mindset

mindset

Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential

1. THE MINDSETS

Why Do People Differ?

What Does All This Mean for You? The Two Mindsets

A View from the Two Mindsets

So. What's New?

2. INSIDE THE MINDSETS

3. THE TRUTH ABOUT ABILITY AND ACCOMPLISHMENT

Self-Insight: Who Has Accurate Views of Their Assets and

Limitations?

What's in Store

Is Success About Learning-Or Proving You're Smart? Mindsets Change the Meaning of Failure Mindsets Change the Meaning of Effort Questions and Answers

Mindset and School Achievement Is Artistic Ability a Gift? The Danger of Praise and Positive Labels Negative Labels and How They Work

4. SPORTS: THE MINDSET OF A CHAMPION The Idea of the Natural

Character"

What Is Success?

What Is Failure?

Taking Charge of Success

What Does It Mean to Be a Star?

Hearing the Mindsets

5. BUSINESS: MINDSET AND LEADERSHIP Enron and the Talent Mindset

Organizations That Grow

A Study of Mindset and Management Decisions

Leadership and the Fixed Mindset

Fixed-Mindset Leaders in Action

Growth-Mindset Leaders in Action

A Study of Group Processes

Groupthink Versus We Think

The Praised Generation Hits the Workforce

Are Negotiators Born or Made?

Corporate Training: Are Managers Born or Made?

Are Leaders Born or Made?

Organizational Mindsets

6. RELATIONSHIPS: MINDSETS IN LOVE (OR NOT)

Relationships Are Different

Mindsets Falling in Love

The Partner as Enemy

Competition: Who's the Greatest?

Developing in Relationships

Friendship

Shynes

PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND COACHES: WHERE DO MINDSETS COME FROM?

Bullies and Victims: Revenge Revisited

Parents (and Teachers): Messages About Success and Failure Teachers (and Parents): What Makes a Great Teacher (or Parent)? Coaches: Winning Through Mindset False Growth Mindset

Our Legacy

8. CHANGING MINDSETS

The Nature of Change

The Mindset Lectures

A Mindset Workshop

Brainology

More About Change

Opening Yourself Up to Growth

People Who Don't Want to Change

Changing Your Child's Mindset

Mindset and Willpower

Maintaining Change

The Journey to a (True) Growth Mindset

Learn and Help Learn

The Road Ahead

1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't change very much.

2. You can learn new things, but you can't really change how intelligent you are.

3. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.

4. You can always substantially change how intelligent you are.

1. You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that.

2. No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially.

3. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can't really be changed.

4. You can always change basic things about the kind of person you are.

Question: I know a lot of workaholics on the fast track who seem to have a fixed mindset. They're always trying to prove how smart they are, but they do work hard and they do take on challenges. How does this fit with your idea that people with a fixed mindset go in for low effort and easy tasks?

Question: What if I like my fixed mindset? If I know what my abilities and talents are, I know where I stand, and I know what to expect. Why should I give that up?

Question: Can everything about people be changed, and should people try to change everything they can

People are all born with a love of learning, but the fixed mindset can undo it. Think of a time you were enjoying something-doing a crossword puzzle, playing a sport, learning a new dance. Then it became hard and you wanted out. Maybe you suddenly felt tired, dizzy, bored, or hungry. Next time this happens, don't fool yourself. It's the fixed mindset. Put yourself in a growth mindset. Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.

It's tempting to create a world in which we're perfect. (Ah, remember that feeling from grade school.) We can choose partners, make friends, hire people who make us feel faultless. But think about it-do you want to never grow? Next time you're tempted to surround yourself with worshipers, go to church. In the rest of your life, seek constructive criticism.

Is there something in your past that you think measured you? A test score? A dishonest or callous action? Being fired from a job? Being rejected? Focus on that thing. Feel all the emotions that go with it. Now put it in a growth-mindset perspective. Look honestly at your role in it, but understand that it doesn't define your intelligence or personality. Instead, ask: What did I (or can I) learn from that experience? How can I use it as a basis for growth? Carry that with you instead.

How do you act when you feel depressed? Do you work harder at things in your life or do you let them go? Next time you feel low, put yourself in a growth mindset-think about learning, challenge, confronting obstacles. Think about effort as a positive, constructive force, not as a big drag. Try it out.

Is there something you've always wanted to do but were afraid you weren't good at? Make a plan to do it.

Think about your hero. Do you think of this person as someone with extraordinary abilities who achieved with little effort? Now go find out the truth. Find out the tremendous effort that went into their accomplishment and admire them more.

Think of times other people outdid you and you just assumed they were smarter or more talented. Now consider the idea that they just used better strategies, taught themselves more, practiced harder, and worked their way through obstacles. You can do that, too, if you want to.

Are there situations where you get stupid where you disengage your intelligence? Next time you're in one of those situations, get yourself into a growth mindset-think about learning and improvement, not judgment and hook it back up.

Do you label your kids? This one is the artist and that one is the scientist. Next time, remember that you're not helping them-even though you may be praising them. Remember our study where praising kids' ability lowered their IQ scores. Find a growth- mindset way to compliment them.

More than half of our society belongs to a negatively stereotyped group. First you have all the women, and then you have all the other groups who are not supposed to be good at something or other. Give them the gift of the growth mindset. Create an environment that teaches the growth mindset to the adults and children in your life, especially the ones who are targets of negative stereotypes. Even when the negative label comes along, they'll remain in charge of their learning.

