What Having a "Growth Mindset" Actually Means

Harvard Business Review

9 Feb 202203:47

Summary

TLDRThe video script discusses the concept of a growth mindset, emphasizing that true growth mindset involves the belief that talents can be developed through effort, strategies, and input from others. It contrasts this with a fixed mindset, where talents are seen as innate. Common misconceptions are addressed, such as equating growth mindset with simply praising effort or thinking it can be achieved just by promoting it. The script stresses that fostering a growth mindset requires real action, risk-taking, and learning from setbacks, not just slogans or statements.

Takeaways

🔄 The term 'growth mindset' has become a buzzword, leading to misunderstandings about its true meaning.
💪 A growth mindset involves believing that talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and learning from others.
🚀 People with a growth mindset tend to achieve more than those with a fixed mindset, who believe talents are innate.
🏢 Companies with a growth mindset culture foster empowered, committed employees who engage in collaboration and innovation.
⚠️ Fixed mindset cultures often experience more cheating and deception as employees try to gain an advantage.
❌ Misconception: A person cannot have a pure growth mindset; it's a blend of fixed and growth mindsets that evolves over time.
🧠 Misconception: Growth mindset is not just about praising effort, but about rewarding learning, progress, and smart strategies.
🎯 Outcomes matter, and it's essential to emphasize the processes that drive learning and progress, like seeking help and learning from setbacks.
📊 Espousing a growth mindset without concrete policies and actions won't bring meaningful change to organizations.
🚧 Facing challenges, criticism, and comparisons can trigger fixed mindset thinking, which hinders growth, so recognizing and addressing these triggers is crucial.

Q & A

What is a growth mindset?
-A growth mindset is the belief that talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others. People with a growth mindset tend to achieve more than those with a fixed mindset, who believe their talents are innate gifts.
How does a growth mindset impact employees in companies?
-In companies with a growth mindset, employees feel more empowered and committed. These companies provide greater organizational support for collaboration and innovation.
What is the main issue with companies that have a fixed mindset?
-In companies with a fixed mindset, employees are more likely to engage in cheating and deception, often to gain an advantage in the competition for talent.
What is one common misconception about growth mindset?
-One common misconception is that people believe they already have a growth mindset. In reality, everyone has a mix of fixed and growth mindsets, and this mixture evolves with experience.
Is a pure growth mindset attainable?
-No, a pure growth mindset does not exist. Everyone has both fixed and growth mindset traits, and these evolve over time through experiences.
Is it enough to praise effort to promote a growth mindset?
-No, it's not enough to simply praise effort. It is essential to reward not just effort but learning and progress, while also emphasizing the processes that lead to these outcomes, such as seeking help, trying new strategies, and learning from setbacks.
Why is it important for companies to implement growth mindset policies?
-Lofty values like growth and innovation in mission statements mean little if not backed by concrete policies. Companies must implement policies that encourage risk-taking, collaboration, and support for learning from failures to foster a true growth mindset.
What are some characteristics of organizations that have a growth mindset?
-Organizations with a growth mindset encourage appropriate risk-taking, reward employees for useful lessons learned (even from failed projects), support collaboration across boundaries, and focus on the growth of every employee through actionable policies.
What are fixed mindset triggers?
-Fixed mindset triggers include facing challenges, receiving criticism, or being compared with others. These situations can push individuals into insecurity or defensiveness, which inhibits growth.
How can companies and individuals benefit from deeper understanding of growth mindset?
-By deepening their understanding of growth mindset concepts and applying them, companies and individuals gain a richer sense of identity, a clearer understanding of their values, and a better approach to how they want to progress.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset

The term 'growth mindset' has become a buzzword, often misunderstood. Research highlights that individuals who believe in developing their abilities through hard work, strategies, and feedback tend to achieve more compared to those with a 'fixed mindset'—people who see their talents as innate gifts. Companies embracing growth mindsets foster collaboration and innovation, empowering employees, while those with fixed mindsets report more cheating as employees seek unfair advantages.

🤔 Misconception 1: 'I Already Have a Growth Mindset'

One common misconception is the belief that a person already has a growth mindset. People often confuse this concept with being open-minded, flexible, or simply positive. However, true growth mindsets evolve through experiences. Everyone has a mix of fixed and growth mindsets, and no one consistently maintains a pure growth mindset.

📊 Misconception 2: 'Growth Mindset is Just About Effort'

Another mistaken belief is that a growth mindset revolves solely around praising effort. While effort matters, it’s crucial to focus on learning, progress, and effective strategies. Emphasizing processes such as asking for help, trying new methods, and learning from setbacks ensures better outcomes.

🚫 Misconception 3: 'Stating a Growth Mindset is Enough'

The third misconception is that simply promoting a growth mindset will lead to positive outcomes. Organizations may claim to support growth through mission statements, but these words mean little if there are no policies to back them up. Companies must foster real growth opportunities through actions, such as encouraging risk-taking and collaboration.

