Growths #1 Killer? A Fixed Mindset with Professor Carol Dweck

Hard to imagine someone better to talk growth with than the person who wrote "The Growth Mindset," world-renowned professor and best-selling author, Carol Dweck. Her work has been featured in such publications as The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she has appeared on Today and 20/20.

Be sure to visit Carol's site Mindset Online and get her book, Mindset.

Hard to imagine someone better to talk growth with than the person who wrote "The Growth Mindset," world-renowned professor and best-selling author, Carol Dweck. Her work has been featured in such publications as The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she has appeared on Today and 20/20. 

I drove down to Stanford and met Carol in her office to chat about her 40 years of research and how it's been recently catapulted into the mainstream. 

I can see why her book has become so talked-about and ultimately won "Book of the Year." It shines a light on the mistaken cultural worshipping of outcomes like our kid's 1st place trophy, beliefs like god-given talents or even the way we hide our flaws and avoid failure. 

As Carol points out in our conversation, while we may naturally gravitate one way or the other, all of us vacillate between growth and fixed mindsets. What's important is to be able to quickly recognize the traits and powerful points of view that define each one. It can be the difference between wasting a life going nowhere and opening yourself to life's greatest journey. There is something in this episode for everyone-- whether you're looking to grow as a parent, a partner, a professional or even your own self-esteem. 

Mentioned in this episode

What Having a “Growth Mindset” Actually Means  Babies whose efforts are praised become more motivated kids Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley What Is Learned Helplessness? The new era of positive psychology   How Not to Talk to Your Kids (Po Bronson, New York Magazine)   Stanford's Alumni Magazine first cover story on The Growth Mindset The Self-Esteem Movement Backfires — When Praise is Dangerous  The Gift of Failure   Is Your Intelligence Fixed? (Susan Mackie) Belief that others can change could be a powerful tool in resolving Israeli-Palestinian conflict Meaning Is Healthier Than Happiness (The Atlantic)  (Research results located here)How Companies Can Profit from a “Growth Mindset” (Harvard Business Review)  Willpower: It’s in Your Head  An Implicit Theories of Personality Intervention Reduces Adolescent Aggression in Response to Victimization and Exclusion   Understanding the Anxious Mind  Why Some People Take Breakups Harder Than Others 7 Reasons Why You Will Never Do Anything Amazing With Your Life