Goldfish or Sea Squirt? The Surprising Truth About Growth Mindset in Sales

Did you know that gold fish can grow to the size of the environment they are in? And that sea squirts, a sort of invertebrate that belong to undersea animals called tunicates are sort of "eating their brain".

You no doubt know what a gold fish is but, in case you don't know, the tunicates are saclike filter-feeders that you no doubt have seen while holidaying and looking at rocks. They live on plankton and organic matter they filter from the water they pump in and out of their bodies.

About growth

So, we humans are animals that grow physically from birth up to late adolescence. I don't know exactly when and no doubt it varies but probably around the age of 16, humans have reached the top of their physical growth.

But gold fish, it's different. There is somewhat apocryphal myth that a gold fish will grow to the size of its environment. Put a gold fish in a small tank, it will grow to the size of that small tank. But in a larger environment, more appropriate for growth, then a gold fish will keep growing. The ‘common goldfish’ are the largest kind of goldfish and they can grow up to 45cm long.

NDLR : Goldfish are in face like most fish, indeterminate growers. This basically means that they will grow until they die. Us humans aren't indeterminate physical growers. Though what stunt the growth of fish, is the poor environment they are in, quality of food, air, etc… Same as humans.

Physical vs mental growth

But for us humans, if our physical growth reaches a peak, the same cannot be said about our intellectual growth. There is absolutely zero limit to the growth of our intellectual capacity. Our ideas, knowledge, our understanding of the world and what we understand of it. All these are limitless.

Well… There are two things that limit the intellectual growth of human beings.

Firstly, just like gold fish, this knowledge and understanding of the world can be limited by the environment it is being put in. The people you interact with, how many ideas they are exposing you to, how much they challenge you, etc… The more you are being put in an environment which favours the development of your skills, the more the culture of the organisation is based around training, the more likely you are to develop continuously.

But this isn't enough. Far from it. Unlike gold fish, some human being aren't interested in growth even if they are being put in an environment that favours it. I have seen multiple times sales people being put in our sales training who absolutely refuse to change their ways of selling, even despite their poor results.

Because there is no willingness to grow…

Willingness to grow

That willingness to grow and to develop new sales skills can have a few underlying reasons. First, a lack of desire. Some people do not have the hunger to strive and get their material life better than, say, the one of their parents, adjusted for inflation.

Second possible reason I've observed that limit people growth, is probably their ego. Ego is the enemy as the saying goes. And for what ever specific reason, they have develop an ego that make them not coachable.

There are multiple reasons behind it but I feel the more we are about things, the more we will limit ourselves. The more closed off to receiving new knowledge, the bigger the likelihood of having a small mind, a "fixed mindset" rather than a "growth mindset". When, on the opposite side, the less emotionally attached we are to our knowledge and what we know of the world, the bigger our minds can be.

In short, it boils down to what people think:

There are two kinds of people: Those who think they can, and those who think they can't, and they're both right.

Henry Ford

How does it relate to sales?

Selling is a great job. I'm biased. But it's the job where we face the most challenges, the most difficulties. Unlike other jobs, a sales person will face on a daily basis rejection, hostility, competition, will have to face competition or won't have full control of the decision. It's unique.

So to get better at what we do, sales people need to constantly develop. And as mentioned above, there are absolutely no limit to the knowledge one can learn about getting better. Especially when it comes to selling.

So, if you are a sales person looking for a role, my advice to you would be to look for a company that has this type of sales culture, that favours the development of your skills. (NDLR: This doesn't prevent you investing in your own skills, this is one thing I always seek when we help company hire sales people)

And if you are a sales leader or a company leader, my advice is to develop a sales culture that favours the development of the skills of people both your sales people and your sales managers. With us or someone else, it doesn't matter.

Because do you want tunicates in your sales organisation?

Let me go back to the sea squirts I mentioned above.

The life of a sea squirt starts with larval phase which is brief. Eggs first develop into tadpole-like larvae. And they wiggle and twitch around, which helps disperse them. But these young creatures can't feed during this period. So before long, they settle onto a surface and anchor themselves headfirst in a good spot with good current and good food passing by they can absorb - a position they’ll maintain for the rest of their lives. At this point, feeding becomes essential, triggering a remarkable transformation.

The larva begins to dismantle the very features that once defined it. The gill structures are replaced by two siphons that draw in and expel water, allowing it to filter nutrients. Its tail, once used for movement, is reabsorbed. The simple eye and elements of an early spine also disappear. In the final stage of this transformation, even the basic “brain” it used to navigate its early life is absorbed, marking its transition into a stationary adult (more details here in case you are interested).

The only thing the sea squirt needs to do is feed. It found a good spot. And therefore doesn't needs a brain anymore…

The parallel is no doubt a little bit strong. But between a gold fish and a sea squirt, what sea creature would you prefer to hire and manage? And do you want to develop a sales culture that attracts and favours a gold fish type of growth or a tunicate type of behaviour ?