Unlocking Potential: A Critical Review of 'Mindset' by Carol Dweck

Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential" by Carol Dweck delves into the dichotomy between 2 forms of mindsets: Fixed and Growth. Throughout the book, Dweck presents compelling arguments for why having a growth mindset can lead a person to achieve their highest potential both personally and professionally. She explains how simply having the belief in our ability to improve in every aspect of life through examples in education, sports, business, family, etc... Its core purpose is to encourage readers to embrace challenges, to be open to criticism, and to persist through the inevitable setbacks that life brings us.

Alright so now onto areas where I believe this book missed the mark. Near the end of Chapter 6, there is a section on bullies, revenge and victims where she brings up the horrible Columbine massacre where two grade 12 boys entered their school and killed 15 people while injuring another 24. She begins by explaining how powerful kids (bullies) judge less powerful kids to gain social status and have others see them as cool, powerful, or someone they should fear. She then goes on to describe why the Columbine shooters were easy targets due to different physical and personal attributes. Mindset is then tied into this very serious subject through the explanation "When people feel deeply judged by a rejection, their impulse is to feel bad about themselves and to lash out in bitterness." She then explained a study she conducted with her colleagues where they asked 8th-grade students how they would react in certain scenarios and then analyzed the difference in answers between those with growth and those with fixed mindsets. I don't believe a study like this has any value as it is impossible for a child who has never been bullied to accurately convey how they would react in that situation. This is explained in great detail in the book "Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want" by Nicholas Epley where he explains that human beings grossly overestimate the ability to understand another person, no matter how close the relationship (I will try to reread do a review on this book in the future). Of course, the bullying that goes on has a large impact on the reasoning behind these horrific events but I do not believe that mindset is the area that should be blamed for the event. At the book's core, it is about how you can change your mindset into one that allows for the most growth. Dweck explains how issues like this do not come down to a single person's mindset but an entire school culture instead and that is what needs to be shifted. Again, this is now escaping mindset and discussing a completely different subject. I just really do not understand the point of this section in the book and think it takes away from other chapters that do have a large impact on the reader. It just feels unnecessary.

Another critique I have of the book is some of the examples it uses in sports and business. The majority of the examples contain people who reached the pinnacle of their profession but for both fixed and growth. For example, John McEnroe is discussed in detail throughout the book as someone with a fixed mindset. I don't understand how an athlete who won the 7 grand slam titles, 77 ATP singles titles, and 77 men's doubles titles can be critiqued for having a fixed mindset. Yes, McEnroe is a controversial athlete because of his meltdowns and anger issues, and yes McEnroe did have an excuse every time he lost but to say he didn't reach his potential is a ridiculous statement. I think these types of stories could have had a much larger impact by choosing companies or athletes who had obvious potential and were on track to become influential in their respective careers only to fail due to a roadblock. Just to name a few, I think exploring the failed careers of someone like Johnny Manziel or even someone like Ansu Fati (who was considered an heir to Lionel Messi at Barcelona).

Although I have my critiques, "Mindset" does have very valuable insights in overcoming productivity hurdles, and advocating for the adoption of a growth mindset for personal development and achievements. The book is particularly effective in illustrating how large businesses fail due to a fixed mindset, unable to adapt to changing market dynamics, ultimately leading to decline or bankruptcy. I really enjoyed the discussion on Anne Mulcahy's takeover of Xerox and Lou Grestner's takeover of Enron as they perfectly displayed the point of this book. Both Mulcahy and Gerstner's stories served as a stark reminder of the necessity for flexibility, continuous learning, and adaptation, both at an organizational and personal level. The mindset of embracing development instead of simply anointing geniuses to positions they should be good at allows for continued adaptation to ever-changing markets.

All in all, "Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential" discussed transformative ideas that hold great value. Its core message—that the way we think about our abilities fundamentally shapes our lives—is both powerful and enduring, offering a path to not just achievement, but genuine fulfilment.

If you enjoyed the review and are interested in reading this book consider grabbing your own copy through my Amazon affiliate link.

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