Unamerican.com

Praise the PROCESS, not the person! says carol dweck @brainology

Praising talent fixes people and makes them feel stress about matching the high standard every time out, so they don’t take on new things - they stay in their comfort zone.

Instead, praise brilliant strategies and heavy effort. Process values. Not just a successful outcome, or you’re a genius, but more like, “well, that was a genius way to go about it.”

You want people to be flexible next time, not just stick to the behavior that got them praise. Learn from a failure, not think “oh no, my prior praiser will be disappointed! Better cover it up and deny it.”

People monitor what works and what doesn’t with an eye to the future. This is learning and we need to share it.

Mavericks are not being encouraged in school. Confusion is opportunity and not something to fear. You run your brain. It’s a muscle that gets stronger as you stretch it to learn and you need to be self-motivated to grow your brain.

Welcome hard tasks. Confusing projects create new neurons. Be more comfortable with your confusion. This is your brain growing. Teachers and leaders are learning and should be ok coming across as confused so they can help us together move into clarity.

Success leads people to fly big heads. People on top think they can coast: they’re already smart, no need to do anything. This makes people stagnant. Big changes are afoot and you are a novice each time the game changes. Enjoy the struggle and confusion. This is where you can discover how to solve a puzzle that flummoxes everyone.

Get motivated by challenges; and don’t think of yourself as perfect, see yourself as engaged in an exciting struggle and learning new ways to get through it.

———————

Interviewed about her new book “mindset” on the Harvard Business Review IdeaCast podcast.