When faced with a task that seems too challenging, someone with a fixed mindset may think, “There’s no way I can do that. I’m not smart or talented enough. There’s really no point in trying?” Perhaps you even felt that way towards a subject you found challenging or difficult to understand at school. This mindset is very outcome-focused; instead of looking at failures as learning experiences, someone with a fixed mindset will feel that hard work, when yielding no direct result, was “all for nothing.” Their successes and failures may also be an essential part of how they define themselves, meaning that they may avoid taking risks not to make themselves look bad in the case that they should fail. Eduardo Briseño, a leader on the subject, calls a fixed mindset ‘a culture focused on proving rather than improving. ²⁵

People with a fixed mindset believe that their intelligence is fixed and cannot significantly develop through learning or interacting with their environment. At the other end of this spectrum is a growth mindset, which refers to thinking about intelligence and abilities as changeable and malleable. Those who endorse a growth mindset believe intelligence is like a muscle that will strengthen as you continue to work it. It also focuses more on the learning process than on the outcome. Failures become opportunities for learning, and every problem-solving attempt holds value.

Mindsets are a collection of beliefs that simplify complex worldviews into manageable insights, guiding your expectations based on this understanding.¹³ Fixed or growth mindset thinking significantly impacts our worldview and can affect how we handle life’s challenges, our mental health, and, ultimately, our happiness. 

Research on mindsets has revealed that a fixed mindset is less adaptive than a growth mindset. This is partly because a fixed mindset heightens stress and performance pressure while fostering the belief that one’s intellectual abilities are predetermined and limited. These effects impact individuals' motivation to learn and improve, discouraging them from seeking further growth and development opportunities. It has been argued that our potential is unknowable, so we should not give up simply because we think we cannot accomplish something. We cannot know what we are capable of, and with dedication and hard work, the extent of what we are capable of is certainly subject to change.¹

American psychologist Carol Dweck is credited with developing mindset theory, distinguishing between fixed and growth mindsets. Her inspiration to pursue this line of study came from an unpleasant experience in the sixth grade.² All of the students in her class were asked to take an IQ test, which determined the course of the rest of the school year. They were then told to sit in order of their IQ scores, and the students with the lowest scores were denied privileges awarded to the highest-scoring children. Dweck recalls feeling immense pressure to maintain high performance and feared that a single 'bad' grade would lower her status in the class.³ Dweck’s sixth-grade teacher promoted a fixed mindset. Unsurprisingly, this outlook did not sit well with Dweck.

This experience was part of what inspired Dweck to pursue graduate research in motivation and intelligence. She theorized that a fixed mindset leads people to approach challenging problems or tasks with less motivation since they believe there is no point in trying things they deem outside their strengths or capabilities. This lack of motivation and effort results in a poor outcome or even failure, reinforcing the belief that they were incapable in the first place.⁴ In other words, a fixed mindset can create a vicious cycle of failure, as the fear of mistakes discourages effort and learning, leading to repeated setbacks and reinforcing the belief in unchangeable limitations.

Dweck has dedicated her academic career to developing interventions to help foster a growth mindset in children to set them up for success. Dweck’s work suggests that fostering a growth mindset in students can lead to positive changes in their learning behaviors and attitudes in the classroom. Dweck also believes that recognizing and rewarding effort rather than results will reduce academic stress and encourage children to enjoy learning and understand that failures and setbacks are inevitable and valuable parts of the journey. 

A pilot study aimed at fostering a growth mindset yielded promising results. hroughout an eight-week intervention, students were taught about growth mindset, how to incorporate it into their lives, and were given advice on improving their study habits. Other students were assigned to a control condition. Over the weeks, these students were given the same study tips as those in the mindset intervention condition but did not learn about growth mindset. At the end of the intervention, the students who had learned about mindset showed significant improvement in academic performance. The same effect was not seen in students who had only been advised on effective studying.⁵

These mindsets are now foundational in leadership coaching and motivational speaking, helping individuals and organizations embrace continuous improvement and adaptability. Thought leaders and prominent executive coaches such as Michelle Buck and Eduardo Briseño highlight that those who embrace a growth mindset actively pursue learning, view setbacks as opportunities for development, and foster an organizational culture that values ongoing growth and experimentation.

