Watch who you hire, don’t become a nest of ‘fixed mindset’

The psychological theory that has gained visibility in the past decades is Carol Dweck’s distinction between growth mindset and fixed mindset – where we all have a bit of both.

Growth mindset is the assumption that practice makes perfect, and it’s okay not to get everything right right away because if you stay at it long enough it will work out. Growth mindset people tend to question what they do, are okay with negative feedback and occasionally feeling ridiculous, and enjoy the ‘yay’ moment of finally getting it right.

Fixed mindset is the assumption that you have all the talent and skills you’ll ever have and you’d better make the best of it. Fixed mindset people must always look good and never look stupid. Every deal has to be right first time if not it’s not worth it. For a clear description of both: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/

Like attracts like, and if a dominantly fixed mindset person does the hiring (or selecting of candidates) they’ll surround themselves with more fixed mindset people. You might not necessarily see it happen, because, boy, do fixed mindset people look good in interviews. Then you have a nest of fixed mindset folk.

And then your group’s influence will wane, constructive feedback will be seen as intolerable criticism, relationships with rigidify and sour,… until your results will go south – whilst your processes remain the same! (actually, become more “disciplined”).

Growth mindset people are not so easy to manage. They can be messy and troublesome. They can come across as critical, difficult, and always asking for more or different. They can take risky initiatives, go off in all directions at once and lose focus. They can miss the importance of screwing up some critical tasks. But they will grow, you can shape them and you and them will create a continuously evolving workplace together. Ultimately, performance comes from the dynamic of work, not its spot optimization.

Who you chose as:

• customers you choose to follow
• leaders for your organization (who will do further hiring and promotion)
• financial backers to fund you and support you
• suppliers and partners to explore new technologies with

Determine the growth of your business or department far more than any decision you might take once these choices are made.

Tags: learning, mindset