Have you ever said, “I’m not good at math” or “She is a natural leader”?
I used to say things like that, too, until I realized they aren’t simply observations.
They’re indicators of a fixed mindset.
And that mindset quietly limits your performance, your possibilities, and your ability to lead change.
Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: Changing the Way You Think to Fulfill Your Potential explores how mindset shapes what we believe we can accomplish. Her work also connects to The Readiness Mindset®, an approach that helps people thrive because of change.
It’s not a lack of ability that holds you back. It’s mindset.
Scroll to continue reading, or click below to watch on YouTube.
Why Mindset Matters
Mindset is #6 in my series, 10 Books Every Leader Needs to Read.
Mindset, rather than any real lack of ability, may be preventing you and your organization from reaching your full potential.
It’s the same with change.
When you say, “They are resistant to change,” you’re working from a resistant mindset. And that mindset can create the very resistance you then need to manage.
Our mindset shapes who we are and what we’re capable of accomplishing.
Dweck’s research, spanning more than 30 years at Stanford, shows that the beliefs we hold about ourselves and others are among the greatest determinants of what we do and don’t do.
So, what exactly is mindset?
Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset
Your mindset is the filter through which you organize your world and what shapes your behaviour.
Dweck identified two types of mindsets.
A fixed mindset believes that talents, intelligence, and other attributes of success are static. You either have them, or you don’t.
A growth mindset recognizes unlimited potential. Talent, intelligence, and potential are dynamic and can be cultivated through effort, feedback, and persistence.
For leaders, the implications are profound.
A fixed-mindset leader focuses on proving competence and short-term validation.
A growth-mindset leader focuses on learning, developing, and long-term performance.
Growth Mindset and The Readiness Mindset®
For over two decades, I have advocated the value of emergent and participative organizational change. It is the foundation of The Readiness Mindset® System.
It was Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset that provided me with the clarity and language that helped me name the approach I developed and have used for decades to help organizations create healthy and sustainable change: The Readiness Mindset®.
It is a flexible, science-based approach and methodology that develops and adapts to the readiness of the people who make the change journey.
A resistant mindset believes people naturally resist change and focuses on managing that resistance.
The Readiness Mindset® believes change is part of being human.
When people feel capable, supported, and understand why change matters, they can and will adopt something new.
Every reaction is an indicator of readiness, not evidence of resistance.
What Mindset Means for Leadership
Dweck highlights the link between mindset and leadership when she compares Albert Dunlap, the former CEO of Sunbeam, who was brought in to rescue the company, with Lou Gerstner, the former CEO who led IBM through its transformation.
Dunlap, operating from a fixed mindset, chased short-term results. Stock prices soared briefly, but the company collapsed.
Gerstner, guided by a growth mindset, took a longer view. He focused on learning, collaboration, and long-term capability. IBM thrived.
The same dynamic shows up in organizational change.
Leaders using a resistant mindset see objections as obstacles.
How Mindset Shapes Organizational Culture
Another powerful takeaway is that mindset extends beyond the individual and shapes your organization’s entire culture.
Dweck describes two patterns:
- A culture of genius, where people compete to be the smartest person in the room.
- A culture of development, where people share ideas, invite feedback, and treat mistakes as opportunities for learning.
I’m guessing you’ve been in that meeting, the one where one or two people dominate while everyone else stays silent or doesn’t contribute.
What happened to decision-making?
What happened to collaboration?
What happened to innovation?
Dweck’s research shows that employees in growth-mindset companies feel more valued, more innovative, and more committed. Their leaders see them as future leaders in the making.
I see this same shift in organizations that adopt The Readiness Mindset®.
When leaders stop labelling reactions as resistance and start seeing them as indicators of readiness, communication opens up.
Pushback becomes productive dialogue.
How Mindset Shapes Relationships During Change
Dweck also reminds us that mindset affects relationships.
In fixed-mindset relationships, people assume others should just know what’s needed.
During change, it’s easy to fall into a similar trap, believing your employees’ level of readiness is the same when actually, they are not there yet.
With a growth mindset or The Readiness Mindset®, you pause, clarify, and replace blame with curiosity to build solutions together.
Removing the Armour That Limits Growth
One of the biggest aha moments for me from Dweck is that the fixed mindset initially feels like a cloak of specialness that keeps you feeling safe and worthy.
However, over time, it becomes a suit of armour that constricts growth and keeps you from being your best self.
I see something similar in leaders who work from a resistant mindset.
When leaders believe “people resist change,” initially, it feels safe to move forward because any pushback is simply resistance that must be managed.
Soon, however, that belief becomes armour that creates blind spots, blocks learning, inhibits commitment, and limits change capability.
Leaders who embrace The Readiness Mindset® drop that armour.
They ask, “What do my people need to be ready?” instead of “How do we manage resistance?”
They stay curious, responsive, and adaptive. They are even willing to pause or recalibrate when needed.
That’s what builds trust.
That’s what builds readiness.
And that’s what unlocks your organization’s potential.
Mindset Drives Outcomes
Carol Dweck’s Mindset challenges us to rethink the stories we tell about talent, potential, and performance.
And when leaders rethink those stories, organizations change.
Her research shaped how I see leadership and helped me name The Readiness Mindset®. But the real takeaway is this:
Mindset drives outcomes.
For individuals.
For teams.
For entire organizations.
If this book sparked new thinking for you, or you want to apply these ideas more intentionally in your organization, let’s continue the conversation and explore what’s possible when you lead with a stronger, more intentional mindset.
