What Having a "Growth Mindset" Actually Means

Research shows that people who believe they can develop their talents through hard work, good strategies and input from others have a growth mindset. They often achieve more than people who believe their talents are innate gifts.

Employees feel more empowered and committed when their companies embrace a growth mindset and give organisational support for innovation and collaboration. Companies with a fixed mindset report more cheating and deception. This is most likely to gain an advantage.

• You believe you have a growth mindset. In truth, people tend to confuse a growth mindset with being open-minded or having a positive outlook. Everyone is a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets.
• A growth mindset is about praising and rewarding effort. However, it's vital to reward effort, learning and progress.
• People think just desiring a growth mindset is enough to make things happen. For example, organisations believe they have a growth mindset by creating mission statements that include innovation or growth empowerment, but they fail to implement policies to make them happen.