“If you want to succeed, you need to keep your mind on the job.” Who hasn’t heard this piece of advice?  So what is the way to have your mind on the job properly?  There are three rules about mindset which highlight differences between those who succeed and those who don’t.

Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford University has studied athletes, students and other performers to look for clues as to why some immensely talented young athletes fail to live up to their potential, while others had great success when they didn’t appear at a young age to have the same promise for the future.

The thing that set them apart was a persistence and willingness to continue learning long after they had begun to succeed in their sport.  Think of Australian golfers like Greg Norman and Karrie Webb; they both reached #1 status in world golf and continued to strive to improve.  There are countless other examples in the sporting world, of both male and female athletes to support the idea that striving to improve long after they first attained success was fundamental to their brilliance and the longevity of their careers.

Dweck identified two different mindsets; a fixed and a growth mindset.

Those with a fixed mindset believe they are born with potential and once the limits of that potential is reached, there is nothing more they can do to improve.  What can occur with these athletes is that they can become so concerned with looking and acting talented that they don’t allow themselves to explore other ways to improve.

“In the growth mindset, talent is something you build on and develop, not something you simply display to the world and try to coast to success on.”

Dweck.

This mindset holds the belief that an athlete is not defined by any one performance, nor are they limited in their current ability.

There are three main rules outlining the differences in mindset.

Rule #1

In a fixed mindset the cardinal rule is: look talented at all costs.  In a growth mindset the cardinal rule is: learn, learn, learn.

Fixed mindset athletes who experience success at a young age, sometimes feel that their ego needs to be protected.  This can lead to the avoidance of tough situations and they may justify losses as being bad luck or due to unfortunate circumstances, e.g. injury, equipment failure, opponents getting lucky, poor rules decisions, etc.

The growth mindset athlete is prepared to review their performance, taking responsibility for good or poor outcomes.  They acknowledge what worked well and how to improve the things that didn’t and then do the work to get better.

In studies with students, the ones with fixed mindsets actually made attempts to hide their marks (if they weren’t up to their personal standards) or even lied about their performances, whereas the students with the growth mindsets wanted to know where they went wrong and what to do to improve next time.

What are your thoughts about your own talent?

“Research has repeatedly shown that a growth mindset fosters a healthier attitude toward practice and learning, a hunger for feedback, a greater ability to deal setbacks, and significantly better performance over time.“

Dweck

Rule #2

In a fixed mindset: I don’t need to work too hard or practice too much.  In a growth mindset: work with passion and dedication – effort is the key.

The fixed mindset athlete believes they are talented and that the talent will shine through.  If they don’t perform to their standard, then they have the fall back excuse that they didn’t really prepare properly or try too hard.

A growth mindset athlete appreciates the value of hard work and realises that effort offered consistently over time will prevail.  There are numerous cases in the golfing world where players who have turned professional with seemingly mediocre talent have continued to work hard for years and had successful careers with multiple wins.

Coaches also influence this behaviour; those who believe in talent above all else will have less success with the growth mindset athletes than coaches who value hard work and persistence.

What are your thoughts on hard work and persistence?

What are your experiences around hard work and persistence?  What is your pattern of behaviour?

Rule #3

In a fixed mindset: when faced with setbacks, there is a tendency for people to run away or conceal their deficiencies.  In a growth mindset: embrace your mistakes as learning opportunities and confront your deficiencies.

The fixed mindset athlete’s response can be to avoid those difficult situations in the future, look down on those who did worse than they did or even look at how they can improve using unfair means.

The growth mindset athlete sees the deficiencies as things to be worked through and overcome in order to take their performances to higher standards.  They see no shame in performing poorly.

How do you normally react to setbacks and poor performances?

Generally speaking do you regard yourself as having a fixed or growth mindset?  Is this consistent across other areas of your life?