If I were a Christian, I would have loved to have this epitaph inscribed on my grave: To live in the hearts you leave behind is not to die.
The more I read this book, Mindset by Dr. Dweck, the further away the epitaph seems to slip away from me! The many qualities of being a person with a fixed mindset worry me. The hope of living in the hearts of the people long after I am gone is a lofty goal only if I connect and remain in their minds when I am alive. With my unyielding ways, and my strong conviction that only I am right causes a lot of friction.
With my colleagues, if I know that I cannot get my way, I choose to keep mum and say nothing at all. I pretend as if the subject matter under discussion doesn’t concern me at all. It is either my way, or the highway.
The problem then is, I lose interest in my work! I am simmering within discontent, unwilling to continue to put my best foot forward. The thoughts in my head are, “What’s the point! They don’t heed to my expert advice and want to make a fool of themselves. Why do I care. When they fail, they will come to their senses and realize their folly.”
The fixed mindset is insecure, a control freak, and quick to judge everyone from atop a lofty throne. I live in dread, worried sick of being judged, and mostly feeling claustrophobic. A growth mindset leader gives ample breathing room to the team allowing them to flourish and grow. The leader is still insecure but is open to ideas, willing to ask for help, and work together and succeed as a team!
Dr. Dweck writes the epitaph of the greatest growth mindset leader, Andrew Carnegie, “I wish to have as my epitaph, ‘Here lies a man who was wise enough to bring into his service men who knew more than he.’”
Because, it’s hard for courage and innovation to survive a companywide fixed mindset.
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