Mindset: Growth or Fixed?

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Ballantine Books, 2008) by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., reviewed by Steve Gladis, Ph.D.

1.????Overview: What’s the difference between failing and learning? Your mindset! According to Carol Dweck, famed Stanford psychologist, it all boils down to whether you think of talent or intelligence as either a fixed ability or one capable of growth through effort and practice. Often it comes down to whether you seek validation or a challenge. Whether you look at people on teams, at work, at school, in marriages or any relationships, fixed vs. growth mindset is a VERY important concept to understand—only if you want a better life. Every leader, parent, and teacher should read this book.

2.????Fixed Mindset People continuously try to prove themselves and support their self-image of success. This leads to trying to “look smart,” constantly building an image, and even putting others down to preserve our own standing. All encounters become matters of success or failure, looking smart or stupid, being accepted or rejected, or feeling like a winner or a loser. Such a fixed orientation makes people avoid risk, stop learning and experimenting, and defensive, eventually leading them to fall behind and become less relevant—the very thing they are trying to avoid.

3.????Fixing Failure. Comparison is the first technique that fixed mindset folks often use to “fix” their failure by comparing themselves to less successful people. Blame is another technique. John McEnroe blamed any failure on everyone and everything from empires to the coarseness of the sawdust used to dry his hands! It was never his fault.?But, John Wooden, the amazingly successful basketball coach at UCLA, used to say that people were not failures until they started to blame others. Avoid Risk and Disdain Effort: Fixed people “aspire to effortless perfection” [p.41]. They think that only people who are not perfect or smart need to work to succeed. They disdain effort because they see it as risk and a potential for failure.

4.????Growth Mindset People don’t believe that they’re stuck with the hand they were dealt. Rather, they believe that you get better with practice and that you can cultivate qualities through effort and engagement. This attitude creates a real thirst for knowledge, as opposed to being recognized as merely smart or intelligent. Growth mindsets will eschew looking smart in favor of truly learning and getting better. They stretch themselves, confront challenges, and take risks rather than play it safe, thus opening up new and exciting doors to walk through.

5.????Big Findings about Growth Mindset People: #1: They get their motivation from trying and learning. #2: They see setbacks as wake-up calls and motivational. #3: They take charge of success processes. Whereas, fixed mindsets want to validate their status and act like superstars, afraid to just be a team member. Dweck refers to the somebody-nobody syndrome: “If I win, I’ll be somebody; if I lose, I’ll be nobody” [p. 105].

6.????Entitled Kids in the Workforce. Raised on a constant diet of praise, these kids want a pat on the back for just showing up to work! They need constant validation and are incapable of taking criticism. Leaders should praise them for their struggle and effort and not for “being” smart or talented. When it comes to negotiations, fixed mindsets underperform growth mindset negotiators by 50%. Believing that talent is static and inborn, fixed mindset managers don’t attempt to coach or develop employees, whereas growth mindsets invest in the future of others by coaching. The good news: A growth mindset can be learned.

7.????Love and Mindset. Fixed mindsets get hurt easily and are defensive in their relationships. Following being hurt, they want to get revenge. People with growth mindsets are more about understanding, forgiveness, and growth. Fixed mindsets seek instant and perfect relationships (fixed), but growth mindsets, believing they can change with effort, nurture the relationship. Growth mindsets see flaws but don’t paint the entire relationship with the same broad brush. “The trick is to acknowledge [communicate with] each other’s limitations and build from there” [p. 154].

8.????Changing Mindsets. Here’s the good news: Mindsets can be changed. What you tell people changes their mindsets. Kids told how smart they were did not take on challenges or do anything that would expose their flaws. But, of the kids praised for effort, 90% wanted to take on challenges, regardless of exposure to failure in order to learn. In fact, kids told that they’re smart or intelligent are more likely to lie about their accomplishments or even cheat to sustain their image. Dweck has developed a mindset workshop that treats brain development as muscle-building. Kids who learned growth mindset saw their grades shoot up. Simple awareness about growth mindset can change people from giving up to persevering. ?The more of a growth mindset you develop, the more people want to work with and help you, especially after you remove the cloak of armor of being special, above the rest. Often, it’s easier to pretend you’re perfect than admit to and work on a flaw. We often opt to avoid anything that makes us feel vulnerable. Talking to kids from a growth mindset helps them not be afraid to experiment, fail, and learn. Talk about effort, experiment, and tell them that making mistakes is OK, even helpful because it can change their mindsets over time. Praise effort—not being smart—and watch mindsets change.

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