Mindsets: Developing Talent Through a Growth Mindset Winning Scotland Foundation September 19, 2008.
Transcript of Mindsets: Developing Talent Through a Growth Mindset Winning Scotland Foundation September 19, 2008.
Mindsets:Developing Talent Through a Growth Mindset
Winning Scotland Foundation
September 19, 2008
“I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures… I divide the world into the learners and nonlearners.”
- Benjamin Barber
Mindsets
• Fixed Mindset: Intelligence/talent is a fixed trait
…Myth of the “natural”
• Growth Mindset: Intelligence is a malleable quality; a potential that can be developed
…Talent is a starting point
Mindsets
• Which mindset is correct?
• Which mindset is most popular?
• Do people hold the same mindsets across different areas?
• Are the mindsets related to people’s ability?
• Can mindsets be changed?
How the Mindsets Work?
The Mindset Rules
Rule #1
Fixed Mindset:
LOOK SMART OR TALENTED AT ALL COSTS
Growth Mindset:
LEARN, LEARN, LEARN
Times of Transition
MindsetsLooking Smart vs. Learning
Fixed Mindset “The main thing I want when I do my
school work is to show how good I am at it.”
Growth Mindset “It’s much more important for me to learn
things in my classes than it is to get the best grades.”
Where Does This Lead?Math Grades
7272.5
7373.5
7474.5
7575.5
7676.5
77
Fall Year1
Spring Year1
Fall Year2
Spring Year2
FixedGrowth
growth
fixed
Pre-Med Study
Pre-Med Chemistry Grades
2.2
2.5
2.8
3.1
Fixed Growth
Hong Kong
University of Hong Kong
Who Chooses to Repair a Crucial Deficiency?
3
4
5
6
7
8
FIXED GROWTH
I
nter
est i
n E
nglis
h C
ours
e
Scott Forstall & The iPhone
Tiger Woods
• Youngest Masters winner
• Lowest score ever• Took apart his game
and restructured it.
Rule #2
Fixed: DON’T WORK TOO HARD“To tell the truth, when I work hard at my school
work it makes me feel like I’m not very smart.”
Growth: WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY “The harder you work at something, the better
you’ll be at it.”
• High effort=low ability: Worst belief anyone can have
• This is why many gifted athletes fail
Effort Beliefs Predict Performance in College Soccer
Measures
• Athletic ability is ____% natural talent and ____% effort/practice
• Players were assigned 2 points for each goal scored and 1 point for each assist that resulted in a goal
• None of the participants were goalkeepers.
Correlation BetweenEffort Beliefs and Points Earned
Belief in Effort Predicts Higher Performance Over the Season
Rule #3
IN THE FACE OF SETBACKS…
Fixed Mindset:CONCEAL MISTAKES OR DEFICIENCIES
Growth Mindset:EMBRACE MISTAKES, CONFRONT
DEFICIENCIES
Mistakes = Lack of Ability
After a failure…
Fixed Mindset: “I’d spend less time on this subject from now on.”“I would try not to take this subject ever again.”“I would try to cheat on the next test.”
Growth Mindset:“I would work harder in this class from now on.” “I would spend more time studying for the tests.”
REPAIRING SELF-ESTEEMComparing Ourselves to Those
Below Us or Above Us?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
FIXED GROWTH
Lev
el o
f S
trat
egie
s
Exa
min
ed
Practicing Your Strength or WeaknessPercentage Selecting Tutorial on the Topic They Failed
0
20
40
60
80
100
FIXED 52% GROWTH 90%
Per
cent
age
CHRIS HOYIN 2005, HIS SPECIALTY WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE OLYMPICS; HE HAD TO REINVENT HIMSELF.
Chris HoyWhy he surpassed the “talented” kids
“Maybe because they were so gifted and won so easily, they didn’t really have the desire to work hard when they had to, and they also didn’t like the feeling of losing when it happened.”
From Orr & Kemp, “Be a Winner”
Deflecting the Blame
• Sergio Garcia
• John McEnroe
• Colin Montgomerie
COLIN MONTGOMERIEPutting is not a strong feature of his game.
He is noted for his lack of focus, and quite often becomes distracted by seemingly very minor incidents.
When not playing well, tantrums and blaming others.
Mindset and Flow
Racing Car Drivers
MindsetIs Athletic Ability Fixed?
• 1. You have a certain level of athletic ability, and you cannot really do much to change that.
• 2. Your core athletic ability cannot really be changed.
• 3. You can learn new things, but you can't really change your basic athletic ability.
Mindset and FlowGrowth Mindset Predicts More In-the-Zone Races
Correlation BetweenMindset and Flow
Mindset Predicts Loss of Self-Consciousness
Where Do Mindsets Come From?
Messages We Send
Praise Sends A Message
Intelligence Praise: “That’s a really good score. You must be smart at this.”
Effort/Process Praise: “That’s a really good score. You must have tried really hard.”
Effects of Intelligence vs. Effort Praise
• Mindset: Fixed vs. Growth
• Goals: Looking smart vs. Learning
After Difficult Trial:
• Motivation: Low vs. High
• Performance: Decreased vs. Increased
Number of problems solved on Trial 1 (before failure) and
Trial 3 (after failure).
4.5
5
5.5
6
6.5
Trial 1 Trial 3
Effort PraiseControl PraiseIntelligence Praise
Num
ber
of P
robl
ems
Solv
ed
Lying Students who misrepresented their scores
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Intelligence Control Effort
Type of Praise Given
College Coaches Asks…
Where are the coachable athletes?
Can Mindsets Be Changed?
How Intelligence (Talent) is Portrayed
Change in Math Grades Blackwell, Dweck, & Trzesniewski, 2007
2.22.32.42.52.62.72.82.9
3T
ime
1
Tim
e 2
(Pre
-In
terv
enti
on)
Tim
e 3
(Pos
t-In
terv
enti
on)
ControlGrowth
Percent Identified as Increasing in Motivation
9
27
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Control Growth
Brainology
Visit to Brain Lab
Mad Scientist
Brain Experiments
The Learning Brain
Have you changed your mind about anything?
• Yes … I imagine neurons making connections in my brain and I feel like I am learning something. (biggie)
• My favorite thing from Brainology is the neurons part where when u learn something there are connections and they keep growing. I always picture them when I’m in school (khadija)
On a personal level the belief in growth allows us to:
• Embrace learning.
• Welcome challenges, mistakes, and feedback
• Understand the role of effort in creating talent
At the team level, a growth mindset staff:
• Portrays skills as acquirable
• Values passion, effort, improvement (and teamwork), not just natural talent
• Presents staff as mentors vs. judges
Thank you!
ANDY MURRAY“When you’re playing against guys who are really consistent, you have to find three or four ways to win points, and not just with your serve,” says Murray of his multi-dimensional arsenal.
Brother, Jamie, was the “natural.”
Changing
Mindsets
in
Organizations(Peter Heslin & colleagues)
Before Workshop
• Fixed mindset managers don’t notice improvement--first impressions last
• Fixed mindset managers don’t mentor their employees as much--people can’t change
• Fixed mindset managers can’t take criticism
Mindset Workshop for Managers
• Scientific article and video on how the brain grows with learning throughout life
• Exercises to instill a growth mindset
After
After receiving a growth mindset workshop, managers showed greater:
• Openness to employee change• Willingness to mentor and higher quality of
mentoring• Openness to critical feedback