Knowing what a midset is is a search that is currently gaining prominence, both on the web and in the corporate environment. Surely, you’ve heard of it, but maybe you don’t know the meaning, nor that there is more than one type: fixed and growth mindset.
Much more than a way of thinking, the term is linked to beliefs, attitudes and limitations, in a posture to achieve success or failure. In this post, you will understand the differences between each type of mindset and how they affect your way of living. So happy reading!
Index
- 1What does mindset mean?
- 1The fixed mindset
- 2Growth mindset
- 2What are the differences between a fixed and a growth mindset?
- 1Beliefs
- 2Limitations
- 3Posture
- 4Effort
- 5Interest
- 6Potential
- 3What is the mindset for?
- 4How do you know which dominates the minds of employees?
- 5Why is the growth mindset important?
- 1Pay attention to the benefits of the growth mindset
- 2Invest in training
- 3Help the team deal with errors
- 6How to change the mindset?
- 1Be the example
- 2Offer real opportunities for evolution
- 3Show change as something positive
- 7What are the risks of focusing on the fixed mindset and not bothering to develop a growth mindset in the company?
- 8How does the psychology of success work in relation to the mindset?
What does mindset mean?
In psychology, mindset is used to reflect people’s behavior change throughout life and how they deal with success or failure. Therefore, there are two types: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.
It is noteworthy that the idea was disseminated by psychologist Carol Dweck, who turned her studies at Stanford University into a book called “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”. According to the author, a compliment does not stimulate self-esteem and satisfaction. This happens when the brain is taken out of its comfort zone.
The mind fixed
“I was born like this, I grew up like this, I am like this, I will always be like this”. Do you recognize the excerpt from the song Modinha de Gabriela, by Dorival Caymmi? You may not even know it, but the phrase defines how the fixed (or static) mindset works.
People with this kind of mindset believe that talent alone is responsible for success: either you’re born with it, or you don’t. For them, skills cannot be developed and effort is not needed, talent is enough.
growth mindset
The growth mindset, on the other hand, is the opposite. As the name implies, people with this mentality believe that with dedication, effort, learning and willpower it is possible to grow.
For them, you can learn from mistakes, develop new skills and achieve what you want. Over time, skills and competencies can be improved in any area, whether in personal or professional life.
What are the differences between fixed and growth mindset?
In summary, it is already possible to see how the fixed and growth mindset follow different paths. In addition to the concept, the two also differ in some aspects. That’s what you’ll see below. Follow!
Beliefs
People with a fixed mindset have an unchanging, limiting belief. This means that they believe that nothing is going to change in their lives, no matter what they do. Therefore, they tend to avoid challenges or new experiences.
Those with a growth mindset are always looking for ways to improve and believe that the result is the result of effort and hard work.
Limitations
Because they draw limitations in their own minds, people with a fixed mindset cannot, nor do they try to, go further. After all, for them, things are the way they are and nothing can be done to change.
In the growth mindset, there are no limits, because dedication and learning can overcome any barrier and even lead to leadership .
Posture
The fixed mindset limits success, as it leads people to believe that they cannot develop skills beyond those they already have, that is, progress has a limit.
For the growth mindset, there is always room to evolve and seek improvement. Everything can be an extra motivation to go after a goal, personal or professional.
Effort
For those with the fixed mindset, people who are born with talent find it easier to accomplish certain tasks. Likewise, those born with certain skills need to work harder and this is considered a negative thing. Those with a growth mindset see effort as something also undertaken by the talented, in addition to being the engine that drives achievement.
Interest
The interest of a person with a fixed mindset is directly related to the comfort zone. In other words, she only feels motivated to perform an activity if it is easy, comfortable or not very challenging. In contrast, the growth mindset is interested in activities regardless of the degree of difficulty.
Potential
Potential is something that the person has or does not have, in the understanding of those with the fixed mindset. Those with the growth mindset, on the other hand, consider this a process to which the individual must undergo in order to reach higher heights in their professional career and in life. In addition, he understands that this takes time, patience, discipline and resilience.
What is the mindset for?
The mindset survey is extremely useful to get to know employees in their essence. By doing so, you have the chance to optimize the management of teams that make the company’s processes happen.
Teams that have members with a growth mindset are driven by development, both personal and professional. Therefore, complex scenarios are excellent for testing their knowledge and skills, in addition to resulting in learning that favors the performance of these talents with regard to innovation .
In this sense, it is possible to state that challenging conditions are ideal for employees to evolve organically. After all, regardless of the company’s segment, the corporate sector is full of unforeseen events, obstacles and crises.
How do you know which dominates the minds of employees?
