The Power of Mindset
The mind is a powerful organ that significantly affects a person's behavior. People are responsible for their success or failure in life. The things that an individual think or believe substantially influences both their short-term and long-term goals. That explains why some highly talented people fail in life while others with fundamental skills achieve big things. In particular, it all depends on one's mindset. People who set their mind that they can do anything as long as they are devoted and committed go far in life. Others who doubt their abilities by limiting their mindset fail to meet their dreams. A growth mindset fosters development and success while a fixed mindset hinders achievement of significant goals.
The Fixed Mindset
Carol Dweck, the psychology professor at Stanford University, argued that people with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities, talents, qualities, and intelligence are innate and cannot change (Hochanadel & Finamore, 2015). In other terms, these individuals document their skills rather than improving and developing them. They are contented with their capabilities and never bother to learn new things. Fixed mindset individuals believe that some people are destined for success and that one cannot get it by just working hard. They assume to be the smartest ones based on what they know. For example, Albert Dunlap, the former chief executive officer of Sunbeam, had a fixed mindset. Dunlap increased the firm's stock by firing 12,000 employees and selling two-thirds of Sunbeam's plants in 1996 (Ahsan, 2017). Dunlap was unable to handle the operations of a large company, which is why he decided to downsize it. He had a fixed mindset that he cannot manage, control, organize, and run Sunbeam successfully due to its large size. Two years down the line, Dunlap left the company leaving it with a debt of $1.7 billion (Ahsan, 2017). Therefore, it is evident that fixed mindset leaders can contribute to the collapse of an organization due to poor strategic decisions.
The Growth Mindset
In contrast, a growth mindset person understands that one's abilities, talents, and skills can be improved and developed through persistence, knowledge acquisition, and effort. Individuals with such a mindset believe that they can succeed in anything as long as they work hard (Clear, 2018). They seek new knowledge from different sources to improve their fundamental skills. Hence, such people do not over-rely with their talents. Instead, they keep searching for ways to grow and develop their professions.
Overcoming Challenges
Challenges do not hinder growth mindset people from reaching their goals. A good example is Michael Jordan, the former American basketball player. In most cases, successful athletes start their career while at the high school (Ahsan, 2017). They build a good reputation and get a scholarship to colleges where they can develop their talents further. However, that was not the case with Jordan. He was cut from his basketball team at high school during his sophomore year. Despite the challenge in his career, Jordan did not lose hope and focused on his goals. His hard work improved his skills, and he believed that he could achieve anything. In the long-term, Jordan became the best basketball player in the history of the United States of America.
Conclusion
To conclude, the primary difference between a fixed and growth mindset person is that the former does not look for ways to improve the talents and skills. Although growth mindset people might only have fundamental knowledge, they put effort to learn things that might help them to develop their skills. Overall, the way a person thinks and perceive things can either hinder or promote growth and development.
References
Ahsan, N. (2017). The difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Retrieved from https://www.swaaap.com/Article/79/The-Difference-Between-a-Growth-Mindset-and-a-Fixed-Mindset/.
Clear, J. (2018). How your beliefs can sabotage your behavior. Behavioral Psychology and Self-Improvement.
Hochanadel, A., " Finamore, D. (2015). Fixed and growth mindset in education and how grit helps students persist in the face of adversity. Journal of International Education Research, 11(1), 47-50.
