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“I’m rubbish at public speaking; I’ll never be able to deliver a good presentation.” Whether you’ll be able to or not is partly down to how you think about your brain’s malleability.
The Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck suggests that people who have a ‘growth mindset’ - a belief in their brain’s ability to learn and adapt - are more likely to persevere with challenges, seek out ways to improve and be resilient in the face of setbacks. Athletes, educational institutions and businesses have embraced the concept and are making attempts to instill a growth mindset in their respective fields.
Here we’ll look at the science, the differences between fixed and growth mindsets and consider what the critics say. We also offer you practical steps to adopting and instilling a growth mindset in others.
Mindset: The Neuroscience
Growth mindset is founded on the concept of neuroplasticity – every experience and thought we have physically changes our brain. So, to return to our earlier example, if you learned the basics of presentation delivery, your brain would rewire as it created new neural connections. With continued practice, those connections would get stronger and presenting would get easier. Eventually certain aspects would become automatic. Stop practicing, and the connections would weaken and the skill would require more effort. [1]
Inside Your Mind
Taking either a fixed or growth mindset results in significant thought and behavioral differences. [2] Here are just three points of comparison.
Fixed mindset
- A belief that intelligence, skills and talents are fixed - “I’m not good at this now, and will never be.”
- A focus on outcomes or targets rather than progress - “I’ve failed completely. I missed my sales target by 10%” (ignoring your much improved sales pitch).
- Talking yourself down, feeling threatened by others or giving up in the face of setbacks or failures - “Clearly all this feedback means I’m no good at writing. I’ll ask someone else to do it next time.”
Growth mindset
- A belief that intelligence, skills and talents can be developed - “My writing skills have come a long way, and I know they can be better with some guidance.”
- Everything is a learning opportunity - “This is going to be a challenge, but I’ll break it down and tackle a bit at a time."
- When you fail or suffer a setback, you believe you just can’t do it yet - “I can see now that the way I set this up wasn’t quite right, so I’ll take an alternative approach next time.”
We all shift between a fixed and growth mindset, depending on our situation. Someone coming at a completely new task or role might be prepared to learn, and expect some setbacks as they go through that process. They have a growth mindset.
On the flipside, in promoting someone who has used a growth mindset to learn and progress, this might mean they now see themselves as an expert with little more to learn. Suddenly, they have a fixed mindset.
Interestingly, Dweck states there are common misconceptions about what a growth mindset actually is, which can inadvertently lead to us reinforcing a fixed mindset. [3]
Growth Mindset: What the Critics Say
Developing your own growth mindset and instilling it in others can take time and effort. Is it worth it? A number of psychologists and statisticians have questioned Dweck’s research in schools and, in particular, her claims about exactly how effective a growth mindset is. However, there is a considerable body of research and scientific meta-analyzes that do, in fact, show a significant positive correlation between mindset and prediction of academic achievement. [4] [5] [6]
Go for Growth
Criticisms aside, what is clear is that how you develop a growth mindset yourself and in your team is critical to producing a positive effect. [7] Here are some practical steps and questions you can use to adopt and encourage a growth mindset. [8]
1. Recognize Your Own Mindset Triggers
Notice your fixed mindset triggers, reactions and voice. For example you might tell yourself:
- “I’m no good at this.”
- “I feel envious of her ability to negotiate with clients - it makes me nervous when we meet clients together.”
- “I’ve made an error and people are going to think I can’t do my job.”
Stop for a moment. Consciously choose a different way of thinking about the situation. Take a growth mindset. Ask yourself:
- “How can I learn how to do this effectively?”
- “What can I learn from her? Could I ask her to mentor me?”
- “How can I learn from the mistake? What can I do differently next time?”
It can also help to consider if the working philosophies, policies and practices of your organization contribute to a fixed mindset. For example, does a focus on meeting targets mean that individuals' efforts to learn and progress are not acknowledged and encouraged? What could you do to challenge or change this?
2. Create Opportunities to Learn
Someone with a growth mindset actively seeks ways to improve, takes calculated risks and develops a repertoire of strategies to tackle any task.
- How can you create opportunities for individual team members to “stretch” themselves, and to take risks? For example, together with each team member, discuss the skills or tasks they’d like to hone or practice. Identify how they could do that and what support they’ll need as they learn.
- How can you encourage reflection and make learning from mistakes an expected norm? For example, you could have open conversations (consider informal breakfast catch-ups or team bonding sessions) where everyone shares experiences, challenges and successes.
3. Offer Support and Feedback
Encouragement, feedback and praise for progress and learning are essential for maintaining a growth mindset. Consider:
- How do you demonstrate your belief in your team members’ ability to develop and grow?
- What do you do to encourage your team to seek and give feedback?
- How might you use coaching and mentoring to help develop and maintain a growth mindset in your team?
- How do you reward your team for progress?
Conclusion
Our brain’s structure is not fixed. It constantly changes in response to our external and internal experiences, and we can choose to make use of this to improve our skills and intelligence. By adopting a growth mindset, we decide to use a range of strategies to tackle tasks or challenges, and find learning opportunities in mistakes, setbacks and failures. Confidence and resilience are the consequences of a growth mindset.
Developing a growth mindset is a journey of self-awareness and of conscious learning. It takes time and practice, so set your expectations accordingly, and regularly take some time to reflect on the results.
References[1] Debbie Hampton, ‘Neuroplasticity: The 10 Fundamentals of Rewiring your Brain.’ Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-fundamentals-rewiring-your-brain-debbie-hampton/ (accessed August 5, 2023)
August 3, 2023
