Do You Have a Fixed Mindset or a Growth Mindset?

Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? How does one or the other affect the success of yourself and your organization?

According to Carol Dweck’s Brainpickings newsletter, “A fixed mindset assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any meaningful way, and success is the affirmation of that inherent intelligence, an assessment of how those givens measure up against an equally fixed standard; striving for success and avoiding failure at all costs become a way of maintaining the sense of being smart or skilled. A growth mindset, on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.”

Not sure which mindset you have? Here’s a quick quiz to help you!

Now that you know which mindset you have, think about how this affects your day to day actions. How do your actions affect the overall success of your organization? How does your mindset work with you or against you in interacting with your team? Are you and your organization willing to step outside the box and take a risk on a new program or is status quo alright with you? Do you embrace change or do you resist because ‘we’ve always done it this way?’

Are you holding yourself and your organization back because you have a fixed mindset? What about those around you? Do they have a fixed or growth mindset and how is it affecting their personal success as well as the success of the organization?

One way you can work toward a growth mindset is to focus on the process and not the results. Focus on what you will learn while working toward your goal as opposed to the fixed end result the goal brings.  The ultimate success of your organization should be fluid not final.