Growth Mindset -- Confidence & Mindset -- Learn & Lead

Confidence & Mindset

You Are Not Finished Yet

In the 1990s, psychologist Carol Dweck at Stanford University began studying why some students thrived when things got difficult while others gave up. What she found changed how researchers, educators and coaches around the world think about ability, effort and potential.

Her conclusion was that how you think about your own intelligence and abilities matters more than how much intelligence and ability you currently have. This section explores what she found, what it means for you, and how you can begin to shift the way you think about challenge, effort and failure.

A short self-assessment comes first: an honest look at how you currently respond to difficulty.

"The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life."

Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Self-Assessment

How Do You Currently Think About Ability?

Choose the option that most honestly reflects how you think and behave right now, not how you think you should.

Your Results

Where You Are Now

This is a picture of your current mindset tendencies. It is not a fixed label. It is a starting point, and mindset is something you can develop.

Practice

Check Your Understanding

Six questions on the ideas from this section. You will get immediate feedback after each answer.

Question 1 of 6

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Well Done

You have explored Carol Dweck's research on mindset and what it means for how you approach challenge, effort and setbacks. The most important next step is noticing your own fixed mindset moments and choosing a different response. Head back to Rising Leaders to explore what is next.