Book Cover
We are born on this planet but everything that is necessary for human being in order to do progress, all we need is mindset at every juncture of time. Aristotle says, "The journey of thousand miles starts with that one single first step". The book Mindset which is written by Carol Dweck is such a book which will not only show us that first step but the first right step with lucid illustration through the key concept she introduced of growth mindset.
It is such a phenomenal book that I have ever encountered with which has completely changed my way of looking at things in everyday life. The beautifully encrafted concept or just I would like to say it as a habit is that of growth mindset which is compelling idea to look at things or everyday life situations. I admire Dweck for the minute illustration of real life examples of hundred and thousand of people in this book. The basic idea about the two kind of mindsets, fixed mindset and growth mindset already exist in the mind of human being. We face ample of situations everyday life in which we may happen to take some decisions and perhaps we may give our own opinions or we may keep on asking the end number of questions. Human being has been understood by the way he asks the questions and the way we react to the situations.
For one thing, I will be glad to mention Carol Dweck for coining the term of growth mindset and making it easier to understand the people. She has defined growth mindset which is a kind of skill or habit of thinking in any situation or the problem. She mentions people having growth mindset can make anything possible in the world. I would like to mention here the character Santiago from Alchemist who is the kind of the boy who is always in search of his next expeditions, always keeps on jumping to this place to that region and he is in search of the treasury that always pops up in his dream and thus the whole story rotates around him. I will not imply the whole set of theory in terms of Santiago for long extend but just the way Santiago always keeps on jumping to this place and that place because he wants to really find out the way mission of his dream. He wants to get control over the treasury that he sees in the dream.
This book helps to develop growth mindset at different levels like sports, business, relationship some specific areas like parents, teachers, and coaches. The very first chapter discusses about how it is important fix and growth mindset and where they are used and they can perform very contrastively. We all belong to different atmosphere and different socio-political background and thus are conditioned to look at the problems based on different reasons. Some people get easy success, some toil so hard. The way we look at the problems define how much constructive we are. It means above all biological, physical, and socio-political background our mindset is an essential part to leverage success. That is how if we are groomed with growth mindset there is no impossible thing left in the world. Again one remarkable thing that I learn from this book is. Carol Dweck admits in book, it's not mandatory to be confidant to aquire the growth mindset. She says that some people can do somethings with just little or no training, that others can't do it and sometimes they do it even better with training. It is a result of mindset. The fixed mindset people they keep on pulling out other people’s bad behavioural traits, habits, the ways of talking, and just out loud other's negative qualities because the whole gamut of their world is very much narrow.
Michael Jordan
The story of Michael Jordan is really praiseworthy which has pointed out here in the book. Michael Jordan was cut from the university team he was devastated and his mother used to say him, “go back and discipline himself”, then he used to leave his home at 6:00 in the morning to practice when he was at University of North Carolina. He constantly worked on his weaknesses. Jordan's success stems from the mind "the mental toughness and the heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you might have I have always said that and I have always believed that"
The story of Michael Jordan is really praiseworthy which has pointed out here in the book. Michael Jordan was cut from the university team he was devastated and his mother used to say him, “go back and discipline himself”, then he used to leave his home at 6:00 in the morning to practice when he was at University of North Carolina. He constantly worked on his weaknesses. Jordan's success stems from the mind "the mental toughness and the heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you might have I have always said that and I have always believed that"
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph who is known as the fastest woman on the earth who won three gold medals in 1960 Rome Olympics. Wilma faced so many problems in her life right from her birth she was a premature baby. She was twentieth of twenty two children born to her parents. At the four age she would have really died of long struggle with double Pneumonia fever and Polio emerging with emotionally paralyzed left leg. Doctors give her less hopes of survival. At 8 years her figure is vigorously pursued physical therapy. Later she began to walk normally. She has always said that she didn't want to do everything that she did to prove the world but just wanted to let be remembered as she is a hard working lady. This is the growth mindset attitude. Wilma always kept on practicing and craved her name as a best athlete in the world. Growth mindset very closely kinships with a character and all the champions in the Olympics. It’s how some growth mindset athlete have made their marks not because of practices that they do everyday but most importantly because of strong character. The mark of a champion is ability to win when things are not quite right, not playing well and your emotions are not the right ones. The ability to embrace failure is the first step in developing character. Growth mindset stems up when we realise our mistakes and try to rectify them through practice. We can make things possible which the fixed mindset kind of people find impossible. That is why they just lay down narrowness in approach only talking vainly without doing much.
John Wooden
John Wooden well known coach himself admits he was tactically and strategically average so how did he win ten national championships? One of the main reasons he tells us is he was good at getting players to feel roles as part of their team. Working as a team gives equal opportunity to every team members, and optimises the strength. One sport team can win the whole tournament only when there is a spirit in the team and the spirit leads to growth mindset. Individual person in the team is thinking about his own career and graph and then there will not be the equal contribution of each person. Team cannot be built strong to fight with the opposite competitors unless it has a growth mindset approach executed and thus the credit of ten gold medals goes to Wooden for his extraordinary coaching.
John Wooden well known coach himself admits he was tactically and strategically average so how did he win ten national championships? One of the main reasons he tells us is he was good at getting players to feel roles as part of their team. Working as a team gives equal opportunity to every team members, and optimises the strength. One sport team can win the whole tournament only when there is a spirit in the team and the spirit leads to growth mindset. Individual person in the team is thinking about his own career and graph and then there will not be the equal contribution of each person. Team cannot be built strong to fight with the opposite competitors unless it has a growth mindset approach executed and thus the credit of ten gold medals goes to Wooden for his extraordinary coaching.
