*Disclosure: At first, I was skeptical about reading the book because I thought I had a good idea of both, the fixed and growth mindset, but decided to give it a try honoring Alejo's suggestion. The book turned out to be a more profound analysis of both mindsets, but more important it Dweck gives many real-life examples and it makes it easier for the reader to relate with them. This made me realize a lot of things I wasn't aware before reading it and made the learning experience much more enjoyable. Now to the book...
Overall
There are two types of mindset that we can have, a fixed or a growth mindset, and depending on which one we have it's going to be the life we will lead.
A fixed mindset refers to a type of thinking where we look for external validation of our personal traits. When in this mindset, we focus on proving ourselves to others, either in the form of being intelligent, athletic, moral character, etc. Dweck says, "Believing that your qualities are carved in stone -the fixed mindset- creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over... Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character."
A growth mindset, says Dweck, "is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts." Having this mindset allows us to improve and learn more dynamically because we believe that all traits can be worked and improved. It also allows a space of learning through failure without the fear of disappointing others or being humiliated by failing.
Throughout the book, Dweck explains how these mindsets appear in different areas of life such as sports, business, relationships, and education.
On Sports
Naturals vs. Not Naturals (or Character Builders).
Overall
There are two types of mindset that we can have, a fixed or a growth mindset, and depending on which one we have it's going to be the life we will lead.
A fixed mindset refers to a type of thinking where we look for external validation of our personal traits. When in this mindset, we focus on proving ourselves to others, either in the form of being intelligent, athletic, moral character, etc. Dweck says, "Believing that your qualities are carved in stone -the fixed mindset- creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over... Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character."
A growth mindset, says Dweck, "is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts." Having this mindset allows us to improve and learn more dynamically because we believe that all traits can be worked and improved. It also allows a space of learning through failure without the fear of disappointing others or being humiliated by failing.
Throughout the book, Dweck explains how these mindsets appear in different areas of life such as sports, business, relationships, and education.
On Sports
Naturals vs. Not Naturals (or Character Builders).
We often hear the idea of high-performance athletes as "naturals" and those who believe this fall into the fixed mindset. Those athletes who believe they are special and really good at a sport because of their inborn qualities makes think of their skills as fixed and their effort useless. They will remain with the same skill level if they put in more effort or not in improving. Also, they become fragile when they lose because it means that they are not good enough, can't improve, and thus they identify themselves as losers. One example is Joe McEnroe.
With the growth mindset, you can find Andre Agassi or Roger Federer. Athletes who believe their skill set can be improved through effort and hard work and who see failure as an opportunity to get better.
On Business
Talent vs. Character
In business, leaders with a fixed mindset differentiate from those with the growth by preferring and rewarding people who appear to be talented and well qualified through certifications. This creates an environment where the team tries to prove themselves as infallible in order to maintain their status quo, making them less innovating and reducing the grounds for improvement and trying new things.
Leaders with the growth mindset encourage their team to innovate by providing them with a judgment safe zone where the most important thing is not to prove themselves talented, but learn and improve themselves to make the organization better.
On Relationships
In relationships, one must realize the mindset each one has in order to evaluate the best path to take on it. This means that we must know the other person and act accordingly to what we want to achieve of that relationship.
In developing relationships, people with the growth mindset know that not everything will be perfect all the time and that they must work towards solving problems and making each other better.
On Education
One common mistake many people make is praising their kids too much. "You're so intelligent", "You're great", "You're special", etc. What they don't realize is that from an early stage, people can attach their identity to what other people say about them and they end up with a fixed mindset, believing that they are superstars but fragile when they fail.
As an education, one must praise effort and hard work and encourage others to improve their skills through this, instead of setting fixed traits and discouraging them to take risks and effort.
Favorite Quotes
- "“Did I win? Did I lose? Those are the wrong questions. The correct question is: Did I make my best effort?” If so, he says, “You may be outscored but you will never lose.”"
- "Becoming is better than being."
- "We like to think of our champions and idols as superheroes who were born different from us. We don’t like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary."
- “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.”
Major Insights
- Nobody is born extraordinary, extraordinary people make themselves extraordinary by effort and hard work.
- You can work on improving any skill. It doesn't mean you'll be able to be world-class at it but effort and hard work always pays off.
- Be more metacognitive and introspective on the different areas where you hold a fixed mindset and work on a strategy to change it. Realize that it's not an all or nothing mindset in all your life, but there are some areas where you can have a growth mindset and others where you'll have a fixed one.
- Forget about what everyone tells you about you and just be honest with yourself. You define your identity and you can change it anytime by becoming who you want to be.
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