Growth Mindset Goals for 2025

This year, forget New Year’s resolutions. Instead, capitalize on your growth mindset and choose goals that fit naturally into your career path. Whether you’re seeking personal growth or business growth, here are a few ideas to get you started!

Get Comfortable with AI

Like it or not, AI is here to stay and it’s changing everything. In the insights industry, it’s infiltrated recruitment, sampling, research design, questionnaire design, interview moderation, data analysis, reporting, and more. There is no avoiding AI.

If you want to remain relevant and happily employed, you have no choice but to engage with and become knowledgeable about AI. You don’t need to become an expert programmer or developer but do need to be able to engage in meaningful conversations and make wise decisions. Here are some fantastic free and paid resources to get you started.

• Coursera: One of my favorite free sources for learning and improving skills, Coursera offers myriad free and paid courses from many accredited institutions you already know and trust. Perfect for beginners, you can sign up for their free online class called, “AI for Everyone” taught by Andrew Ng from Stanford University. This class focuses on understanding the terminology, what to expect from AI, how to use AI, and how to use AI ethically. You don’t need any technology skills or experience to benefit from this course.
• Harvard University: If you want to name-drop and you already know Python, this course is for you. Harvard offers many free courses to the public including an AI class called: “CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python.” You’ll learn about algorithms, machine learning, AI principles, and how to use AI in Python. Make sure to drop this certification on your LinkedIn page!
• NewMR: If you’d prefer to be more of an observer and soak up tidbits along the way, sign up to receive Ray Poynter’s AI Newsletter. With lots of discussion about how to use AI and notices about webinars and new tools, Ray will keep you up to date with everything insights experts should be aware of. This is a great option for people who feel they’re too old or too far along in their career path to start learning something new – because Ray isn’t!

Increase Your Questionnaire Design Skills

No matter how many years of experience you have writing questionnaires, there’s always someone from a different industry with different experiences who can offer you something new to learn. Whether that’s new types of questions or perspectives you hadn’t considered before, grow your questionnaire design skills with a free or paid class, webinar, or book.

• ESOMAR Academy: Always a wealth of current knowledge, ESOMAR regularly offers online classes including this “Empathetic Survey Design” course by Jon Puleston and Martha Espley. Stuffed with data from their own research, you’re sure to pick up some helpful techniques you’ve not considered before.
• Coursera: The choices on Coursera are unending. Whether you prefer the perspective of psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, or economists, there is a questionnaire design course for you. For a well-rounded approach, try this “Questionnaire Design for Social Surveys” course offered by the University of Michigan.
• People Aren’t Robots: Skip this option if you don’t like authors plugging their own books! In case you do, “People Aren’t Robots” is a short yet detailed book with lots of examples that will inspire you to write better questionnaires. Taking the point of view that people are imperfect, it offers a rare perspective on how to be kinder to people answering questionnaires.

Be the Change You Want to See

It’s easy to get frustrated when you see your industry moving down one path when you want to take a different path. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. Join your national association and grab the steering wheel!

• Insights Association: If you’re based in the USA, the Insights Association works on your behalf to champion, protect, and create demand for the insights and analytics industry. Volunteers participate in developing quality standards, education, certification, and more. Get involved with a few small projects to see just how big of an impact you can make.
• CAIP and CRIC: If you’re based in Canada, you’ve got two ways to help steer your national association. Individuals can become Certified Analytics and Insights Professionals and companies can join the Canadian Research Insights Council. In either case, volunteer as a board or committee member, and make your priorities come to life.
• Esomar: Are you ready to take a bold move and create global impact? Then Esomar is your destination! You may feel you’re not yet ready to run for a board position or a National Representative position but there are plenty of other ways to be heard. That might be as part of project committees that work towards specific tasks like guidelines and publications, or program committees that plan events and content. Contact Esomar to find out how you can make your ideas a reality.

What Next?

As the saying goes, the best time to start is right now. Whether it’s January 1st or June 30th, exercise your mind with a course, a webinar, a book, or an email to your national association. And when you’re ready to implement your upgraded questionnaire design skills or test out an AI text analytics and verbatim coding system, talk with one of our survey and AI experts. We’d love to be a part of your growth journey!