There’s not much that bothers me professionally. But this is one of my few PET PEEVES.
It’s always saddened me (just a bit!) when people THINK they have a “growth mindset”, but actually have NO IDEA what that term REALLY means.
Carol Dweck’s book, MINDSET, changed my life. I really mean words: CHANGED MY LIFE. Sadly, I can’t tell you how many people completely MISUNDERSTAND her research.
Having a “Growth Mindset” IS NOT simply thinking or saying the following things:
❌ I want to grow!
❌I want to exceed my goals and do better than last year
❌I want my company to exceed its goals, do better, and get bigger
❌I’m trying to think of new strategies for said growth
It’s SO much MORE than that.
Do YOU know what the terms “Growth Mindset” and “Fixed Mindset” really MEAN? Or, are you throwing them around loosely?
When I first read “Mindset” in 2016, I was 35. I worked for Kinecta Federal Credit Union as a Regional Director. (Thanks Joseph Whitaker for recommending that book!) I was 50 pages in and already knew, without question, that I had been living my ENTIRE LIFE with a “Fixed Mindset”.
When I tried to explain that to a few close colleagues and friends who know me well, they were SURPRISED by that statement.
“But Amy, how can you have a FIXED MINDSET?”, they argued. “You’ve done so well in life. You went to Notre Dame and USC. You were managing 250 people by the time you were 28. You continue to DO well! You’ve been a Regional Director for over 6 years! You travel frequently. You’ve built a great life for yourself. You obviously have a growth mindset.”
But, they were wrong. I didn’t. Those things didn’t MATTER. Sure, I had “grown” over the years. BUT, only in the same, predictable ways. As a child, I was frequently told I was “smart”. I was praised for my results. But, NOT my effort. Whenever I tried something that I WASN’T initially naturally good at, I was encouraged to pull away from it. Examples:
😰 At 5, I was taken out of gymnastics because I was “afraid” of the uneven bars.
😰 At 13, I didn’t try out for the basketball team a 2nd time, simply because I didn’t make the team the first time.
😰 At 18, I switched my major from biology/pre-med to political science because my college science classes were “too hard”.
😰 At 32, I told my best friend, Patricia Reeder, on a visit to my hometown that I could “NEVER” run a half-marathon, saying “I’m just not a runner!”
😰 (Even) At 37, I was STILL convinced I couldn’t learn to ski.
These stories and the impact they had on me are ALL in the upcoming second book!
The day I began to recognize mistakes, discomfort, failure, and struggle were all GREAT things was the day my life began to radically shift. ‘
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you REALLY have a Growth Mindset? I’d love to know why YES or why NO!
On this Transformation Tuesday, I promise you that truly grasping these concepts will be TRANSFORMATIONAL.
hashtaggrowthmindset hashtagfixedmindset hashtagleadership hashtagleadershipdevelopment hashtagleadershipcoaching hashtaggrowth
