Reading Reflection #2

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The general theme of the book discussed two differing mindsets: the fixed-mindset and the growth mindset. It argued that the mindset our society cultivates is generally a fixed mindset. This is because we place value on natural abilities, your either intelligent or not, your either athletic or not etc. We believe that our abilities cannot be drastically improved through effort, which is not true, and is a flaw in our society. Dweck argues that society at large needs to be more orientated towards a growth mindset - based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can grow through your efforts. This means that instead of looking for constant validation of our superiority than everyone else, a result of the fixed mindset, we will accept that we are not perfect, that we can improve and learn from each other. Dweck then argues why this mindset will result in positive impacts in parenting, business, school and relationships, whilst providing evidence to support it. 

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

The book made me connect with a lot of things Mr Pryor has emphasized over the course of the semester. The first of these being that failure is not a bad thing. Under the fixed mindset, failure means you aren't good enough, it means you've tried and failed, which brings feelings of self-loathing and thinking your not good enough. However, failure under the growth mindset should be encouraging, its a challenge that one should be excited to face and grow from. Another aspect that the book has taught me is its application to business and management. In the business section, Dweck gives examples of CEO's with the fixed and growth mindset. Those with the fixed mindset didn't want to confront shortcomings as they had the potential to look bad, they would rather create a world where they had none. Those with the growth mindset tackled their problems head on, created an environment where communication was encouraged, and a teamwork environment was created rather than individuals leading. This led to much better results for the company's. 

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

My exercise would be a test to see who had the growth and fixed mindset and then another test to see which students would choose a task that challenged them and who would choose a task that made them look good. The quiz would be a list of questions to determine which mindset they had: do you believe intelligence can be drastically improved or is inherent in the person, do you believe ones personality can be fostered and improved? The results of this would tell me which mindset the students had.  Next, I would give them a choice to perform two tasks: The first would be a challenge, but they could learn from it, it would involve researching and then pitching on a subject they are unfamiliar with. The other would be choosing and pitching a subject they are familiar with. I would then look at the results, I'm sure what I would fins after reading the book is that those with the growth mindset would choose the challenging task, as they can learn and grow from it. Those with a fixed mindset would most likely choose the task they are familiar with, as it will make them look good, and reinforce their self-esteem. 

4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

My biggest 'aha' moment whilst reading the book was that the best CEO's held the growth mindset. I always thought the typical CEO was arrogant, confident and never willing to admit he was wrong. What I found out after reading this book was that the best CEO's, those who produced revenues the world has never seen before, accepted that they weren't perfect. They acknowledged that they had flaws and didn't know everything, they utilized their resources, had respect for their inferiors and managed to achieve huge successes. They did this by creating an environment of communication throughout the organization. They fired the bosses that needed their employees to conform to their wishes instead of challenging the status quo. This enabled their workers to work together and collaborate instead of conforming to groupthink and allowed for creativity and innovation.