Implications of the Growth Mindset

"In a fixed mindset students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that's that, and then their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don't necessarily think everyone's the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it."

Carol Dweck's work on 'Growth Mindset' is well known. It holds that individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. More can be read on the work here and here. But this article looks at perspectives that may not be readily apparent.

Who is the 'growth mindset' meant for?

If you've always achieved whatever you set out to (since you were a kid), 'without' help from others, is it for you? In other words, is the growth mindset for the "Einsteins" of this world?

Technically, no. The theory is not primarily meant for this group. "The growth mindset was intended to help close achievement gaps, not hide them. It is about telling the truth about a student’s current achievement and then, together, doing something about it, helping him or her become smarter." See here.

But it's not forbidden for an Einstein to ask a question or two to save themselves a few hours.

Obviously, being an "Einstein" implies any talent at all. It's not just for students, but for employees, entrepreneurs, corporations and even governments.

Is the 'growth mindset' just about a belief or attitude?

Attitude is half the work. The meat is in constructive strategies. And of course, working them. Growth mindset is not being flexible or open-minded or having a positive outlook. Not to underestimate attitude, you don't become defensive, angry, or crushed at fixed-mindset triggers, like criticism or setbacks.

How much progress can be made with the 'growth mindset'?

This normally depends on how much 'raw material' you begin with. The Cambridge Dictionary defines talent as "a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught". For academic aptitude, it's been observed that we begin to 'zone out' at skill levels above +2 SD on our IQ score.

Perhaps a similar pattern may be found for other skills, following the assumption that they're normally distributed in the population.

Growth mindset hacks that will change your life for the better

You might need humility to increase your growth mindset. Individuals who have a growth mindset worry less about looking smart and they put more energy into learning.

Even for the smart, asking input from others even when we think we know something, might be a sophisticated way of working that delivers deft results and high performance. This will allow a person to live a less stressful and more successful life.

You may collaborate with others to deliver a project even if you don't understand everything.

Set reasonable goals.