This month’s pick for business development books is Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck. Last month, we talked about Start with Why by Simon Sinek, where we learned that any successful business or personal mission is centered on finding meaning in the work we do. This book builds on that idea, offering ways to grow in your business to accomplish your mission.
Fixed vs. Growth Mindset
The main thesis of the book is centered around the idea of two mindsets: fixed and growth. In a fixed mindset, a person believes that their own talents and aptitudes are predetermined. Each task that they fail is thus a reflection on their own inability, where they are not able to improve. While not common in certain areas like developing skills, a fixed thinking is common in qualities like intelligence and talent, where people are assumed to have a predestined ability.
On the other side of the coin, a growth mindset is one wherein a person believes that all traits are grown, learned, and able to be changed, including those assumed to be fixed. For instance, even though someone else in your office has a natural affinity for numbers, you can learn, practice, and grow your own ability. In fact, the growth mindedness says that growing never stops, even at expert level. There is always room for learning and improvement.
What a Growth Mindset Can Do
As you might imagine, a fixed mindset can really hold you back both at work and in life. If you believe that you can never improve in core areas of your life, you will be forced to always rely on others to complete tasks for you in a way that is all too dependent. A fixed mentality does not believe in hope, improvement, or hard work.
On the other hand, a growth mindset has some huge advantages. It’s this topic that makes up the rest of the book, as Dweck outlines the power of learning. She also talks about how to encourage a growth mindset in others, including students, children, and yes, employees. In summary, having growth-centered mind can affect the way you work, interact with others, and see yourself. When we go to the extra effort to change our minds, Dweck argues, we will be more successful in our endeavors. All throughout the book but particularly in closing, Dweck shares how to shift your own perspective from fixed to growth as one last encouragement to try to see the world differently.
Mindset: Our Review
When it comes down to it, Mindset is useful for any person who would want to read it… in or out of business, no matter their age. Since the book is really about examining why we think the way we do, it can apply to any one in any industry and help them learn about and improve themselves. We recommend this book to anyone hoping to better themselves or their work life!