Carol Dweck's Mindset: a Book Review
The New Psychology of Success, Motivation, and Leadership
Cognitive psychologist Carol Dweck has spent the last twenty years researching the psychology behind personal success. Cognitive psychology examines how an individual’s personal beliefs influence their behavior. Dr. Dweck takes this beyond the traditional therapeutic approach focusing on more realistic interpretations of experience, to a new level based on the perception of abilities for growth and change.
Across all fields, from concert pianist to star quarterback, her research shows that a key determinate of success is mindset. Whether you have a fixed or growth mindset can determine your success in relationships, education, and your profession. Dr. Dweck vividly illustrates the effects of mindset by using case histories of success and failure in industry, sports and the arts.
The Fixed Mindset
People with a fixed mindset do not believe that certain personal attributes can be changed. You are smart or dumb, talented or just average, a leader or a follower. Dr. Dweck defines the holy grail of a fixed mindset as natural ability. If you have to work too hard or a task isn’t easily accomplished, you must not be good enough and never will be. A fixed mindset leads you to define your self-worth and then defend these beliefs so that your self-esteem remains intact.
If you consider yourself highly intelligent, you may avoid challenges that show you don’t know everything in your area of expertise. If you consider yourself a strong leader, you might reject others’ input into work projects or cover up business failings to the point of damaging your company. Dr. Dweck uses the infamous failings of Indiana coach Bobby Knight, Chrysler’s Lee Iacocca, and tennis star John McEnroe as examples of the negative effects of a fixed mindset.
The Growth Mindset
Those with a growth mindset believe that core attributes can be changed through effort. If you are poor at math, you can study and ace a later test. If you aren’t the best player on the team, you can practice drills, condition your body, and have a chance to be one of the best. If your leadership skills are lacking, you can seek a mentor in your field and learn motivational and problem-solving strategies.
Whether artistic talent or corporate finesse, skills must be gained through hard work and persistence. Basketball star Michael Jordan, General Electric’s Jack Welch, and UCLA Coach John Wooden provide prime examples of a growth mindset benefiting not only the individual holding the belief but also the teams they led and taught.
Pervasive Effects of Mindset
Mindset has profound effects on learning by altering your perception of success and failure and your corresponding motivation and effort. It influences interpersonal relationships by modifying impacts of character traits such as shyness. Mindset moderates the effects of mental health conditions such as depression. Your mindset even has dramatic ramifications for marriage, determining whether your closest relationships remain partnerships or deteriorate into disappointment.
In business, a fixed mindset makes a team more susceptible to groupthink- closed off from constructive feedback that differs from the consensus. An astounding example is how corporate culture at Enron figured into its colossal collapse. It also determines how a team, whether in business or sports, rebounds from a failure. Will the pervading mindset tear you apart or spur collaborative growth?
Change Your Mindset, Reach Your Potential
The most fascinating aspect of Dr. Dweck’s research is the evidence that a growth mindset can be taught. She provides concrete questions and thinking exercises to raise awareness of your personal mindset and foster a more growth-minded approach to life’s challenges so that you can reach your fullest potential in all areas of life.
Dr. Dweck provides specific strategies for teachers, parents, coaches, and business leaders to help those in their care develop a growth mindset. She delineates the effects of praise on fixed mindset development and the negative correlation between praise and effort. This book should be considered essential reading for anyone interested in motivation, leadership, and learning theory.
