Do This Simple Exercise to Unlock Your Potential, Says the Psychologist Who Coined the Phrase 'Growth Mindset' Carol Dweck, who currently teaches a first-year seminar at Stanford University, gives her students an assignment that can change their lives.
By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- Dweck says we all have some fixed mindsets, but we also have the power to change them.
- The psychologist's straightforward — but challenging — class assignment is a sure way to do that.
Many people have ambitious goals, whether personal or professional, but few take the steps necessary to achieve them because their "fixed mindset," or limiting beliefs about what they're capable of, holds them back.
To truly excel, people need to swap that static way of thinking for a "growth mindset." Psychologist Carol Dweck, who coined the phrase and brought it mainstream with her 2006 book Mindset: How You Can Fulfill Your Potential, says we all have some fixed mindsets, but we also have the power to change them.
Earlier this month, Dweck sat down with General Electric chairman and CEO Larry Culp at GE's "Lean Mindset" event in Chelsea, New York, where a range of industry leaders — from professional athletes like Peyton Manning to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and more — discussed how to build team cultures fostering innovation, efficiency and constant improvement.
Related: 5 Questions That Identify Growth-Minded Employees | Entrepreneur
During the conversation with Culp, Dweck, who currently teaches a first-year seminar at Stanford University, shared the simple — yet challenging — assignment she gives her students to help them adopt growth mindsets of their own.
"Do something outrageously growth mindset."
The first thing Dweck tells her class? They're freed from their old job: getting into Stanford. Now, they have to take advantage of the many resources at their disposal to grow and contribute to the world.
That means becoming the people they want to be. So Dweck instructs them to "do something outrageously growth mindset" — not anything dangerous, just something that the version of themselves they want to be would do. Then they have to write about the experience.
Related: 10 Steps to Achieve a Growth Mindset in Business | Entrepreneur
What does that look like, exactly?
Dweck recalls one "painfully shy" student who eventually wanted to work in a capacity that would require him to be very comfortable with public speaking. So he decided to run for president of his dorm. He almost backed out at the last minute, reluctant to give his speech, but he pushed through, knowing he had to complete Dweck's assignment.
And he won the race.
