The Impact of Mindset on Our Work and CultureOur Takeaways and Insight on Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

We built our business around inspiring people to create, transform and grow.

So when we discovered a book with the potential to help us grow personally and professionally, we wanted to share our thoughts with you.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck

It’s called:

And we read it for our office book club.

The Stanford University psychologist’s research centers on the idea that hard work and mindset impact success and achievement more than natural talent.

Photo: picjumbo

Dweck presents two mindsets.Growth Mindset Fixed Mindset

Open to challenges and exploring new ideas

Sticks to areas of proven success out of fear of failure

And her research shows we have the

ability to switch between them

We’re excited to share some of our best discussion moments and takeaways.

“As you get older, you start to think ‘I have to pick a specialty’ or ‘this is what I do because it’s what I’m good at,’ but you should never stop challenging yourself to learn about new things that interest you.”

Cynthia Stipeche Director of UX

“People don’t always do the best they can because they are worried about what can go wrong rather than thinking about what might go right. I think that’s human nature, but we have to find a way to go beyond that.”

John Lafitte Senior Developer

“Even if your idea isn’t chosen or the project goes in a different direction, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a valuable part of the process. Especially in a business like ours that depends on ideas, it’s important to keep a growth mindset.”

Chris Wilks Digital Content Specialist

“So much of our work starts with a blank page. That’s a real challenge if you don’t have a growth mindset. People tend to look at the end result and think it’s purely based on talent, but you have to put in the effort up front and do a lot of research to develop that talent.”

Leslie Rainwater Brand Strategist

“After reading the book, I am inspired to invite designers to try developing a wire frame. When we work in disciplines where we’re not 100% comfortable, then we’re learning and growing into more productive team members.”

Cynthia Stipeche Director of UX

“When I first joined BrandExtract, I kept asking, ‘What’s the most valuable skill or trait that someone can bring to the team?’ The overwhelming response was: ‘Someone who asks questions. Don’t be afraid to look dumb. Try to grow your knowledge base.’”

Chris Wilks Digital Content Specialist

“It’s important to create a corporate culture that gives people permission to stretch their abilities and fail. If you set up a system where people can only pass or fail, instead of being rewarded for challenging themselves, your employees won’t try as hard.”

Leslie Rainwater Brand Strategist

What are your thoughts on mindset?

Tweet us @BrandExtract.

To learn more about why we picked Mindset or how we structured our company book club, read our earlier article.

©2015 BrandExtract, LLC

BrandExtract, inspiring people to create, transform and grow their brands - and bottom line. We make believers.

For more about our work and culture: www.brandextract.com

To request more: jonathan@brandextract.com

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