Please watch the video and then do the quiz below

The power of believing that you can improve – Carol Dweck

Please view this video from the POV (Point of View) of a leader and mentor of others. Note: This video is not dynamic in presentation style but has lots of interesting things for you to note as a leader and mentor of others.

Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.

As Carol Dweck describes it: “My work bridges developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology, and examines the self-conceptions (or mindsets) people use to structure the self and guide their behavior. My research looks at the origins of these mindsets, their role in motivation and self-regulation, and their impact on achievement and interpersonal processes.”

Dweck is a professor at Stanford and the author of Mindset, a classic work on motivation and “growth mindset.” Her work is influential among educators and increasingly among business leaders as well. (10:20)

Premise

The world is divided between people who are open to learning and those who are closed to it, and this trait affects everything from your worldview to your interpersonal relationships. Dweck addresses the ways that mindsets have an impact on people. She explains that you can have a closed mindset in regard to some traits and an open mindset in regard to others. The thought-provoking insight comes from learning when you need to adjust your mindset to move ahead. The author extends her basic point by viewing all areas of human relationships through the prism of mindset, including leadership and management.

Action plan

1- Find three areas in your life in which you think you have [or have had] a fixed mindset – don’t censor these, let them bubble up. Please document them so we can discuss. If nothing comes up, ask a trusted friend.
Reflect on why you think you have a fixed mindset about these areas, actions, topics, taboos etc.
2- How can you apply this self-insight to your role as a mentor?
3- Find three areas in your life in which you know you have [or have had] a learning mindset. Reflect on why you think you have [or have had] a learning mindset about these areas, actions, topics, taboos etc.
4- How can you apply this self-insight to your role as a mentor?
5- When the people you are mentoring have experienced a series of challenges and closed doors, what can you do as a mentor to help them focus on a growth curve?