Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
| Characteristic | Fixed Mindset | Growth Mindset |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental Assumption | Intelligence is static | Intelligence can be developed |
| Impact | Leads to a desire to look smart and therefore tendencies to… | Leads to a desire to learn and therefore tendencies to… |
| Challenges | Avoid challenges | Embrace challenges |
| Obstacles | Get defensive or give up easily | Persist in the face of setbacks |
| Effort | See effort as fruitless or worse | See effort as the path to mastery |
| Criticism | Ignore useful negative feedback | Learn from criticism |
| Success of Others | Feel threatened by the success of others | Find lessons and inspiration in the success of others |
| As a result… | May plateau early and achieve less than their full potential | Reach ever-higher levels of achievement |
To adopt a growth mindset:
- Embrace your fixed mindset. We are a mix of growth and fixed mindsets.
- Be aware of your fixed-mindset triggers. When does it surface? When you’re pressured? When you’re challenged?
- Give your fixed-mindset persona a name. This helps with internal communication.
- Educate your fixed-mindset persona. Acknowledge him/her when he/she emerges, then show him/her the growth-mindset way of doing things.