Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck noticed something many leaders see every day: some people welcome a hard challenge, others steer around it. Her explanation is simple and memorable. With a fixed mindset, we see ability as something we either have or lack. With a growth mindset, we see it as something we can build.
For anyone who gives feedback, the chapters on praise are a gem. Dweck shows how praising effort and strategy ("You found a smart way to solve that") helps people keep going when things get hard.
Talent Takeaway
It reminds us how much our words shape the way others see their own potential. Next time someone on your team struggles with a new task, try adding one small word: "You can't do this yet." Dweck calls it the power of yet, and it works in a team meeting as well as at the kitchen table.
Our Take
A book that gave leaders a shared language for growth. Its practical gift to every manager: the way we praise people helps shape how they grow.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House. Find it