In 2020, I published my Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling book, Success Mindsets: The Keys to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership.
In this book, I presented the following mindset framework based on the last 40 years of mindset research to help people awaken to and elevate their mindsets.
In doing so, I identified how there are mindsets that people commonly have that ultimately limit them (the four self-protective mindsets), and more ideal mindsets that allow people to navigate life, work, and leadership more effectively (the four value creating mindsets).
While I feel I knew a lot about mindsets at the time, my understanding of mindsets is now significantly deeper than what it was.
I now want to take the opportunity to define each of these different mindsets so that you can more fully understand what they are and awaken to the quality of your mindsets. And, if you want to assess the quality of your mindsets, you can take my Free Personal Mindset Assessment.
Defining Mindsets Generally
Before I define each of the different mindsets, let me lay a foundation to build upon by defining mindsets generally.
Our mindsets are the mental lenses that our body uses to make sense of and interpret our world. They are the most foundational aspect of everything we do because they shape how we think, learn, and behave; which, in turn, dictates how effectively we operate across our life, work, and leadership.
Our mindsets can be programmed to have us see and interpret our world in ways that protect us in the short-term from feeling unsafe, uncomfortable, or like we don’t belong. These are called self-protective mindsets. While these mindsets and their associative programming can have short-term protective benefits, such programming is limiting for us and others in the long-term.
Our mindsets can also be programmed to have us see and interpret our world in ways that (1) help us to sit with short-term discomfort, and simultaneously (2) create value for ourselves and others in the long-term. These are called value creating mindsets.
The quality of our mindsets resides somewhere along the continuum between being wired for self-protection and being wired for value creation.
Fixed and Growth Mindsets
A fixed mindset is mental programming that causes one to see failure, struggles, or losing as an indication that they are a failure, struggler, or loser.
There are several aspects about this programming to take note of:
- People with a fixed mindset generally carry the belief that they and others cannot change their talents, abilities, and intelligence.
- A fixed mindset has short-term benefits of steering someone away from taking on challenges that may result in failure, struggle, or losing.
- A fixed mindset has the long-term limitations of holding people back from activities that will help them learn, grow, and adapt to be a greater value creator in the long-term.
A growth mindset is mental programming that causes one to see failure, struggles, or losing as an opportunity to learn, grow, and become better.
There are several aspects about this programming to take note of:
- People with a growth mindset generally carry the belief that they and others can change their talents, abilities, and intelligence.
- A growth mindset allows someone to have a wider window of tolerance for failure, struggles, and losing.
- With this wider window of tolerance, those with a growth mindset are more willing to take on challenging activities, push themselves, and learn and grow, which sets them up for greater long-term success and positive impact.
Closed and Open Mindsets
A closed mindset is mental programming that involves believing that what one knows is best, which causes them to be closed to the ideas and suggestions of others.
There are a couple aspects about this programming to take note of:
- A closed mindset has short-term benefits of helping one to feel more certain, feel more in control, move more quickly, and protect their identity as an expert.
- A closed mindset has the long-term limitations of holding people back from exploring ideas and perspectives that will help them to think more optimally and get closer to truth.
An open mindset is mental programming that involves believing that their thinking and perspective is limited, which allows them to be open to the ideas and suggestions of others.
There are a couple aspects about this programming to take note of:
- An open mindset allows someone to have a wider window of tolerance for being wrong or admitting they are wrong.
- With this wider window of tolerance, those with an open mindset are more willing to ask questions and take in the perspectives and ideas of others in order to get closer to thinking most optimally, which sets them up for greater long-term success and positive impact.
Prevention and Promotion Mindsets
A prevention mindset is mental programming that causes one to see problems as things to avoid.
There are several aspects about this programming to take note of:
- A prevention mindset has short-term benefits of protecting one from having problems and experiencing the discomfort associated with problems.
- A prevention mindset has the long-term limitations of holding people back from taking the risks necessary to achieve a meaningful purpose or accomplishing meaningful goals.
- Together, a prevention mindset leads one to (1) take the course of least resistance, and (2) stay in a place of comfort, but not make significant progress.
A promotion mindset is mental programming that causes one to see problems as a necessary part of fulfilling a meaningful purpose or meaningful goals.
There are several aspects about this programming to take note of:
- A promotion mindset allows someone to have a wider window of tolerance for problems and risk.
- With this wider window of tolerance, those with a promotion mindset are more willing to step outside of their comfort zone to fulfill a meaningful purpose or meaningful goals, which sets them up for greater long-term success and positive impact.
- Together, a promotion mindset leads one to be a proactive creator of their future as opposed to a passive passenger of their circumstances.
Inward and Outward Mindsets
An inward mindset is mental programming that causes one to see themselves as more important than others, which causes them to be inclined to see others as objects as opposed to as people.
There are a couple aspects about this programming to take note of:
- An inward mindset has short-term benefits of helping one to ensure that they feel seen, valued, and respected in the short-term.
- An inward mindset has the long-term limitations of operating in a manner that does not value others, which ultimately limits their ability to be a positive influence in the long-term.
An outward mindset is mental programming that causes one to see others as being just as important as themselves, which causes them to be inclined to see others as people as opposed to as objects.
There are a couple aspects about this programming to take note of:
- An outward mindset allows someone to have a wider window of tolerance for not being seen, valued, or respected.
- With this wider window of tolerance, those with an outward mindset are more willing to operate in a manner that lifts others and creates value for them, which sets them up for greater long-term success and positive impact.
Awakening to Your Mindsets
Putting labels and definitions to mindsets is incredibly powerful. This is because when one does not have labels or definitions for their mindsets, they are unable to introspect and improve upon their mindsets. But, when one has labels and definitions for their mindsets, they can awaken to their mindsets and then be intentional about elevating their mindsets to become greater value creators.
Again, if you want to awaken to the quality of your mindsets, take this FREE Personal Mindset Assessment.
And, if you want to help your leaders or employees awaken to the quality of their mindsets and the degree to which they are wired for value creation versus self-protection, let’s connect. I would love to walk you through different assessments and programming that can help you elevate your workforce.
