life, she was still able to grow. She had achieved so much growth in her life already – why couldn’t she achieve more?

In the years that followed her recovery, Turia took on many new challenges. These included:

• Completing a Master of Business Administration at Southern Cross University.
• Competing in Ironman events, including the grueling Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
• Walking the Great Wall of China and Kokoda Track.
• Authoring best-selling books, including Everything to Live For and Unmasked.
• Becoming a sought-after and acclaimed speaker, headlining the National Achievers Conference in Brisbane 2018.
• Finalist for Young Australian of the Year.
• Shortlisted for Australian of the Year.
• NSW finalist for the Telstra Business Woman of the Year.
• Winning Westpac Woman of the Year 2013.
• Founding the School of Champions to show others how to achieve their goals.

Turia Pitt completes Ironman Hawaii in 2016. Photo: Delly Carr for Ironman

"This is how an authentic Growth Mindset is developed. Not by simply believing you can grow, but by taking the right actions and experiencing the reality of your own growth!"

"No one had to teach Turia about a Growth Mindset. She never attended a seminar. She learnt how to nurture her growth herself by developing her Habits of Mind, stretching herself beyond her Comfort Zone, and experiencing her growth."

The problem is that many Growth Mindset programs advocate “not yet” but fail to recognise that without the right type of actions, “not yet” will turn into “still not yet."

"Or, put simply, the Habits of Mind are what successful people like Turia do when they are in the business of taking on, and succeeding at, increasingly difficult challenges!"

And to do that, we need to change the way we behave. That means developing our Habits of Mind.

 

So, there are three elements to Turia’s success. The first is a Growth Mindset – she understands she is capable of growth. The second is that she develops her Habits of Mind. And the third is that she constantly gets outside her Comfort Zone and challenges herself. 

In his book, Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, Anders Ericsson, the world’s expertise expert, describes the importance of stretching and challenging yourself in order to grow. He says, “This is a fundamental truth about any sort of practice: If you never push yourself beyond your Comfort Zone, you will never improve.” 

Turia is what I call an Agile Learner. This is someone who not only understands they are capable of growth (a Growth Mindset), but they also recognise how to go about achieving that growth by developing their Habits of Mind and pushing outside their Comfort Zone.

 

"Yes, Turia believes in herself, but she backs that up with action. Her Mindset gives her the courage to step outside her Comfort Zone, to stretch and challenge herself. And then she works on developing her Habits of Mind to succeed at those tasks."

 Achieving growth takes more than just belief. It takes action. Slogans such as “believe and you can achieve” are only half truths. It is more accurate to say, “Believe and you will act. Act effectively and you can achieve.”

 

  

 

Today, principals are increasingly interested in developing a Growth Mindset in their teachers. They want to create a Growth Mindset culture in their schools. This is an important first step – but it’s not enough. 

Programs that focus on understanding “about” a Growth Mindset adopt slogans like “not yet”. But those “not yets” quickly turn into “still not yets” if we don’t focus on how to achieve the growth! 

If you’re interested in learning more about how to develop a Growth Mindset culture and Learning Agility in your school, please feel free to email me, and we’ll set up a time to chat. Alternatively, use this link to book a time in my calendar to discuss how I can support your work.

 

Best wishes

 

 

James