- Harrisburg, PA
- April 18
Why do some of our employees embrace challenges, bounce back quickly from setbacks, take feedback well, and adapt easily to change – whereas other employees struggle to do these very same things? And (equally important) are these differences “hard-wired” – or are they something that we can change?
The answer lies in an understanding of a concept called “mindset,” originally described by research psychologist Carol Dweck. Mindset is the most fundamental way that we perceive, understand, and interact with ourselves, other people, and the world at large – and it can take two different forms: “fixed” or “growth.”
People with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence and skills are essentially innate (“fixed”) characteristics; you either have them, or you don’t. As a result, fixed mindset people often feel compelled to continually prove to themselves – and to others – how much innate intelligence and talent they already have. Unfortunately, this leads to a tendency to prefer working on things they’re already good at, and they can struggle if challenged to step outside their comfort zone – where they fear they might appear to be lacking in new or different skill sets.
By contrast, people with a growth mindset believe that “innate” intelligence and skills are significantly less important than effort and learning. They believe that it’s not how you start – it’s how you finish. And how you finish is largely determined by how hard you’re willing to work and how much you’re willing to learn. As a result, people with a growth mindset are less concerned with proving how smart, talented, and capable they already are – and are more interested in doing everything they possibly can to get better. They embrace challenges, show resilience in the face of setbacks, welcome feedback, and are undaunted by change.
The good news is that mindset itself is not “fixed”; it can be shaped at both the individual and the organizational level by focusing on three key factors. Understanding how to leverage these factors allows us to shift ourselves – and to help others shift – from fixed to growth mindset. Shifting to a growth mindset allows us – and our employees, our colleagues, our children and our partners – to perform at our best and to maximize our potential in every area of both our professional and personal lives.
About the Speaker
Dr. Eve Meceda is the most recent recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the top award for Vistage speakers, and she is a previous winner of the Vistage Speaker of the Year award. She is a research psychologist by training – and is currently an author, executive educator, and professional speaker. She has spent the past two decades working with client organizations in 18 countries (and counting) across all continents except Antarctica (and would love to make it there, too).
Much of Eve’s current work with clients centers on the development of a “growth mindset.” A key focus of this work is helping people shift from “the desire to prove how good they already are” to “the development of an obsession with learning, effort and improvement.”
She is also the author of “CLICK: The Art + Science of Getting from Impasse to Insight,” which focuses on accelerating and facilitating the insight-generation process.
When she’s not on the road working with clients, Eve lives and works in the beautiful Denver, Colorado area.
This is a Vistage speaker/event. Contact us to learn more about Vistage groups.