Carol Dweck

American psychologist Carol Dweck first defined the concepts of fixed and growth mindsets. Dweck received her PhD from Yale and is currently a professor of psychology at Stanford University.⁶ Her career has been dedicated to research on mindset and to developing interventions to foster the development of a growth mindset. Her research is outlined in her 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She has also made several resources for promoting growth mindset available on her website, “Mindset Works.”

Michelle L. Buck

Buck subscribes to the belief that leadership is cultivated through life experiences. She is a Clinical Professor of Leadership at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and earned her PhD in Social Psychology from Princeton University. In addition to her academic work, Buck is a consultant who provides executive teaching for a range of private, public, family business, and nonprofit organizations.

Eduardo Briseño

Briseño is a global keynote speaker, facilitator, and author renowned for his expertise in fostering growth mindset cultures within organizations. He also co-founded (alongside Carol Dweck) MindsetWorks, a company dedicated to mindset development services. His book, The Performance Paradox, explores the tension between performance and learning. He argues that although people naturally focus on performance—consistently trying to execute tasks flawlessly—they often overlook the importance of dedicated education and experimentation, which are crucial for growth and long-term success.

Mindsets during adulthood influence many aspects of our lives, including work performance, personal achievement, and well-being.¹⁴ According to Dweck’s research, a fixed mindset can be incredibly limiting. Believing that we cannot do something causes us to dedicate less effort to accomplishing it because we feel there is no point in trying. Naturally, this lack of effort yields subpar results, reinforcing the idea that the task is simply too challenging.⁷ This vicious cycle maintains that we cannot improve and that there is a very distinct divide between what we can and cannot do. 

A belief that we are intellectually ‘fixed’ from birth can have a significant impact on people’s well-being and outlook on their lives. Dweck’s original theory suggested that individuals with a fixed intelligence mindset often attribute success to internal factors, such as unchangeable, innate talent and abilities, and perceive achievement situations as reflections of their intelligence and self-worth. To support this, research shows that students with a fixed mindset are more likely to exhibit helpless responses to substantial academic challenges and to experience decreased self-esteem during their time at college.¹² In comparison, their counterparts with a growth mindset welcome challenges and maintain self-esteem because they view failure as a lack of effort rather than a lack of intellectual ability. 

People with a fixed mindset tend to be more afraid to take risks because they fear failure. However, failing can be an incredibly valuable learning experience. It can be an essential step on the road to success. Intellectual risk-taking, which is commonly associated with a growth mindset, involves engaging in certain learning behaviors regardless of potential errors or judgment.¹⁶ Typical intellectual risk-taking behaviors, including sharing ideas with other people, asking questions, and attempting to learn new things. Many of these behaviors can be difficult for someone with a fixed mindset because they may not see how these actions could contribute to their intelligence, which they believe to be unchangeable.

There has been some skepticism about whether Dweck’s interventions to foster the development of a growth mindset are effective in improving students' academic performance. A study conducted by Dweck showed that implementing practices designed to encourage a growth mindset led to significant improvements in performance among junior high math students relative to students who did not receive the intervention.⁸ However, attempts to replicate these findings have yielded mixed results. Raising questions about whether the interventions are effective and to what extent a growth mindset is as important as Dweck claims.⁹

A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on growth mindset interventions came to an even more damning conclusion. The authors suggested that the apparent effects of growth mindset interventions on students’ academic achievements are likely attributable to inadequate study design, reporting flaws, and bias.¹⁷ Another similar study produced a more nuanced opinion; these researchers agree that growth mindset interventions work only in some groups and not in others. They found that a growth mindset is most beneficial for struggling students but largely ineffective for high performers.¹⁸

Dweck has addressed skepticism by emphasizing that the effectiveness of growth mindset interventions depends on how they are implemented in the classroom. If the concept is taught once and no other changes are made to how the classroom functions, it makes sense that there would be no noticeable changes in the students’ academic performance.¹⁰ In addition to teaching the concept of a growth mindset, Dweck proposes that teachers create an environment where students feel comfortable trying new approaches and taking risks because they view failure as an opportunity to learn.