Carol Dweck continues to talk the growth mindset in terms of businessmen. One reason the all Businessman strive is for their self-image. Enron who was holding the chaired at IBM in 1980, already belonged to the very elite culture and ruled the same culture in the workplace and it affected adversely in the lives of the employees. His statement 'we are loyalty, but I’m more royal than you are' attitude suffocated the customers and company employees. In 1993, Lou Gerstner acquired the position but later he faded away. Welch is the only person who embarked the success journey of IBM, channelizing proper communication up and down in the company. Within the six days he announced IBM workers "Over the next few months I plan to visit as many of our operations and offices. And whenever possible I plan to meet with many of you to talk about how together we can strengthen the company". This is the growth mindset. Welch screwed up the elitism and gave an access to all the employees and customers for open contact and communication with administration and company managers. He dedicated his book to all employees saying, "This book is dedicated to the thousands of IBMers who never give up on their company, their colleagues and themselves. They are the real heroes of the invention of IBM." This growth mindset attitude which made his mark in the mind of every employee and administration craved eternally in the history of IBM. Growth mindset people are always ready to have communication and seek problem-solutions whereas fixed mindset people are dumb and pretend to be smart and are always anxious for their disapproval of ideas.
While specifying the growth mindset attitude in building up the relationship, strengthening the bonds she suggests strong relationship depends on the skills and we have to master them. There are different kinds of people in the world. The fixed mindset people believe in three things that 'their qualities are fixed, their partner’s qualities are fixed, and relationship's qualities are fixed'. But the growth mindset people believe all of these things- you, your partner, and the relationship can be developed in phenomenal ways.
Most often we believe in relationship the magic happens but it doesn't, because it depends on both of the couple how they can understand and set an approach of growth mindset for their healthy life and it is clear that they master it in course of time as long they go on understanding to each other. Good lasting relationship develops from effort and from working through inevitable differences. We cannot bring in between entitlements, retaliation as a pattern in their relationship because it is equal responsibility of each individual person in relationship to weigh the load equally on his/her shoulder.
Jennet was a financial analyst and Phil was real estate agent, few years later they got married they purchased an apartment, they decided to give party and Jennet took all the responsibility of preparing the food and looking after all the domestic things. As she was tired of work in whole day and working on all the preparation she expected Phil to at least raise helping hand but he didn’t. She was expecting him at least in the evening he will help her when the guests arrive in their home. Unfortunately, he didn't, rather he was gossiping and talking merrily with the guest who had arrived in their home. Jennet got angry and she decided to not to prepare anything she also started spending time with the guests. Sometimes this kind of attitude of entitlement and retaliation spoils the relationships. But here the communication plays very important role, in future they preferred discussing, and not amusing. It is not "they lived happily Ever After", but "they work happily Ever After"
Dweck discusses wonderfully about the praises that we often use in routine life. She talks in terms of children. Being parent we go on praising our children at home she says the research shows when we eulogize or praise someone's talents intelligence it gradually effects on their performance. Certain kind of praise like the praise of intelligence or talent harms the productivity of person but praising their work is a phenomenal idea. We can appreciate them as much as we want for the growth oriented process- for the accomplished study, practice, consistency, and good strategy. Praising the way of accomplishing work is more profitable for individual person and that who is praising that as well.
While specifying the growth mindset attitude in building up the relationship, strengthening the bonds she suggests strong relationship depends on the skills and we have to master them. There are different kinds of people in the world. The fixed mindset people believe in three things that 'their qualities are fixed, their partner’s qualities are fixed, and relationship's qualities are fixed'. But the growth mindset people believe all of these things- you, your partner, and the relationship can be developed in phenomenal ways.
Most often we believe in relationship the magic happens but it doesn't, because it depends on both of the couple how they can understand and set an approach of growth mindset for their healthy life and it is clear that they master it in course of time as long they go on understanding to each other. Good lasting relationship develops from effort and from working through inevitable differences. We cannot bring in between entitlements, retaliation as a pattern in their relationship because it is equal responsibility of each individual person in relationship to weigh the load equally on his/her shoulder.
Jennet was a financial analyst and Phil was real estate agent, few years later they got married they purchased an apartment, they decided to give party and Jennet took all the responsibility of preparing the food and looking after all the domestic things. As she was tired of work in whole day and working on all the preparation she expected Phil to at least raise helping hand but he didn’t. She was expecting him at least in the evening he will help her when the guests arrive in their home. Unfortunately, he didn't, rather he was gossiping and talking merrily with the guest who had arrived in their home. Jennet got angry and she decided to not to prepare anything she also started spending time with the guests. Sometimes this kind of attitude of entitlement and retaliation spoils the relationships. But here the communication plays very important role, in future they preferred discussing, and not amusing. It is not "they lived happily Ever After", but "they work happily Ever After"
Dweck discusses wonderfully about the praises that we often use in routine life. She talks in terms of children. Being parent we go on praising our children at home she says the research shows when we eulogize or praise someone's talents intelligence it gradually effects on their performance. Certain kind of praise like the praise of intelligence or talent harms the productivity of person but praising their work is a phenomenal idea. We can appreciate them as much as we want for the growth oriented process- for the accomplished study, practice, consistency, and good strategy. Praising the way of accomplishing work is more profitable for individual person and that who is praising that as well.
Insightful sir!
ReplyDeleteThanku so much Ruturaj sir!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful analysis. Really I found it more subtle and full of information. I really liked the implied growth mindset analysis you did in your blog. Looking forward for new books. God bless you sir!
ReplyDeleteThanku so much! God bless you!
ReplyDelete