A Growth Mindset or a Fixed Mindset
As a Network Marketer and a leader, it is critical for you to know if you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset!
Do you know your mindset?
As I was passing the elephants,I suddenly stopped,
confused by the fact that these huge creatures
were
being held by only a small rope tied to their front
leg. No chains,
no cages. It was obvious that the
elephants could, at anytime, break away
from the ropes
they were tied to but for some reason, they did not.I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful,
magnificent animals just
stood there and made no
attempt to get away.
“Well,” he said, “when
they are very young and much
smaller we use the same size rope to tie them
and, at
that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up,
they are
conditioned to believe they cannot break
away. They believe the rope can
still hold them, so
they never try to break free.”
I was amazed. These
animals could at any time break
free from their bonds but because they
believed they
couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it before?
So, Do you have a growth mindset Or a fixed mindset ? 
Cultural Assumptions
The universities in West Europe., invests heavily in equipping students with the knowledge and practical skills they need to succeed in the workplace. And indeed, it does a very good job of that. Less emphasis, however, is placed on developing leadership skills across the entire student body.
Looked at from that perspective, If you live in a culture where your colleagues believe you can be a leader and help you develop the skills you need, you will enthusiastically embrace the mantle of leadership. It might not be your goal to become a CEO or a top politician. But, regardless of your occupation, you will view yourself as a leader at home, at work, and in your community. But if you live in a culture that assumes leadership is not for everyone, is dependent on whether you have innate leadership skills, and that leadership is defined by your job title rather than your actions, you will have an entirely different view.
Unfortunately, that’s the culture that most of us live in, not just in Europe, but around the world.
Helpful Distinction to see if you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset
Recently I’ve enjoyed reading about the work of Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Her research explores and explains questions that have interested me for years as a leader. Essentially, she has found that people generally exhibit what she calls either growth mindsets or fixed mindsets. Those with growth mindsets believe they can get better at what they do, that they have reservoirs of untapped potential. They realize that promise by working hard and making incremental improvements over time, whether they are athletes, or writers, or surgeons.
Those with fixed mindsets, however, believe they can only go as far as their natural abilities will take them. They think talent, rather than hard work, is the fundamental component of success. They are often scared to challenge themselves because they are terribly afraid of failure—which, in their minds, is an indictment of their abilities rather than an opportunity to learn and do better next time.
First, how effectively are you managing your organization’s talent?
In the rush to get things done, especially during a severe recession, it’s tempting to single out your top 10% for development and forget about everyone else. But from the standpoint of a growth mindset, you’re letting a lot of potential throughout your organization go untouched.
Obviously, that’s not good for those men and women, many of whom probably crave opportunities to develop but are languishing instead. In the long run, it won’t be good for your organization’s leadership pipeline or your bottom line either.
Second, does your organizational culture permit risk taking and mistakes?
We of course don’t want the kind of egregious mistakes and completely irresponsible gambles that helped lead to our current economic crisis. But innovation does require making some strategic bets, some of which will pay off and some of which will fail. A growth mindset sees those failures as great opportunities to learn. When resources are tight, it’s natural to conserve them. But taking a defensive stance now might short-circuit your long-term efforts to move into new markets and develop new products. Many influential organizations, from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) to CNN, flourished because of bold moves made during tough times.
Finally, are you resting on your laurels as a leader?
It can be hard to stay hungry over time. The more experience you gain and the more successes you have, the more likely you are to believe there’s not much left to learn.
As a network marketer and as a leader leading a team, it is critical to keep a growth mindset, understanding that there is always new things to learn.
Make sure to surround yourself with people with a growth mindset, make sure to have a leader with a growth mindset, and most of all. Make sure you keep a growth mindset realizing that learning is growing.
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Yes, it’s so hard to break free from the rope. Thanks for the tips.
I possess “Growth mindset” and i will keep going to make other’s like me
Pingback: The Idea of Mindset - Gina Ghafari | ginaghafari
Hi Gina,
Love this whole post. I’ve heard the story of the elephant before and it is truly amazing how such a powerful creature can be blindsighted by something so small. The studies on fixed or growth mindsets is also very interesting. Many good points made here.
Hey BG
I’m glad you loved my post..
It is amazing, and even more so how we humans can be blindsighted as well.
Thank you for your valuable comment.
I’ve heard something similar to the elephant story, but it involved a dog instead. Great post as always Gina!
Rasheed
Hey Rasheed
Thank you for your support, encuragement and valuable comments, I appreciate it a lot.
Hello Gina, I’ve never heard the elephant story before but it’s a great analogy. So many people are conditioned this way and because they fail at something once, they refuse to try and try again.
Hey Anthony
Thank you for your valuable comment, I appreciate it a lot.
Hey Gina,
I have heard of this elephant story and its amazing when you look at the parallels between people that believe or have been made to believe that they must remain in the box and never venture to explore their potential. This is a very informative article which gives readers an insight into the difference between growth mindset and fixed mindset.
Hey Elziabeth
I’m glad my post shreed some light into the difference between growth mindset and fixed mindset. I hope some readers even reflect upon their own mindset and realize that it takes focus and engagement to keep a growth mindset.
Thank you for your valuable support, encouragement and comments.
Thanks Gina for providing such a great post. This is my first time I hear about the elephant story. It is indeed meaningful and the real fact how many of us are still in fixed mindset.
Hey Amos
I’m glad you found my post meaningful.
Thank you for your valuable comments, I appreciate it a lot.
Hi Gina thanks for taking the time out to write/share such a great article. I think I first heard of the elephant story from one of Tony Robbin’s lectures. It is a great way of showing the difference between the 2 mindsets and what each one can result in.
Have the right mindset, and you can achieve anything you desire…
Thanks again
Saqib Khan
That’s right Saqib
Have the right mindset and keep it that way
Thanks for leaving your valuable comment.
Hey Gina, you are so right. There is alway something new to learn, and you have to keep growing in order to remain relevant, not only in the industry but in the world as a whole.
You are soo right Yvonne
Growing both personally will eventually grow you professionally.
Thanks for leaving your valuable comment.
Hi Gina
Love your narration of elephants ……I never knew that!
With the world around us constantly changing, there really is a great need for individuals to grow in their mindset as well if one wants to succeed in life.
And when it comes to our industry, to be a leader you really do need to be on top of things and if you are not, your downline will leave and look for a leader that is constantly coming up with values.
Thank you very much for sharing
Remi
Hey Remi
I totally agree, leaders must be on top of things, ahead of the game to lead.
Thank you for your highly appreciate and valuable comment.
Wow thats a great post Gina..
Thanks Ken
I’m happy to deliver