Furthermore, it is important to note that a growth mindset is not the sole determining factor behind students’ success. A well-designed curriculum and accepting, effective, and adaptable teachers are also necessary for children to flourish in a classroom setting.¹¹ A growth mindset is a valuable tool that can help foster success, but it alone is insufficient. 

When is a fixed mindset better than a growth mindset? 

Many discussions on mindsets suggest that a growth mindset is always superior. However, while this may be the case for skills, there are two areas of life where Dweck argues that having a fixed mindset might be more beneficial than a growth mindset: sexual orientation and aging. 

Dweck believes that people who accept themselves for who they are, intellectually and otherwise, tend to be better adjusted than people who feel compelled to be changing and developing themselves.²⁰  She further specifies that people with a fixed mindset may feel better about their sexual orientation because they view it as an unchangeable and intrinsic part of who they are, providing a sense of stability and certainty. This belief helps them avoid the discomfort of ambiguity or external pressure to change, as they see their orientation as innate and beyond their control. 

In terms of aging, she adds that a fixed mindset can be beneficial because it provides a sense of stability and acceptance of the natural process of growing older.²¹ People with a fixed mindset may view aging as an inevitable and unchangeable part of life, which can help reduce stress or anxiety about trying to fight or deny the process.

Fixed mindset and the Great Man Theory

The Great Man Theory, which is associated with Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle, describes the belief that leaders are born with innate qualities rather than being made through experience, education, or hard work. From the perspective of mindsets, the Great Man Theory is a manifestation of the fixed mindset; either we’re born to be a leader, or we’re not, and there’s not much we can do to change it. 

However, the Great Man Theory started to lose favor during the twentieth century because it never actually specified the innate characteristics of ‘great men’. Instead, they were attributed to very abstract concepts, such as divine inspiration for military power.²²  

Since then, debates have raged about whether you can actually become a leader during a lifetime. Some have argued that while some leadership qualities are innate, a significant part of effective leadership can be taught.²³ Michelle Buck, a professor at Northwestern University, emphasizes that leadership development significantly depends on reflection and the ability to extract lessons from past experiences, especially challenges.²⁴ According to Buck, effective leaders cultivate resilience by recognizing insights from these experiences and applying them in future situations. Leadership education involves helping individuals identify and articulate key lessons from their life events, mentors, and various relationships, fostering resilience and adaptability. 

With a fixed mindset, none of this is possible. Only leaders who maintain a growth mindset will believe that their abilities and skills can improve over time, embrace challenges, learn from setbacks, and actively seek opportunities for personal and professional growth. 

The Beginner’s Mind 

Beginner’s Mind is a Zen teaching method that reinforces our mindset as children, where the world is full of endless possibilities, and we have an attitude of eagerness and openness. This article explores the history of Beginner’s Mind in Japan and the rest of the world. It looks at how the concept is applied to improve cross-cultural relations, remedy over-competence pressure, and help improve patient and practitioner relationships.  

Dunning-Kruger Effect 

Whether or not we believe our intelligence is fixed, overestimating our competence can lead to problems. The Dunning-Kruger Effect occurs when a person’s lack of knowledge and skill in a particular domain causes them to overestimate their abilities. This article looks at the rise and fall of the Dunning-Kruger Effect and the recent controversies surrounding this once well-established concept. 

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