Do you have a fixed or growth mindset?

“You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.”– Carol Dweck

You have most likely heard of the terms fixed and growth mindset. In a nutshell, a growth mindset means that you believe you can develop and grow your intelligence over time. A fixed mindset means that you believe you were born with a certain level of ability or skills that you are unable to improve on over time.

It’s also about perseverance, some people fall apart at the face of challenges or setbacks and give up far too easily. Others see these setbacks as opportunities to learn, grow and continue improving themselves.

Mindsets Aren’t Permanent

The important thing to remember is that mindsets aren’t permanent. The brain is constantly evolving and you can change your mindset firstly by awareness, then discipline and practice. Most people have a mixture of both mindsets, but tend to lean towards one more than the other.

Psychologist Carol Dweck, from Stanford University, was the first researcher to explore the idea of fixed and growth mindsets. As she states:

 “Many people have elements of both. People can also have different mindsets in different areas. I might think that my artistic skills are fixed but that my intelligence can be developed. Or that my personality is fixed, but my creativity can be developed. We’ve found that whatever mindset people have in a particular area will guide them in that area.”

Although having a growth mindset isn’t a prerequisite for success, it does help us build resilience and grit in the face of challenges and setbacks, and allows us to learn from our mistakes. This essentially helps us become better at things, increasing the odds for our success.

Take the Quiz: Do you have a fixed or growth mindset?

Developing A Growth Mindset

In Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she presents a strong case for the power of having a growth mindset in all aspects of your life – in business, parenthood and relationships.

In this video she gives an overview of her thoughts on developing a growth mindset: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ

More Tips To Develop A Growth Mindset:

View challenges as opportunities to grow – many problems are inevitable, and it’s about how you react to them. Persist and grow through challenges.

Prioritise learning over seeking approval – Criticism can sometimes be hard to hear, but it is one of the fastest ways to improve. Seek feedback from others rather than approval.

View effort as a path to mastery – “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” — Bruce Lee

Have a never-ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience – the brain is an impressive thing and the more discipline you have to constantly learn, the more you will improve.

Learn from yours and others mistakes – we are all human after all and mistakes can and do happen. Instead of giving up in the face of setback and thinking you have failed, change your thought process to  “what can I do next time to improve on this”

At Strategy & Execution, we use the principles and tools of Scaling Up, which follow along the lines of a growth mindset. If you would like to learn more, we would love to hear from you.

Need assistance to help your team achieve your objectives to grow your business? Contact me at tedb@strategyandexecution.com.au to schedule a free 30-minute discovery meeting.

About Strategy & Execution

We have been providing organisations and their leaders with facilitation support and executive education focused on strategy development and strategy execution for more than 20 years. Using business models such as Scaling Up, Exponential Organizations, E-Myth Mastery, Outthinker etc, we support organisations seeking to create or refine excellent strategies and execute them quickly and effectively.

Our expertise is based on a mixture of wide business experience, effective tools as well as a great deal of consulting and executive education. Our approach to working with clients is as unique as our specialist focus. We always seek to challenge our clients’ thinking – but equally are unafraid to roll up our sleeves and help execute the ideas we help generate. Learn more about us here or view our upcoming workshops and events.

If you are preparing for strategy development and/or a strategy implementation challenge and are committed to creating value for your organisation, we look forward to hearing from you. Contact us now