In her exceptionally valuable book, Mindset, Carol Dweck lays out a quiz that make it possible for you to readily find out whether you have a "fixed" mindset or a "growth" mindset. When you believe that your talents and abilities are set in stone--either you have them or you don't, you've got a fixed mindset. This is the path of stagnation and career limiting behaviors.
If in contrast, you have a "growth" mindset, you know that talents can be developed and that abilities are built over time. This is the path you'll need for the 21st century.
When I read what I've written, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but in many ways it's one of the two or three top career issues we'll ever face.
Check out your mindset with Prof. Dwecks simple quiz from her book:
Read each statement and decide whether you mostly agree with it or disagree with it.
- Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't change very much.
- You can learn new things, but you can't really change how intelligent you are.
- No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.
- You can always substantially change how intelligent you are.
Questions 1 and 2 are the fixed mindset questions. Questions 3 and 4 reflect the growth mindset. Which mindset did you agree with more? You can be a mixture, but most people lean toward one or the other (From my own experience as an exec coach, that's an understatement.)
You also have beliefs about other abilities. You could substitue "artistic talent," "sports ability," or "business skill" for intelligence." (Or, "leadership ability," or "managerial skill.") Try it.
Well, what did you find out about yourself? And what do you think about that?
In the near future, I'll share another of Dweck's simple quizzes.
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