🏢 Organizations and the Growth Mindset

Organizations that truly embody a growth mindset support their employees by encouraging appropriate risks, rewarding valuable lessons even in failure, and fostering collaboration. This support extends to all members and is not just about lofty ideals but concrete actions, continually reinforcing the values of growth.

⚠️ Facing Fixed Mindset Triggers

Even with a deeper understanding of growth mindset, it’s difficult to sustain. Everyone has fixed mindset 'triggers'—such as facing challenges, criticism, or comparisons—which can induce defensiveness and stifle growth. Competitive environments can make growth mindset behaviors, like collaborating or innovating, harder to practice.

💡 Overcoming Triggers and Embracing Growth

To maintain a growth mindset, individuals and organizations must recognize and manage their triggers. While it requires effort, by committing to growth mindset principles and processes, both individuals and organizations can better understand themselves, define their values, and progress toward meaningful goals.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that talents and abilities can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others. In the video, it is described as a mindset that helps people and organizations achieve more by encouraging learning, progress, and collaboration. The opposite of a fixed mindset, a growth mindset embraces challenges and seeks continuous improvement.

💡Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset is the belief that talents and abilities are innate and cannot be changed. People with a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges and view setbacks as reflections of their natural abilities. The video contrasts this mindset with a growth mindset, highlighting that fixed mindset environments can lead to cheating, deception, and a competitive culture rather than collaboration.

💡Misconception

A misconception is a false belief or understanding about a concept. The video outlines three common misconceptions about growth mindset, including the belief that one always has a growth mindset, that effort alone is enough, and that simply endorsing growth mindset values will automatically bring success. Addressing these misconceptions is critical to fostering a true growth mindset.

💡Effort

Effort refers to the amount of work or energy put into an activity. The video emphasizes that while effort is important, it is not enough on its own; outcomes matter as well. Growth mindset involves not just trying hard but also learning from mistakes, seeking help, and using effective strategies to improve.

💡Outcomes

Outcomes are the results or consequences of actions or processes. In the context of growth mindset, outcomes matter because they reflect the progress and learning achieved through effort, strategies, and collaboration. The video stresses that it is essential to reward both effort and outcomes, as they indicate whether the right processes are being followed.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration refers to working together to achieve shared goals. The video highlights that companies embracing a growth mindset support collaboration across organizational boundaries, promoting teamwork rather than competition. This leads to innovation and greater success, as employees feel empowered to share ideas and learn from each other.

💡Risk-Taking

Risk-taking involves stepping out of one's comfort zone to try new strategies or approaches, even when success is not guaranteed. The video notes that growth mindset companies encourage appropriate risk-taking, rewarding employees for lessons learned from failures as well as successes. This helps foster innovation and personal growth.

💡Triggers

Triggers are situations or stimuli that provoke a specific response, often negative, such as insecurity or defensiveness. The video explains that certain triggers, like criticism or comparison to others, can activate a fixed mindset and hinder growth. Identifying and managing these triggers is important to staying in a growth zone.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of introducing new ideas, products, or methods. In the video, innovation is associated with a growth mindset, where companies encourage creativity and new solutions by supporting employees' development. In contrast, fixed mindset environments stifle innovation by promoting competition and fear of failure.

💡Organizational Support

Organizational support refers to the policies and actions taken by a company to help employees succeed. The video discusses how companies with a growth mindset provide greater organizational support for collaboration, risk-taking, and continuous learning. This support empowers employees and drives innovation, leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.

Highlights

The term 'growth mindset' has become a buzzword, and its true meaning is often misunderstood.

People with a growth mindset believe their talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others.

A growth mindset leads to greater achievement than a fixed mindset, where talents are seen as innate.

Companies that embrace a growth mindset see employees feeling more empowered and committed.

Fixed mindset companies often report more cheating and deception among employees.

Common misconception: Believing you already have a growth mindset. In reality, everyone is a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets.

A pure growth mindset doesn't exist; it continually evolves with experience.

Another misconception: Growth mindset is just about praising effort, when in fact, outcomes matter.

It's important to reward not just effort but learning, progress, and processes like seeking help or trying new strategies.

Outcomes follow from engaging deeply in processes that promote learning and growth.

Third misconception: Just talking about growth mindset will create positive results. Policies must be in place to support this.

Organizations with a growth mindset encourage risk-taking and reward learning from failures, even if goals aren't met.

Growth mindset companies support collaboration over competition and are committed to the growth of all employees.

Facing challenges, criticism, or comparisons can trigger a fixed mindset, leading to insecurity or defensiveness.

Organizations must implement policies that reinforce growth mindset values through actions, not just words.