Stepping into a new career chapter is an important moment to define your approach to success. With the right mindset, you can accelerate learning, embrace challenges and grow with intention.

In our latest professional development webinar from the ADS New Professionals Forum, we were joined by Serco’s award-winning Senior People Partner, Bex Gotterson FCIPD. Bex explained how to create good habits that support confident decisions, continuous learning and purposeful career growth. By understanding common pitfalls and learning how to overcome them, you can set yourself up for long-term success and satisfaction, no matter where you start.

Watch the full recording here.

The Power of Mindset

The way you think about challenges, setbacks, and opportunities can determine your success. This perspective helps you embrace learning, persist through difficulties, and see failures as stepping stones rather than roadblocks.

In the New Professionals Forum skills workshop, Bex shared practical strategies to cultivate a mindset that can empower you to thrive in your career.

Topics included were…

The Failure Cycle

This model describes a common pattern: starting with excitement about a new goal or job, then slipping into avoidance when challenges arise, making excuses for lack of progress, and finally blaming external factors for not achieving success. Recognizing this cycle helps you break free and turn setbacks into learning opportunities.

Avoidance Behaviour

Avoidance is often driven by procrastination, which stems from four main causes:

  • wrong goals (not personally meaningful)
  • unclear focus (vague ambitions)
  • no action plan (lack of steps),
  • mental barriers (fear, doubt, imposter syndrome).

Addressing these root causes helps you take consistent action and move forward.

Mindset Mastery

Mastering your mindset involves creating a compelling vision for your future, focusing on how your goals impact others, and practicing positive thinking daily.

Five Key Takeaways

Bex’s webinar provided some fantastic insight for supporting personal growth and success.

Here are some of our key takeaways…

  • Stop overwhelm by breaking big projects into micro steps that lead towards a defined goal.
  • Create a clear action plan to make progress focused, manageable and achievable.
  • With human’s averaging 40,000–60,000 thoughts per day – use this power to shape your reality by consciously choosing empowering thoughts.
  • Apparently, up to 90% of our thoughts are focused on the past! Shift your attention to the present and actively visualize the future you want.
  • Embrace the failure cycle: see failure as your “First Attempt In Learning”. Learn from setbacks and keep trying.

New Professionals Forum

The New Professionals Forum (NPF) is a networking and professional development forum for industry professionals new to the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors. It is an inclusive and supportive group and is always keen to welcome new members.

Want to join our New Professionals Forum? Find out more about the group here.