“Vision
without action is a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”---Japanese Proverb
In her latest of
many articles on MINDSET, Psychology Professor Carol Dweck begins with
the statement: “There are things that
distinguish great athletes---champions---from others. Most of the sports world thinks it’s their
talent, but I will argue that it’s their mindset.”
You can read her article; THE
MINDSET OF A CHAMPION at Failure of parents & coaches to
instill a growth mindset is also a major source of attrition in youth sports
@ http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/media/894520/the-mindset-of-a-champion-by-carol-dweck.pdf
Coaching at both
the collegiate and high school levels I learned early on to develop a strategy
to create an environment whereby MINDSET could be taught and learned on a daily
basis.
The challenge
for both teams and individuals in any sport is to always get better, always improve. To do this takes the
cultivation of a growth mindset.
In a growth mindset, students
and/or athletes truly believe that they can cultivate their own abilities
through effort and that through doing so, they will get better over time. Thus,
the growth mindset creates an
environment where students and/or athletes always get better.
The contrasting fixed mindset is characterized by the
belief that students and/or athletes see their abilities as fixed traits.
In this view, talents are gifts ---you either have them or you don’t.
From an early
age, mindset can determine success in academics or athletics. People can
hold one mindset about intellect/ intelligence and another about
athletic ability. Whichever mindset they adopt about athletic ability
will guide their choices in regards to certain sports or athletics in general.
The most
important fact for parents and coaches to consider is that mindsets of
youngsters are not related to their level of ability in academic or athletic
avenues AT FIRST. What is important, as pointed out by Dr. Dweck, is that those with the GROWTH MINDSET appear to gain
an advantage over time.
The younger that
parents cultivate the proper growth mindset in their children, the more
successful their children will be at any chosen endeavor. This provides the
“Why” for parents to learn to develop an atmosphere where learning growth mindsets can take place.
To better
understand “HOW” this can be done I have provided an adaptation from Dr.
Dweck’s theory on changing mindsets in table format below.
Better to
develop the proper mindset EARLY so that it will not be needed to CHANGE it at a later date!
GROWTH
MINDSET vs. FIXED MINDSET
Growth Mindset
I
believe that my character, personality and intelligence can be developed. My
true potential is unknown.
DESIRE: To push myself, take risks and constantly learn new
things. I enjoy challenge.
EVALUATION OF SITUATIONS: Will it allow me to grow? Will it
help me to overcome challenges?
Attitude to Setbacks: I failed. I’ll learn from it an move on. I’ll try
harder next time.
Attitude to Challenges: I embrace
challenges and persist when thing get tough.
Effort: I believe
that personal growth and learning require EFFORT.
Criticism: I try to learn from criticism. What can I do to
improve?
The Success of Others: I find
lessons and inspiration in other people’s successes.
RESULT: They achiever ever-higher levels of success.
Fixed Mindset
I
believe that my character, personality, potential and intelligence are carved
in stone and determined at birth.
DESIRE: I need to look smart in every situation and to prove myself again and
again. I must never fail.
EVALUATION OF SITUATIONS: Will I succeed at it or fail? Will
it make me look intelligent or stupid?
Attitude to Setbacks: I’m a failure. I knew I’d fail. I’m an idiot.
Attitude to Challenges: I avoid challenges. I get defensive and give up easily.
Effort: Why bother
with effort? It’s not going to change a thing.
Criticism: I ignore criticism. I do things my way.
The Success of Others: I feel
threatened by the successes of others. If they succeed, I fail.
RESULT: They plateau early and never reach their full
potential.
“The
environment that people live in is the environment they LEARN to live in,
respect and perpetuate.”---Ellen S. Richards
Parents should
recognize that from an early age that the learning environment they establish
at home cultivates the initial development of their children’s mindset. Creating a mindset where children
want to get better, where they are always improving and where a sense of purpose
is established comes from establishing a structure that teaches children a
sense of purpose, belonging, teamwork and personal responsibility. Once a
family structure is set up to teach these values, the chances are good that the
children will not only develop proper values but make them habitual.
I think what we
all want our children and/or athletes to LEARN can be summed up by Sean
Fitzpatrick’s words from his WINNING
MATTERS. In this book, former Rugby star Fitzpatrick shares what he
learned from a teacher of his…”it didn’t matter what level of talent had been
given to us, what size we were or how fast or slow we ran. It was what we did
with the talent that we had that counted…no excuses, no exceptions. The only thing I want you to be is the best
you can possibly be.”
One thing
parents, coaches and teachers can do to cultivate this drive to continually
improve on a daily basis is to introduce insightful and inspiring influences to
the learning environment.
My next Blog
will continue the MINDSET theme by expanding the need for creating
learning environments to the athletic practice arena. Until then, whether you
are a parent, teacher or coach, I invite you to ponder this quote from
Pericles…WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND IS NOT
WHAT IS ENGRAVED IN STONE MONUMENTS BUT WHAT IS WOVEN INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS.
YOUR LEGACY IS THAT WHICH YOU TEACH.”
TO THIS I WOULD ADD THE WORD….DAILY!
Take the time
read the short article by Hamza Khan regarding BEGGINER MINDSET
development.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Real Innovation,
Get a Beginner’s Mindset
In his story
about accidental leadership, Drew Dudley quotes a man named Mustapha, who
referred to each day at work as his “first day of work.” Mind you, Mustapha had
been working in that very job for 18 years:
“I go to work every day like it’s my first
day. On your first day of work you dress your best, you listen the hardest, you
are nice to everyone that you work with. On your first day you work to impress
your new bosses and your new coworkers, and you hope and believe it will be a
job you love. But we let that all start to go away on our second day.”
Whether you’re an agency of one or a
corporate giant like Microsoft,
losing what SalesForce.com CEO Marc Benioff calls “the beginner’s mind” can
prove fatal. As you mature, you grow less open and spontaneous and you focus on
protecting rather than innovating:
“Are you going to be that innovator again?
The ones who are getting in trouble are the ones who lose that beginner’s
mind…A beginner’s mind is one of the most difficult things to have…You need to
have a beginner’s mind to create bold innovation.”
by Hamza Khan
“THE MASTER HAS FAILED MORE TIMES THAN THE BEGINNER HAS EVEN TRIED”---Chinese
Proverb
“If your child could
only study one subject at school you’d worry about their development & the
missed opportunities for them to learn new skills.
So why for some sports/coaches
is EARLY SPECIALIZATION perceived as acceptable?”---taken from a Twitter
Post from a coach/teacher to a youth sport coach.
No comments:
Post a Comment