Champion Mindset for 2025!
December 18, 2024
by Toni Delos Santos
90% Mental
90percentmental.com
“Keep your attitude positive for the New Year.”
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What do Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and Tom Brady all have in common? They are all exceptionally talented athletes who have achieved greatness in both their respective sport and life. When we watch them perform, we see the results of the hours and hours of work that they put in both physically and mentally to be able to achieve their highest levels of success. They have all faced adversity and use the same resilience that they developed throughout their lives by implementing strong mindsets and belief systems that we can all learn from to become the best version of ourselves.
Growth mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
Having the right mindset is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle that individuals need to be successful. Stanford’s professor and bestselling author Carol Dweck has done extensive research on mindset, and she has established that there are two types of mindsets that exist within people: fixed mindset or growth mindset. According to Dweck, “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, such as intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits.” She continues, “Alternatively, in a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are the starting point.”
People with a fixed mindset hold on to beliefs about themselves and their value that they are either naturally good or bad at certain skills and will never be able to attain a higher level. When we have a fixed mindset, we have limiting beliefs that were formed subconsciously as a defensive mechanism to help us to avoid feeling rejection and disappointment. These limiting beliefs get in the way of our growth and development. The growth mindset, however, is based on the thought that the ability to learn from each situation and move forward to succeed can always improve. With a growth mindset, each setback is a steppingstone that can get you closer to your goal by making adjustments. Some things will come more naturally than others, and with hard work and dedication your ability to improve and reach your goals is within your grasp.
Leaders and managers with a fixed mindset believe the talent they bring in will determine the success of the company. They are not open to suggestions and judge their work based only on the results and how it reflects on them. They are convinced that they are more intelligent and their way of doing things is the best way. This can lead to a company not keeping up with the changing environment and a competitor taking over their market share.
In contrast, when you have leaders and managers that have a growth mindset, they believe that hiring talented people will be a great addition to their team; they will bring new ideas that will be beneficial to the team. If they do not get the result they were trying to achieve, they will go back, reassess, and make the necessary adjustments. This mindset will keep employees engaged and feel that their contribution to the company is valued. Creating a psychologically safe environment where your ideas are welcomed and not judged can bring out a whole new level innovation. Having passionate people working together to achieve goals is invaluable. This mindset also creates solution minded workforce. If a certain idea does not work, they will work together until they figure out another way to make it happen.
A lot of times teams with the most talented players do not win championships. However, it is the teams that have great coaches with the ability to bring out each players potential and passion to work together for a common goal. When the team wins, everybody wins.
