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By: Dr. Colleen Hacker The popularity of growth mindset literature over the past few decades has had a positive effect on people's lives. However, a significant and potentially deleterious misconception has also emerged, one that suggests encouraging and focusing on effort and improvement are all that matter. Instead, as Dweck points out (2008; Dweck and Yeager 2019), the process and learning from successful and less successful strategies is critical to achievement. It is not enough to put posters about effort and growth on the wall or write down moments of your own effort achievements. Coaches, teachers, and employers have bought into a simplistic version of the growth mindset and often say "Don't worry; you'll get it if you keep trying" or "Great effort! I love that you went for it." Certainly, effort is necessary and essential, but it is not the only requirement of a growth mindset. Emphasizing effort without an effective strategy is a mistake that is eerily similar to that which we made in previous generations when we provided participation trophies. In that case, showing up equated to giving effort. In fact, Dweck (2015) commented that what keeps her awake at night is fearing that the mindset concepts, which developed as a counter to the failed self-esteem movement, would be used to perpetuate that same philosophy. Performers need a broad repertoire of effective strategies they can employ to learn and improve. It is good to try, but to give effort without thinking about what strategies worked or did not work does little more than improve self-esteem. Self-reflection and situational analysis are equally critical elements A growth mindset does not mean that anyone can accomplish any-thing they want; it is not a self-belief model, and it is not cheerleading for yourself or someone else. Instead, a growth mindset is about generating multiple strategies for success and being willing to do the work, sustained over time to bring about change and greater competence. The value of Dweck's (2016) work is in the details. Performers benefit from developing a growth mindset because it encourages them to recognize the solutions that are useful and accurate, and it encourages them to always be willing to generate and implement new remedies or strategies for problems that have yet to be mastered. Absolutely, appreciate the work you have put in so far, but, if you have not yet solved the problem, then ask yourself what you have tried, how it worked out (or not), and what you can try next. Imagine you are trying to solve a math problem but cannot seem to find the solution: What have you tried and what you can you try next? Now, think about trying to get past a pressing defense in basketball or racing a mile against an opponent you have not defeated before. What did you try before? What else can you try? How will you change your approach? What else do you need to practice? Where do you need to practice? That is the magic sauce. Developing the appropriate belief system or mindset is like a noun in a sentence. It matters, but without a verb, the sentence is incomplete. You must believe that you can improve, develop, and grow, and then you need to identify actionable steps that will bring about that growth (see the following worksheet). Developing a Growth Mindset After Adversity The purpose of this worksheet is to help you develop a growth mindset when faced with setbacks, rejection, or failure. Directions Answer the following prompts as completely as possible.
From C. Hacker and M. Mann, Achieving Excellence: Mastering Mindset for Peak Performance in Sport and Life (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2023). |
Recognizing Effort and Strategy
