11 Tips for developing a Growth Mindset

1. Recognise and accept mistakes

This is often easier said than done. However, according to Carol Dweck it doesn’t help to ignore your weaknesses, because then you might never overcome them.

2. Learn from other people’s mistakes

If you consciously observe the mistakes you and others make, you will continue to develop and help those around you to develop as well.

3. Replace the word ‘fail’ with the word ‘learn’

If you make a mistake or don’t achieve your goal, that doesn’t mean you have failed – it means you have learnt something.    

4. Don’t strive for recognition

Constantly seeking confirmation and recognition from others can lead to a situation whereby you don’t fully exploit your own potential for growth and development. 

5. Value the process more than the end result

Intelligent people enjoy the learning process and don’t mind if things take a little longer than planned.

6. The way you learn is more important than how quickly the knowledge is absorbed

Learning something quickly does not necessarily mean that you have also learnt it well. Learning something ‘properly’ sometimes takes longer and you need to make time for your mistakes.

7. View criticism as something positive

You will learn much more from constructive criticism than praise.

8. Diligence is more important than talent

Accomplishments should be rewarded more than intrinsic abilities.

9. Use the phrase ‘not yet’

It is one of Dweck’s favourite phrases. The researcher recommends using it every time a student doesn’t manage to complete a task. That way students don’t feel as if they have failed, but instead are in the middle of a learning process.

10. Every time you achieve a goal, set a new goal

We never stop learning. Just because you have passed an exam or finished a particular project, it doesn’t mean you have to stop being interested in those topics. Dweck says that people with a growth mindset constantly set themselves new goals, seek intellectual stimulation and try to broaden their knowledge.

11. View time and effort realistically

It’s easy to quickly set goals without taking into account the effort that will be required to complete the individual steps. According to Dweck, you should view these two components realistically when learning.