1. Mindsets: Developing Talent Through a Growth Mindset
Winning Scotland Foundation
September 19, 2008

2. “I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures… I divide the world into the learners and nonlearners.”
- Benjamin Barber

3. Mindsets Fixed Mindset: Intelligence/talent is a fixed trait
…Myth of the “natural”
Growth Mindset: Intelligence is a malleable quality; a potential that can be developed
…Talent is a starting point
Framework for praise studies

4. Mindsets Which mindset is correct? Which mindset is most popular?
Do people hold the same mindsets across different areas?
Are the mindsets related to people’s ability?
Can mindsets be changed?
Current theorists
Researchers into creative contributions; creative genius
Binet

5. How the Mindsets Work?
The Mindset Rules

6. LOOK SMART OR TALENTED AT ALL COSTS
Rule #1
Fixed Mindset:
LOOK SMART OR TALENTED AT ALL COSTS
Growth Mindset:
LEARN, LEARN, LEARN

7. Times of Transition

8. Mindsets Looking Smart vs. Learning
Fixed Mindset
“The main thing I want when I do my school work is to show how good I am at it.”
Growth Mindset
“It’s much more important for me to learn things in my classes than it is to get the best grades.”

9. Where Does This Lead? Math Grades
growth
fixed

10. Pre-Med Study

12. Pre-Med Chemistry Grades

13. Hong Kong

14. University of Hong Kong

15. Who Chooses to Repair a Crucial Deficiency?
Interest in English Course
How the desire to look smart vs. learn plays itself out in real life.

16. Scott Forstall & The iPhone

17. Tiger Woods Youngest Masters winner Lowest score ever
Took apart his game and restructured it.

18. Rule #2 Fixed: DON’T WORK TOO HARD Growth: WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY
“To tell the truth, when I work hard at my school work it makes me feel like I’m not very smart.”
Growth: WORK HARD, EFFORT IS KEY
“The harder you work at something, the better you’ll be at it.”

19. High effort=low ability: Worst belief anyone can have
This is why many gifted athletes fail

21. Effort Beliefs Predict Performance in College Soccer

22. Measures
Athletic ability is ____% natural talent and ____% effort/practice
Players were assigned 2 points for each goal scored and 1 point for each assist that resulted in a goal
None of the participants were goalkeepers.

23. Correlation Between Effort Beliefs and Points Earned Belief in Effort Predicts Higher Performance Over the Season
.55, .55

24. Rule #3 IN THE FACE OF SETBACKS… Fixed Mindset:
CONCEAL MISTAKES OR DEFICIENCIES
Growth Mindset:
EMBRACE MISTAKES, CONFRONT DEFICIENCIES

25. Mistakes = Lack of Ability

26. After a failure… Fixed Mindset: Growth Mindset:
“I’d spend less time on this subject from now on.”
“I would try not to take this subject ever again.”
“I would try to cheat on the next test.”
Growth Mindset:
“I would work harder in this class from now on.”
“I would spend more time studying for the tests.”

27. Level of Strategies Examined
REPAIRING SELF-ESTEEM Comparing Ourselves to Those Below Us or Above Us?
Level of Strategies Examined
Also see the impact of the desire to look/feel smart vs. learn after a blow to self-esteem.
Butler: what is the true measure of the self: normative comparison vs. personal progress

28. Practicing Your Strength or Weakness Percentage Selecting Tutorial on the Topic They Failed
Also see the impact of the desire to look/feel smart vs. learn after a blow to self-esteem.
Butler: what is the true measure of the self: normative comparison vs. personal progress

29. CHRIS HOY
IN 2005, HIS SPECIALTY WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE OLYMPICS; HE HAD TO REINVENT HIMSELF.

30. Chris Hoy Why he surpassed the “talented” kids
“Maybe because they were so gifted and won so easily, they didn’t really have the desire to work hard when they had to, and they also didn’t like the feeling of losing when it happened.” From Orr & Kemp, “Be a Winner”

31. Deflecting the Blame
Sergio Garcia
John McEnroe
Colin Montgomerie

32. COLIN MONTGOMERIE Putting is not a strong feature of his game.
He is noted for his lack of focus, and quite often becomes distracted by seemingly very minor incidents.
When not playing well, tantrums and blaming others.

33. Mindset and Flow
Racing Car Drivers

34. Mindset Is Athletic Ability Fixed?
1. You have a certain level of athletic ability, and you cannot really do much to change that.
2. Your core athletic ability cannot really be changed.
3. You can learn new things, but you can't really change your basic athletic ability.

35. Mindset and Flow Growth Mindset Predicts More In-the-Zone Races
.55, .55

36. Correlation Between Mindset and Flow Mindset Predicts Loss of Self-Consciousness
.55, .55

37. Where Do Mindsets Come From?
Messages We Send
HOW TO APPRECIATE OTHERS’ SUCCESS SO AS TO CREATE A GROWTH MINDSET

38. Praise Sends A Message
Intelligence Praise: “That’s a really good score. You must be smart at this.”
Effort/Process Praise: “That’s a really good score. You must have tried really hard.”

39. Effects of Intelligence vs. Effort Praise
Mindset: Fixed vs. Growth
Goals: Looking smart vs. Learning
After Difficult Trial:
Motivation: Low vs. High
Performance: Decreased vs. Increased
Lose self-esteem
Can’t tolerate setbacks, effort

40. Number of problems solved on Trial 1 (before failure) and Trial 3 (after failure).

41. Lying Students who misrepresented their scores
Can’t admit flaws
Type of Praise Given

42. College Coaches Asks…
Where are the coachable athletes?

43. Can Mindsets Be Changed?
How Intelligence (Talent) is Portrayed

47. Change in Math Grades Blackwell, Dweck, & Trzesniewski, 2007

48. Percent Identified as Increasing in Motivation

49. Brainology

50. Visit to Brain Lab

51. Mad Scientist

52. Brain Experiments

53. The Learning Brain

54. Have you changed your mind about anything?
Yes … I imagine neurons making connections in my brain and I feel like I am learning something. (biggie)
My favorite thing from Brainology is the neurons part where when u learn something there are connections and they keep growing. I always picture them when I’m in school (khadija)

55. On a personal level the belief in growth allows us to:
Embrace learning.
Welcome challenges, mistakes, and feedback
Understand the role of effort in creating talent

56. At the team level, a growth mindset staff:
Portrays skills as acquirable
Values passion, effort, improvement (and teamwork), not just natural talent
Presents staff as mentors vs. judges

58. Thank you!

59. ANDY MURRAY
“When you’re playing against guys who are really consistent, you have to find three or four ways to win points, and not just with your serve,” says Murray of his multi-dimensional arsenal.
Brother, Jamie, was the “natural.”

61. Changing
Mindsets in
Organizations
(Peter Heslin & colleagues)

62. Before Workshop
Fixed mindset managers don’t notice improvement--first impressions last
Fixed mindset managers don’t mentor their employees as much--people can’t change
Fixed mindset managers can’t take criticism
Because of this…

63. Mindset Workshop for Managers
Scientific article and video on how the brain grows with learning throughout life
Exercises to instill a growth mindset

64. After
After receiving a growth mindset workshop, managers showed greater:
Openness to employee change
Willingness to mentor and higher quality of mentoring
Openness to critical feedback