What is a growth mindset?
In her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dweck describes the simple, yet impactful differences between the two mindsets:
- Growth Mindset: People with a growth mindset believe abilities—like talent and intelligence—can be developed through dedication and hard work. They’re more likely to enjoy learning, seek out situations to experiment, and see failure as an opportunity to grow.
- Fixed Mindset: Those with a fixed mindset believe the opposite. They feel they “are who they are” and were born with a set level of talent, intelligence, and even interests. Because of this, they’re more likely to seek out opportunities and situations where these views are affirmed (like doing the same job over and over to receive praise) and believe that talent alone—not effort—is the source of success.
The differences might not seem obvious right away, so let’s look at an example.
Let’s say you’re running a small agency with two developers on your team, each with a different mindset.
The fixed mindset developer will be more likely to stick to “business as usual.” They’ll try to use techniques and languages they know have worked in the past. And will be averse to trying new things because they want to rely on their talents alone.
The growth mindset developer, on the other hand, believes the best work comes from trying new solutions. They’ll be more likely to search out opportunities to test new and forward-looking coding languages, without fearing that:
- They won’t be good at it right away (and it will take work)
- It might not be the right choice, but they’ll learn from it anyways and become a better coder in the long run
A growth mindset doesn’t just help you thrive in difficult situations. It also gives you the freedom to push the limits of your abilities and develop your skills.
And if that’s not enough, it can even make you more creative. In her book, Dweck cites a poll of 143 creativity researchers who agreed that the most important trait for creative achievement is the “resilience and fail-forward perseverance attributed to the growth mindset.”
How to develop a growth mindset at work
Here’s how you can do that:
1. Understand the power of “Not Yet”
If your job is little more than jumping through hoops, it’s going to be difficult to embrace a growth mindset. Binaries (pass/fail, right/wrong) are a breeding ground for fixed mindsets and should be avoided at all costs.
One way to do this is to embrace the power of “not yet.”
2. Set learning goals vs. performance goals
How you set goals can obviously influence the mindset you bring to work. As Dweck explains, the type of goal you set often reflects on whether you’re seeing the work with a growth or fixed mindset.
3. Use deliberate practice (i.e. constantly challenge yourself)
Deliberate practice is a technique where you use a systematic approach to building skills. Rather than just going through the motions, it means going into each session with a specific, challenging goal, getting constant feedback, and adapting and trying new ways to get better.
4. Ask for improvement feedback (not just praise)
We all love praise. But too much of it can make us fall into a fixed mindset. We fall back on the idea that we’re naturally talented and forget that the best way to get better at new skills is to learn from your mistakes.
Take a minute to really think about the way you approach your work and your interests. Do you really believe you can grow? Or are you stuck in a fixed mentality?
-Melissa Joy
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