Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
Does it matter if we have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset in business?
Absolutely.
Many know that a positive mind shapes our life experience, attracts opportunities, and makes our day more joyful. But is it enough with positive thinking in business?
Not if we want our business to grow.
We need to add action to the positive thinking to do so.
In other words, a positive mindset just reframes a lousy situation. It looks for ways to improve it, whereas a growth mindset analyzes the situation and tries to find the real problem and how to solve it, even if that means facing some challenges and difficulties.
You also need a growth marketing mindset to draw traffic to your website. The idea behind growth marketing is that, by identifying new opportunities, you will be able to build a highly engaged audience.
What is a Growth Mindset vs a Fixed Mindset?
Psychologist Carol Dweck from Stanford University was the first researcher to explore the idea of fixed and growth mindsets.
Prof. Dweck describes the differences between these two mindsets as follows:
People with a fixed mindset believe their characteristics (intelligence and skills) are largely set in stone and can’t be changed.
People with a growth mindset believe they can develop any personal quality or ability with enough persistence.
There is plenty of information about her work online, and she has written a book on the subject called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success that you can find here.
Where can we clearly see a growth mindset? In children!
A simple example is:
A child (we can call her Alex) sees cookies on top of the bench but cannot reach them, even if she stands on her toes. Alex could choose to stay where she is, be comfortable and wait for mum to give her one later.
But Alex wants one NOW, so she is determined to get one no matter what. She looks around for something to make her taller. Alex tries to open a drawer in the kitchen cupboard, but her mum has used a child lock. So, what does she do?
She drags a chair to climb onto, even if she could fall and hurt herself.
Alex puts one cookie in her mouth and grabs a few more for later.
The lesson here is that we need to act, explore the unknown and give up temporary comforts if we want to grow.
Another example is from a Netflix document I just viewed with Elon Musk and his SpaceX. He had to ask the reporter the question again as he didn’t hear all the words. The question was; – Mr Musk, do you have any doubt that the mission will be successful?
He didn’t hear the word doubt.
That is a growth mindset right there, as his team’s launches had failed many times. He saw all those failures as necessary and continued even when it was challenging to move the project forward.
How do you know which mindset you use?
Check out the image below to compare.
Do you get inspired by someone, and it makes you get into action to do the same?
Then you have a growth mindset.
But how do you really know?
Maybe these words below can give a little clarity.
Can we have both a Fixed Mindset and a Growth Mindset?
Yes, we can have a mixture of both despite what we heard many years ago when it was believed that people had either-or. There are times when we think we have enormous potential, and we overcome setbacks and see failure as a necessary part of getting better. While at other times, we believe that our deficiencies limit our potential. When we adopt this view, we give up on the first obstacle and let failure define us.
I feel my fixed mindset mostly pops up when I need to promote myself.
Not ideal for growing my business!
At times I feel like a fraud trying to be seen as an authority in my field, being a web designer and website strategist. I imagine that I’ll get found out any minute that I’m not, which sometimes gives me anxiety, and sometimes I overgive. I’ve got imposter syndrome which is to doubt my abilities.
I’ve got a personal strategy to shake this demotivating mindset off, which I’ll tell you more about later in this blog.
Firstly, I want to highlight that having a Fixed Mindset not always is a bad thing!
The advantages of a Fixed Mindset
People who predominately are in a Fixed Mindset often are:
- experts in what they do as they focus on a few key skills and abilities. They focus on those over a long time.
- good at keeping structure and frameworks. This helps uphold them within the company environment and encourages other team members to follow suit.
- generally quite self-critical. This can be advantageous, motivating them to improve their learning curves and minimize their errors.
- less likely to quit when the going gets tough.
The disadvantages of this mindset are:
- that the person isn’t always willing to learn from others. It is especially true when not learning a new skill might cut off opportunities.
- they don’t like the success of others and often feel intimidated by it and struggle to accept feedback.
- someone with a fixed mindset who fails at a task will often feel disappointed in their performance. Instead of embracing failure as a learning opportunity, they may view it as a personal failing on their part and become demotivated.
So, how do we move from a fixed mindset toward a growth mindset?
Here are the tools/ strategies I promised earlier in the blog on how I personally ‘shake off’ a fixed mindset to move forward in my business.
Firstly, identify areas of your life/ business to change and be aware when your fixed mindset kicks in.
To get a shift towards a growth mindset, try these suggestions:
- be curious
- challenge yourself with a new experience to give your brain a new pathway
- use an affirmation e.g. “I’m accepting that I’m capable of change”
- don’t be too serious and instead smile
- surround yourself with positive people
- practice positive self-talk and tell yourself you can do this!
- celebrate both the progress and the effort in the task
- ask for feedback and use it to change for the better
- be willing to learn. Yes, even technology!
- be brave and get out of your comfort zone
- accept that failure is a part of the business journey
- stay healthy
- set a positive intention with a morning routine
- acknowledge three things to be grateful for before you fall asleep
Not feeling good enough? Don’t want to be seen?
I come across many women who have a fear of being seen and not feeling they are good enough.
Some of the reasons could be that they are too old, put on weight, or it simply isn’t the right time as Mercury retrograde is in play etc. (which I totally understand being a techie person:)
We never are ready, but we need to do it anyway!
How will you feel if you don’t? How much will it cost you?
Use some of the tools I suggested in this blog to move forward in your business.
Do you have a growth or fixed mindset? Let me know by writing a comment as I would love to know.
Also, like my business page Gigi Gem if you want more tips on how to ‘Draw Traffic To Your Website’.
Hugs
Gigi
