Recently, our President & Co-Founder, Jeff Mack shared a little about the differences between a fixed vs. a growth mindset.
Jeff outlined that currently, we all have a certain level of ability. Believing that only this ability is what we must work with is a fixed mindset. However, we can develop our ability with hard work and effort to see potential beyond what we’re working with now. This is called a growth mindset.
Those with a growth mindset continue to work on skills, challenge their mind, read often, and avoid complacency.
In a recent Mindset Monday training, Jeff reminded us that “if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Nothing remains static.”
These two mindsets are quite different and lead to different behavior, and results. For example, often students with a growth mindset are shown to increase their grades over time. Those who believe that their intelligence is ingrained do not; in fact, their grades can even get worse.
Having a growth mindset, the belief that you are in control of your own ability and can learn and improve, is the key to success. How does this affect your business?
People tend to respond differently to information about performance based on their mindset. Someone with a fixed mindset finds their brain most active when they receive information about how well they have done, such as how large their team is, or how many customers they have.
In people with a growth mindset, the brain is most active when they are either given feedback about what they could do to improve, or when they consider what changes they can make next time. It’s a very different approach: from ‘How did I do?’ to ‘What can I do better as I move forward?’ One is about how they are perceived, and one is about how they can learn. It’s clear which one is more likely to see better results.
A growth mindset looks at setbacks as opportunities and the good news is, you control your own mindset. You can look at the clouds and let them get you down or, you can look at the rain and be glad for the grass.
Which one sounds like you?