Thinking that a person only has the fixed or growth mindset is a big mistake. In fact, every individual alternates between these two mindsets, which can be helpful in dealing with different circumstances.
Static thinking is very useful for demands that require focus, precision and security. While growth is ideal for discovering new paths, taking on bold projects and learning from failures.
To find out how to identify which mindset dominates your team’s mentality, do a survey with the following questions:
- What is your current state of mind regarding your personal and professional life?
- Where do you want to be in 5 years?
- What would you like to improve in yourself?
- What makes you awaken focus and motivation in your everyday life?
Why is the growth mindset important?
Being open to change and seeking new knowledge is what drives the growth mindset. Thanks to it, it is possible to innovate at work , evolve as a person or professional and achieve better results. Deep down, that’s what everyone wants. Therefore, having such a mindset opens the way to new horizons.
Believing that you have limitations and that nothing can be changed is a barrier to growth and, over time, can lead to dissatisfaction. By realizing the difference between fixed and growth mindset, it becomes easier to do a self-assessment. So, if necessary, you can turn the key little by little in order to conquer everything you want. Check out the following subsections for some tips that can help develop a growth mindset in your company.
Pay Attention to the Benefits of a Growth Mindset
Make it very clear to those you lead that the growth mindset is very beneficial, mainly because it is a means of achieving growth and recognition within the company. Also try to eliminate barriers related, for example, with the belief that, if the employee is qualified to deal with new challenges, only the company will win and not him.
Invest in training
A good way to promote a growth mindset in the team is through Training and Development (T&D). In short, T&D works with actions that aim to bring good results to the business. Employees then begin to develop a set of skills, attitudes and knowledge that contribute to the success of the professional and the company. It is worth mentioning that the T&D can be carried out according to the employee’s availability, so that he/she does not fail to carry out his/her regular activities.
Help the team deal with errors
It is normal for the incidence of errors to be greater as the degree of complexity of the challenges proposed to employees increases. However, this is the time to motivate them not to think they are incapable, but to move forward, learning from the mistakes made. Everything that didn’t work needs to be evaluated and, based on that, outline the best strategies so that the good results are obtained.
How to change the mindset?
Sometimes it is necessary to turn the key to the company’s conduct, that is, the team’s thinking in relation to the new demands of the business. After all, the market and society are constantly changing, which points to the need for adaptation. Understand how to promote this update to your team.
Be the example
The first step is for you, the manager , to accept the mindset change through example. With transformative leaders, employees are inspired and mirrored in them. Therefore, allow your team to find in you an inspiration to seek knowledge, develop skills and overcome challenges.
Before talking about what you expect from your team, make yourself an example of execution. Otherwise, you will not have the ideological and face-to-face strength to demand that your leaders take a stand in this way. Therefore, do not hesitate to take risks and learn from your mistakes to come back as many times as necessary.
Offer real opportunities for evolution
Offering real opportunities is essential for your team, which includes learning, advice, mentoring, training and development. This is an explicit way of showing that you believe in your team’s potential and want to see them conquer new skills.
Today, it is relatively simple to set up training programs to provide valuable experiences in the business environment, such as gamification, peer cooperation, internal exchange (between sectors) and distance education (flexibility).
Show the change as something positive
The evolution of the mindset can be seen as something difficult for employees to accomplish. Here, the secret is to get them to overcome this negative perception. Show that change occurs naturally, but that it can be a positive and profitable step to experience. After all, dealing with new things opens doors to unimaginable opportunities.
What are the risks of focusing on the fixed mindset and not bothering to develop a growth mindset in the company?
If the company has employees who don’t like challenges and think it’s not important to seek new knowledge, this can negatively impact the company’s numbers. However, ignoring the possibility of going beyond and having a growth mindset can make the organization obsolete, losing competitiveness in the market in which it operates.
How does the psychology of success work in relation to the mindset?
The secret to developing a strategic and dynamic mindset is self-knowledge – each team member (including you) needs to look inside and discover himself. From this recognition, it is possible to reprogram the mind to think dynamically and adopt new postures. It is important to realize that this is not a process that occurs suddenly.
The psychology of success acts in a more receptive way to efforts, seeing failures as opportunities for the growth mindset to emerge naturally. It is clear that some fears appear in the mind, but that is what makes us human, since changes are progressively consolidated in day-to-day conduct. This mental construction task is not easy, but it is perfectly achievable, as long as the beliefs that keep us from success are identified.
As we have seen, knowing what a mindset is is of paramount importance in an organization, as it makes employees leave their comfort zone and accept new challenges. In addition, we have seen that there are ways to promote this mentality in the company, such as the implementation of the so-called Training and Development, or T&D, which contributes to fostering employee attitudes, skills (hard skills and soft skills) and knowledge.
