Our resident psychologist and VP of impact and behavioral science, Greta Bradman, discusses a fixed mindset, and shares insights from coaching and clinical psychologist Dr. Jo Mitchell, co-founder of The Mind Room.
Greta Bradman: A fixed mindset is characterized by a focus on perceived performance over effort, and on innate ability over learnt skill. As a leader, indexing for fixed skills through language used can ‘box people in’ and have them focusing on appearance over genuine growth, which over time can erode performance and the development of potential. It can bake in assumptions of who is a ‘top performer’ and who is not, and not provide people the room to unlock their full potential.
As a leader, then, it is really important to think about how we talk about performance, how we reward good performance, and how we manage performance reviews, as well as how we discuss someone’s performance to a third party (such as in the context of a manager and a leader talking about a team member’s performance and potential).
How might a fixed mindset show up?
Jo Mitchell: Working as a coaching psychologist I listen out for fixed mindsets, especially if it relates to important performance domains. You can hear a fixed mindset in the form of language like “I am not good enough” or “I feel like an imposter” or more obtusely through rigid, controlling, or resistant behaviors.
A coaching client, let’s call them Angus, had a fixed mindset around formal learning in the workplace. No one in his family, including Angus, had gone to university and he had developed a mindset filter that told him he was not clever enough — he would fail if he tried, so why bother?
When it came to taking on opportunities to complete formal training that would allow Angus to progress in the workplace, he avoided it.
Angus had developed a range of avoidance strategies such as staying silent during conversations on the topic, ‘forgetting’ to get his application in for study leave, taking sick days, and even shifting work teams. He had a quick response that formal training was “not for him”.
Eventually, his team leader, who could see his potential, stopped encouraging him to take on new learning opportunities, and Angus’s career and level of engagement at work stalled.
Greta Bradman: In the context of being a manager with a team member who may be assuming a fixed mindset, it can be helpful to overtly call this out as part of feedback and support. Share our article on growth versus fixed mindset, talk about whether this might be relevant to them, ask how you can support them in maintaining an open mind to their potential, and collaborate around mindset first, and specific performance goals second.
Approach this process as though it is an ‘experiment’. How might an intentional shift in mindset support career development or performance even in small ways? Ensure you praise and orient to effort and growth, rather than overall performance. That is not to say shift your expectations on performance or accept subpar work - not at all - but understand that when it comes to mindset shifting, how you praise - through orienting to effort not outcome - is important. Check in with the report over time around this. Whilst this might seem like “going slow to go fast” the main takeaway is that end of the day, identifying a fixed mindset and supporting a shift through your own behavior and orientation to providing them feedback is one of the most valuable and important pieces of work you can offer one of your direct reports.
When a leader uses a fixed mindset, what are the ripple effects of this for their team?
Jo Mitchell: Whether you're an employee or a leader, holding a fixed mindset toward your own or your team’s performance can be deflating for everyone.
It deters learning and growth, failure or mistakes are avoided, and feedback is met with resistance. In the end motivation, engagement, and performance stagnates. Noticing and naming a fixed mindset is the first step towards deciding if you want to change the filter to learn, grow, and reach your full potential.
Take a look: How a fixed mindset and growth mindset translates to performance
Bringing a growth mindset to work does not guarantee success but it does make it more likely. The word that best encapsulates a growth mindset is ‘yet’.
"I can’t do this yet but with the right strategy and effort I will learn."
What we know about people with a growth mindset is that they are motivated to learn — they:
- embrace challenges,
- persist in the face of setbacks,
- see effort as the path to mastery,
- learn from mistakes,
- listen to feedback, and
- feel inspired by the success of others.
It's these traits that help someone grow and level up in their performance.
That said, having a growth mindset is not always easy.
You'll still feel pain and disappointment, you'll make mistakes along the way, and it requires real effort. You also don't need to have a growth mindset for all aspects of your life — especially if it's an activity or domain that has only a small impact on your life.
For example, I've talked previously about having a fixed mindset for singing. Given that my performance as a singer has a low impact on my life, I'm unlikely to work on my mindset in this domain. However, if I had aspirations to be a professional performer then this mindset would definitely hold me back.
Overcoming a fixed mindset has a ripple effect too
If you feel there's an important activity or domain of life where you are not reaching your performance potential, then you may want to take a look at your mindset. If the following points resonate with you, then you may want to take stock and adjust your mindset. That is: if you find you're trying to:
- prove yourself rather than learn and grow,
- avoid challenges and give up easily at setbacks,
- see effort as futile,
- avoid feedback, and
- feel threatened by the success of others
When Angus was able to step back and see his fixed mindset toward formal learning and the negative impact it was having on his engagement and performance at work, he wanted to change it.
Step by step he was able to create a growth mindset filter and step toward the work life he wanted. And he didn’t do it alone. He sought feedback from others, set clear goals for himself whilst giving himself permission to mess up, and celebrated the milestones that showed him he was capable of growth and change.
For workplace leadership, the challenge is to create a growth mindset culture.
It's important to talk about mindsets and how they impact our learning and performance to help others acknowledge the fixed and growth mindsets in themselves and in the teams they operate within.
Taking this step as a leader is what will empower people with the knowledge and skills to shift from a fixed to growth mindset in the areas of life that matter most to them, and create a mindset culture at work that fosters productivity, effort, and motivation.
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