Are there sports you always assumed you're bad at? Well, maybe you are, but then maybe you aren't. It's not something you can know until you've put in a lot of effort. Some of the world's best athletes didn't start out being that hot. If you have a passion for a sport, put in the effort and see.

Sometimes being exceptionally endowed is a curse. These athletes may stay in a fixed mindset and not cope well with adversity. Is there a sport that came easily to you until you hit a wall? Try on the growth mindset and go for it again.

"Character" is

an important concept in the sports world, and it comes out of a growth mindset. Think about times you've needed to reach deep down inside in difficult sports matches. Think about the growth-mindset champions from this chapter and how they do it. What could you do next time to make sure you're in a growth mindset in the pinch?

Athletes with a growth mindset find success in learning and improving, not just winning. The more you can do this, the more rewarding sports will be for you-and for those who play them with you!

Are you in a fixed-mindset or growth-mindset workplace? Do you feel people are just judging you or are they helping you develop? Maybe you could try making it a more growth-mindset place, starting with yourself. Are there ways you could be less defensive about your mistakes? Could you profit more from the feedback you get? Are there ways you can create more learning experiences for yourself?

How do you act toward others in your workplace? Are you a fixed- mindset boss, focused on your power more than on on your employees' well-being? Do you ever reaffirm your status by demeaning others? Do you ever try to hold back high-performing employees because they threaten you?

Consider ways to help your employees develop on the job: Apprenticeships? Workshops? Coaching sessions? Think about how you can start seeing and treating your employees as your collaborators, as a team. Make a list of strategies and try them out. Do this even if you already think of yourself as a growth-mindset boss. Well-placed support and growth-promoting feedback never

hurt.

If you run a company, look at it from a mindset perspective. Does it need you to do a Lou Gerstner on it? Think seriously about how to root out elitism and create a culture of self-examination, open communication, and teamwork. Read Gerst ner's excellent book Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? to see how it's done.

Is your workplace set up to promote groupthink? If so, the whole decision-making process is in trouble. Create ways to foster alternative views and constructive criticism. Assign people to play the devil's advocate, taking opposing viewpoints so you can see the holes in your position. Get people to wage debates that argue different sides of the issue. Have an anonymous suggestion box that employees must contribute to as part of the decision-making process. Remember, people can be independent thinkers and team players at the same time. Help them fill both roles.

After a rejection, do you feel judged, bitter, and vengeful? Or do you feel hurt, but hopeful of forgiving, learning, and moving on? Think of the worst rejection you ever had. Get in touch with all the feelings, and see if you can view it from a growth mindset. What did you learn from it? Did it teach you something about what you want and don't want in your life? Did it teach you some positive things that were useful in later relationships? Can you forgive that person and wish them well? Can you let go of the bitterness?

Picture your ideal love relationship. Does it compatibility no disagreements, no compromises, no hard work? Please think again. In every relationship, issues arise. Try to see them from a growth mindset: Problems can be a vehicle for developing greater understanding and intimacy. Allow your partner to air his or her differences, listen carefully, and discuss them in a patient and caring manner. You may be surprised at the closeness this creates.

Are you a blamer like me? It's not good for a relationship to pin everything on your partner. Create your own Maurice and blame him instead. Better yet, work toward curing yourself of the need to blame. Move beyond thinking about fault and blame all the time. Think of me trying to do that too.

Are you shy? Then you really need the growth mindset. Even if it

doesn't cure your shyness, it will help keep it from messing up your social interactions. Next time you're venturing into a social situation, think about these things: how social skills are things you can improve and how social interactions are for learning and enjoyment, not judgment. Keep practicing this.

Grow Your Mindset

Every word and action from parent to child sends a message. Tomorrow, listen to what you say to your kids and tune in to the 

messages you're sending. Are they messages that say: You have permanent traits and I'm judging them? Or are they messages that say You're a developing person and I'm interested in your development?

How do you use praise? Remember that praising children's intelligence or talent, tempting as it is, sends a fixed-mindset message. It makes their confidence and motivation more fragile. Instead, try to focus on the processes they used-their strategies, effort, or choices. Practice working the process praise into your interactions with your children.

Watch and listen to yourself carefully when your child messes up. Remember that constructive criticism is feedback that helps the child understand how to fix something. It's not feedback that labels or simply excuses the child. At the end of each day, write down the constructive criticism (and the process praise) you've given your kids.

Parents often set goals their children can work toward. Remember that having innate talent is not a goal. Expanding skills and knowledge is. Pay careful attention to the goals you set for your children.

If you're a teacher, remember that lowering standards doesn't raise students' self-esteem. But neither does raising standards without giving students ways of reaching them. The growth mindset gives you a way to set high standards and have students reach them. Try presenting topics in a growth framework and giving students

process feedback. I think you'll like what happens.

Do you think of your slower students as kids who will never be

able to learn well? Do they think of themselves as permanently dumb? Instead, try to figure out what they don't understand and what learning strategies they don't have. Remember that great teachers believe in the growth of talent and intellect, and are fascinated by the process of learning.

Are you a fixed-mindset coach? Do you think first and foremost about your record and your reputation? Are you intolerant of mistakes? Do you try to motivate your players through judgment? That may be what's holding up your athletes.

Try on the growth mindset. Instead of asking for mistake-free games, ask for full commitment and full effort. Instead of judging the players, give them the respect and the coaching they need to develop.

As parents, teachers, and coaches, our mission is developing people's potential. Let's use all the lessons of the growth mindset -and whatever else we can-to do this.