Dweck’s research offers a possible explanation for how these Tier One captains—though not the most talented athletes—managed to overcome their weaknesses to exceed the accomplishments of those with greater gifts. I suspect they were not only “mastery-oriented” people, they were likely members of that rarefied 25 percent whose skills and strategies improved in the face of difficulty. Because they viewed their abilities as malleable, and because they were more motivated by learning and improving than by appearing to be capable, they never lost faith.
