Author: Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
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| via Amazon |
Dr. Dweck, on the basis of decades of research, asserts that the key to sustained success in any endeavor comes not from talent but from mindset. In the fixed mindset, one believes that our personal qualities can never change. We're only as intelligent as we're ever going to be. However, in the growth mindset, we believe that personal qualities can be developed over a lifetime. Some of the book documents her clinical studies but most of the text is devoted to anecdotal demonstrations of the two mindsets in action. The sections on education and parenting are the most obvious applications to my own line of work but Dweck also explores the worlds of business, sports and interpersonal relationships.
For me, the chapter on sports is the most fun. Throughout the book, John McEnroe - a tennis player notorious for extraordinary talent paired with terrible attitude and work ethic - is Dweck's punching bag for the fixed mindset. The more successful Pete Sampras is presented as an exemplar of the growth mindset. She also compares three Hall of Fame basketball coaches. Bob Knight is the tyrant, shaming his players when they fail to live up to his expectations and thereby threaten his own sense of self-worth (fixed mindset). John Wooden is the interpersonal master who won ten national titles over twelve years by investing in demanding but respectful relationships with all of his players, from all-time superstars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton to the last guy on the bench (growth mindset). Pat Summitt is the extraordinary leader behind Tennessee's Lady Vols, one of the most successful programs in women's college ball. She started off in the fixed mindset but found greater success once she embraced the growth mindset.
Summitt's experience is really the whole point of the book. Most people live with a combination of both mindsets rather than one or the other. The growth mindset is something we can learn. By doing so, we can find greater success and meaning in any endeavor.
I have read better-written books, though not many that make me think so deeply. I expect I'll keep Mindset handy as I approach my relationship with my daughter, my job, my own personal goals, perhaps even the 2016 election. I'd like to believe that I have more of a growth mindset than a fixed one but I know better than to believe that I always do. I am grateful for having been "forced" to read the book. I hope my colleagues will give it a chance. I'm even thinking of sending copies to my extended family.
Sounds as if this could be a good book--glad that the "freebie" turned out to be interesting...
ReplyDeleteIt sure did.
DeleteI can't think of a Bobby Knight without remembering his infamous "I'm getting the F out of Here" speech. "Mindset" sounds like an important read and a fascinating mindset to adopt. Plus it was free which makes it even better.
ReplyDeleteBob Knight is clearly great fodder for book authors.
DeleteOkay, well, you had me at "psychology," although I am not really one for self-help books, which is what this actually sounds like. I'm going to put it on my list, though.
ReplyDeleteI understand your misgivings and I am glad you're open to trying it anyway. It simply offers a different way to look at the world.
DeleteI am sorry but every time I read the name "Dweck" I thought of Barbara Walters, Marlene Dietrich or Madeline Kahn from Blazing Saddles. Sorry...now on to the book. I just think that it would be a no brainer. If we have a mindset that is not wanting to learn how can we grow and learn ourselves. If one can get something from this book then that is great!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it should be a no-brainer. But for loads of people, people in positions of enormous power and influence, it isn't.
DeleteI believe very strongly in persistence. It took me twenty years to get a Bachelor's degree, but I did it. That's my mindset.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Darn tootin'!
DeleteYou know what's weird? Our principal gave us all a copy of this book to read over the summer....hmmm....I haven't started it yet, but if you say it's good, I'm a little more inclined to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThose administrators! It's like a conspiracy sometimes.
DeleteI listened to this book on audio two years ago. Our new principal wanted us to read it, if we were open to it. I think only a few of us read it, but growth mind set was a big focus that year. We watched videos about it too (there are some great ones out there if you Google it- like this TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc).
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you enjoyed this book so much. It really helped me provide better feedback to my students and I paid a lot more attention to the words I used to praise them. It is also helpful in teaching kids to persevere!
~Stephanie
Hello, Stephanie! I'm hopeful that the growth mindset will be a meaningful addition to my teaching. I'm glad to hear it was for you.
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