• From mindsetonline.com, please read the “How can you change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset?” page, and then respond to the following questions:
  • As Carol Dweck notes, we all hold both fixed and growth mindsets. Identifying situations that trigger a fixed-mindset voice can be a beneficial first step. These are situations that make you feel defensive, anxious, or worried about your ability (e.g., getting performance-improvement suggestions, low grades, new projects, etc.) What are some fixed-mindset triggers you experience at work and at school? Explain how you these make you feel.
  • Choose one of your identified fixed-mindset triggers. How might you respond with a growth mindset voice instead?
  • Think of a recent setback and explain how you were able to overcome it or how you plan to respond to the challenge.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Carol Dweck’s fixed and growth mindsets

Introduction

Carol Dweck’s research is fascinating. She has been studying mindset for decades and her work has revolutionised the way we think about success and failure, intelligence and talent, as well as children’s motivation. In her latest book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (and How to Get It), she explains how a fixed mindset can hold people back from success while a growth mindset allows us to take on challenges with confidence. If you’re interested in bettering your life or working in an organisation where performance can be improved through this kind of thinking, then read on!

A fixed mindset believes that qualities such as intelligence, talent and creativity are innate.

People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities and talents are limited. They think that these qualities are either innate or can’t be improved upon. For example, if you’re born with good genes for intelligence, then you’ll always be intelligent. If you’ve got an artistic talent, it will never change—you just have to accept this fact and stop trying to improve it!

Fixed mindset people also tend to think that if they try hard enough and work at something long enough then they’ll succeed eventually (even though this is rarely the case). On the other hand, growth-minded individuals believe that success comes from constant effort; it doesn’t matter how “talented” one may seem at first glance because everyone has room for improvement over time!

In a growth mindset people believe that the qualities above are developed through hard work.

In a growth mindset, people believe that the qualities above are developed through hard work.

People with a fixed mindset believe that talent and ability are all you need to succeed. People in this mindset often say things like “I can’t do anything right” or “I’m no good at school,” which tells us that they don’t value effort over talent. A person with a fixed mindset might also have trouble learning new skills because he or she doesn’t think it’s possible for him/herself to get better at something if they didn’t already know how!

A key difference between these mindsets is the importance of learning versus just knowing something for sure; for example, if I say: “I know how to ride my bike,” there is no room for improvement because everyone knows this skill from birth—but when someone says “I love riding bikes,” then their passion will motivate them toward constant improvement (even if they never become Olympic champions).

In her research, Dweck followed two groups of students: those who were told they had a fixed amount of brainpower and those who believed their brainpower could be developed with effort.

Dweck’s research showed that the growth mindset people were more likely to try new things, exercise, and persist through failure than their fixed mindset counterparts. This is because they believed their brainpower could be developed with effort. The fixed mindset people did not believe they could change or improve their brainpower—they believed they had a fixed amount of brainpower and that there was nothing they could do about it (which is why Carol Dweck says “growth mindset”).

The latter group put more effort into their studies, learned more effectively and performed better than their peers.

The growth mindset group put more effort into their studies, learned more effectively and performed better than their peers.

In contrast, the fixed mindset group did not have a higher IQ than the growth mindset group.

Dweck says the limitations of the fixed mindset hold back both individuals and organisations.

Dweck says the limitations of the fixed mindset hold back both individuals and organisations. A person with a fixed mindset will see academic or career success as a given, rather than as something that can be achieved through hard work. This can lead to procrastination, fear of failure, self-sabotage and low self-esteem. In contrast, someone who has growth mindset believes they can improve their abilities through effort and practice at any time in their lives—they’re always learning new things!

A growth mindset is one way to improve organisational performance.

The growth mindset is not just about individuals, but also organisations. In fact, Dweck’s research suggests that the more a child learns about their own ability and goals, the more willing they are to tackle challenges and take on new challenges.

A growth mindset can be applied to organisations in a variety of ways: by encouraging employees who perform well beyond their expectations (e.g., “You’re doing great! You deserve some recognition”) or by asking them what they could have done better (e.g., “What was challenging for you? What would have helped?”).

People with a growth mindset believe that they can learn anything through hard work, experience and education

Carol Dweck’s research has shown that people with a fixed mindset believe that they can learn only things they already know. They assume that their intelligence, skills and talent are fixed traits, which cannot be improved upon. People with growth mindsets on the other hand see learning as an ongoing process in which their abilities can grow through effort and practice.

Growth Mindset: A person who believes that his or her intelligence is malleable—that it is possible to increase his or her intellectual abilities by working hard at something—will likely be more interested in pursuing new challenges than someone who does not have this view of himself or herself (a “fixed” individual). He or she will also tend to be open-minded about trying new things because he/she doesn’t feel limited by assumed limitations based on past experiences; rather than seeing mistakes as evidence against one’s ability (a “fixed” individual might), such an individual would see them instead as examples of how far one can go when given sufficient motivation!

Conclusion

Carol Dweck has done an incredible amount of research on people’s mindset and their ability to learn. She has found that the way you approach life can have a huge impact on your success, happiness and even health. Knowing these two mindsets will give you an important tool in your quest towards greatness!