Black Box Thinking: Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance

by Matthew Syed

But it also explains why some people learn from their mistakes, while others do not. The difference is ultimately about how we conceptualise our failures. Those in the Growth Mindset, by definition, think about error in a different way from those in the Fixed Mindset. Because they believe that progress is driven, in large part, by practice, they naturally regard failure as an inevitable aspect of learning. Is it any wonder they pay attention to their mistakes and extract the learning opportunities? Is it any wonder they are not crushed by failure? And is it any wonder they are sympathetic to bottom-up iteration? Those who think that success emerges from talent and innate intelligence, on the other hand, are far more likely to be threatened by their mistakes. They will regard failures as evidence that they don’t have what it takes, and never will: after all, you can’t change what you were born with. They are going to be more intimidated by situations in which they will be judged. Failure is dissonant.