The Difference Between a 'Fixed' Mindset and a 'Growth' Mindset
Updated July 30, 2021
Did you know that if you change the way you view yourself and the world around you, you can improve your life and overall happiness? That may sound too good to be true, but there’s plenty of evidence to support this theory. Modern psychology holds that people’s mindsets (or thinking patterns), which drive our beliefs, choices, decisions and behaviour, typically fall into two basic types: fixed and open.
What are mindsets?
People operating in a fixed mindset believe that they’re born with a certain level of intelligence and that it can’t be improved upon. They then measure their notion of intelligence against their own idea of what success or failure looks like.
On the other hand, people with an open mindset believe that they can improve with time and effort. They view traits such as intelligence, creativity and ability as having limitless potential. In short, they don’t measure their actions in such black and white terms as success and failure but see life as a continual learning opportunity.
In career coaching, developing an open or growth mindset is a powerful tool for improving many aspects of a person’s life, both in and outside of work.
Signs you have a fixed mindset:
Do you pride yourself on being a perfectionist and get annoyed when others fail to live up to your set of standards? Perhaps you fear trying new things because you’re worried you’ll fail and it will reflect poorly on you?
These are signs that you may be operating with a fixed mindset:
Believe intelligence and ability are natural traits that can’t be changed.
Think success is based solely on talent or luck.
Avoid taking chances or risks in case you fail.
Treat obstacles as a sign to stop.
View feedback as confirmation of how smart you are and get upset if it doesn’t.
Measure things as either ‘good’ or ‘bad.’
Idealise relationships by measuring others against the idea of the perfect boss or co-worker (according to your idea of perfect)
Feel like you are somehow missing out when others do better than you.
Worry that your capability will be questioned if you say or do the ‘wrong thing’.
Believe there is a right and/or a wrong way to do things.
Now, imagine if you were free of these self-imposed constraints...
Instead of feeling in a position where you must judge others, you could foster more dynamic relationships by developing your empathy. Or, you might be willing to try new things if you weren’t constantly worried about the consequences of failing. Finally, instead of chasing constant validation based on your performance, you could liberate yourself by focusing on improving. You could celebrate your progress rather than the end result or comparing yourself favourably or unfavourably with the progress of others.
Signs you have an open or growth mindset:
Believe intelligence, ability and success increase through learning and with effort and determination.
Appreciate that taking chances, even when unsuccessful, is an opportunity to learn and develop.
Accept that things don’t always go according to plan and persist when the going gets tough.
Welcome constructive criticism as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Understand that people are only human – everyone has strengths and weaknesses – no one is perfect.
The success of others inspires you as you can learn from them.
Know it’s okay to ask questions when you don’t know something so you can learn and know that there is always another way to do something.
You can probably relate to traits associated with both mindsets which is completely normal. Few people are just one or the other. The mindset you are in at any given time may also vary depending on the situation.
It may be that you are very open and flexible at home whilst at work have strict ideas about how things should be done. Or vice versa - open at home; closed at work.
Another example could be that you may have fallen into the trap of believing the only way to get ahead is to do everything yourself, taking on every job that comes your way even when it is outside of what you normally do. This can lead to overworking, putting in extra hours more than normal and a reputation that you’re so good at what you do that you become pigeon-holed and miss out on promotional opportunities.
At the same time, you might believe that people are the heart of an organisation and therefore you are very happy to help others whenever they need it. You may readily recognise that you can learn from other people and that different perspectives when problem-solving are vitally important to come up with the best solution. And this leads to building a reputation as someone who is collaborative, a great team player and generous with their time.
So you can see that sometimes we can operate with a closed mindset whilst other times we have an open mindset. If you are stuck it may help you to consider what mindset you are utilising?
If the answer is yes, then ask yourself what can you do to pivot to a more open and flexible approach?
How career coaching can help you develop
Whatever has you feeling stuck, it can be complicated knowing who to turn to, especially in the workplace. Who can you turn to who will not judge you; how can you explore your options and make decisions in a way that is non-judgemental, carries no risk to your reputation and maintains effective working relationships.
This is where working with a career coach can help you work through your problems in a safe place. The coach acts as your thinking partner to help you process what’s happened, gain new insights and different perspectives and new approaches to old problems and provide the support needed. I understand this all too well, having experienced myself what it’s like to feel stuck. That’s one of the reasons I became a career coach in the first place.
Career coaching with an expert trained in developing an open mindset can help you:
Understand your own thought patterns and language.
Identify which aspects you need to work on.
Help you successfully move past limiting mindsets.
If you would like to get started on your own then I recommend practising the GROW model* developed by Sir John Whitmore:
Goal – What do you want that you don’t have now?
Reality – Gain clarity by focusing on the facts—the what, where, when and who to work out what is really happening.
Options – Come up with a few possibilities and broaden your perspective. For example, if you’re stuck, you could ask yourself, ‘If I had a magic wand, what would I do?’
Will – Ask yourself how serious you are on a scale of one to ten to act upon your decision. If your commitment is less than eight, chances are you aren’t that serious. If that’s the case, work through the model again to figure out your genuine desire.
Once you have worked through this model then it’s all about taking action!
References
*1 Sir John Whitmore, Coaching for Performance, (UK: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2010).
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