Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset

About two years ago while I was teaching at the middle school, we held a professional development meeting where we discussed the growth mindset. We looked at it in terms of how our students perceived their ability to succeed and how a lot of them subscribe to a fixed mind set that keeps them from trying when they've failed at something once. The concept of a growth mindset vs. fixed mindset applies to all venues in life, not just the classroom.

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has written books on mindsets and they are widely used in the education industry. The learning she provides can also benefit those who run businesses and those who seek to improve relationships within their families or with significant others.

With a growth mindset, you believe that everything has the opportunity to improve and become better. Therefore, when things don't go as planned, you don't give up immediately. Instead, you seek out a new method to improve upon the original plan. You look to learn instead of looking to blame.

In a fixed mindset, you may learn what went wrong in a given situation, but you don't look to change anything about it. For example, you might face a problem in a romantic relationship and feel that it was caused by a flaw in the other person or in yourself. And instead of seeking growth together, you might tell yourself, "This wasn't meant to be." It is possible that you and that person were not likely "meant for each other" (if you subscribe to fairy tales) but with a growth mindset, you are more willing to grow out of those arguments and improve upon your relationship. "This went wrong, obviously this relationship isn't worth it." If you say that to yourself, you are in a fixed mindset. But listen to the voice of the growth mindset: "We really faced a problem together, but we discussed it and learned more about each other and we are going to try different ways to communicate our frustrations."

The growth mindset is amazing in terms of running a business and being a leader in it. From the site http://mindsetonline.com, here is an example of how business leaders are different from bosses:

When managers were taught a growth mindset, they were more willing to coach employees and the quality of their developmental coaching became higher. Also, managers with a growth mindset actually sought more negative feedback from their subordinates. They wanted to learn how to improve their management techniques and were not threatened by the idea of hearing some negative things about themselves.

A fixed mindset will make you feel afraid of criticism. A fixed mindset will make you think that any negative feedback is set in stone and that you have failed. A growth mindset will help you learn from the negative feedback and even welcome it because you will want to know what you've done wrong as well as what you've done right. You will welcome new ideas for change and you will be a flexible thinker.

Pursue a growth mindset because it will bring you unparalleled success. Your business will grow because your employees will be much more confident. Your family will get along better because rather than admonish people for their mistakes, you will learn to grow with them. Your personal relationships will likely become much more satisfying and lasting.