Why You Should Develop a Growth Mindset in Your Team 🧠
And why you probably shouldn't praise your children's intelligence.
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Carol Dweck is Professor of Psychology at Stanford. She has spent decades studying behavioural science, and wrote a fantastic book about mindset.
She also had a profound impact on the way I think about my personal and professional growth.
The first thing I recall, however, when I think at her work, is a particular insight about how I should talk to my child. That's weird, because I don't have children, but still. 🤷♂️
🥇 Don't praise intelligence
Carol argues that praising children's intelligence has a negative effect on their attitude, because intelligence is 1) not something they can grow 2) not under their control.
Children who believe they are valued for their intelligence, in fact, tend to adopt behaviours to optimize their chances of retaining it in the eyes of other people.
They are less likely to address challenging tasks — for fear of appearing stupid — and they generally try less hard at everything, because in case they fail it's better to think it's because they didn't try their best, than because they are not really that smart.
In other words, they learn to seek and protect status, instead of growth.