In her landmark book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck introduced the concept of Fixed and Growth Mindsets to the world. She highlighted the influence our Mindset has over our behaviour, and she gave dozens of examples of how students' Fixed or Growth Mindset impacted their learning.

But we must remember that Dweck was introducing her ideas. She gave examples designed to highlight the importance of Mindsets, and she made us sit up and take notice. But Mindsets don’t end with fixed and growth – there’s so much more depth and complexity behind Dweck’s ideas.

“In the real world, there aren’t two types of people. We don’t live in a world where some people have a Fixed Mindset, and others have a Growth Mindset.”

In reality, our differences are much more subtle and complex. Our Mindset doesn’t fall into one of two categories; rather, it falls along a continuum between the extremes of fixed...

In her book, Mindsets: The New Psychology of Success, Professor Carol Dweck uses John McEnroe as an example of a person with a Fixed Mindset. I think he’s a great example for many reasons.

You can’t argue with the fact McEnroe was an extraordinary tennis player. He is ranked 6th in the list of most career match wins on the ATP World Tour – that’s more than Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. He is often considered among the greatest players in the history of tennis.

Dweck’s use of McEnroe as an example of someone with a Fixed Mindset helps dispel one of the biggest misunderstandings about Mindsets: that you need a Growth Mindset to grow. You don’t need a Growth Mindset - it helps - but you do need to do the hard work! 

The Growth Mindset is just the understanding that growth is possible. It's an invitation to grow. But it's not the growth. In order to grow you must take action - and very specific...

In her book, Mindsets: The New Psychology of Success, Professor Carol Dweck uses John McEnroe as an example of a person with a Fixed Mindset. I think he’s a great example for many reasons.

You can’t argue with the fact McEnroe was an extraordinary tennis player. He is ranked 6th in the list of most career match wins on the ATP World Tour – that’s more than Andre Agassi, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. He is often considered among the greatest players in the history of tennis.

Dweck’s use of McEnroe as an example of someone with a Fixed Mindset helps dispel one of the biggest misunderstandings about Mindsets: that you need a Growth Mindset to grow. You don’t need a Growth Mindset - it helps - but you do need to do the hard work! 

The Growth Mindset is just the understanding that growth is possible. It's an invitation to grow. But it's not the growth. In order to grow you must take action - and very...