Why Attitude Is More Important Than Intelligence

People with a growth mindset believe that they can improve with effort. They outperform those with a fixed mindset, even when they have a lower IQ, because they embrace challenges, treating them as opportunities to learn something new.  

Common sense would suggest that having ability, like being smart, inspires confidence. It does, but only while the going is easy. The deciding factor in life is how you handle setbacks and challenges. People with a growth mindset welcome setbacks with open arms.  

According to Dweck, success in life is all about how you deal with failure. She describes the approach to failure of people with the growth mindset this way,

Regardless of which side of the chart you fall on, you can make changes and develop a growth mindset. What follows are some strategies that will fine-tune your mindset and help you make certain it’s as growth oriented as possible. Empowered people pursue their passions relentlessly. There’s always going to be someone who’s more naturally talented than you are, but what you lack in talent, you can make up for in passion. Empowered people’s passion is what drives their unrelenting pursuit of excellence. Warren Buffet recommends finding your truest passions using, what he calls, the 5/25 technique: Write down the 25 things that you care about the most. Then, cross out the bottom 20. The remaining 5 are your true passions. Everything else is merely a distraction.

It’s not that people with a growth mindset are able to overcome their fears because they are braver than the rest of us; it’s just that they know fear and anxiety are paralyzing emotions and that the best way to overcome this paralysis is to take action. People with a growth mindset are empowered, and empowered people know that there’s no such thing as a truly perfect moment to move forward. So why wait for one? Taking action turns all your worry and concern about failure into positive, focused energy.

Everyone encounters unanticipated adversity. People with an empowered, growth-oriented mindset embrace adversity as a means for improvement, as opposed to something that holds them back. When an unexpected situation challenges an empowered person, they flex until they get results.

5 Ways to Create an Inspired Team

Business leaders understand that employeesare the greatest asset their company has, making attitude the greatest determinant of success. Wise business leaders focus on what is “right” in their company and in their employees. Using intimidation and uncertainty to spurn productivity yields limited, temporary results. That type of coercive motivational approach is totally counter-productive in the long term.  A workplace imbued with a positive mindset has the greatest potential. 

1. Balance negatives.

Human beings tend to dwell on negativity. Negative thoughts are bigger than positive thoughts and are processed by a different part of the brain. Negative thoughts take longer to break down. Managers can easily get stuck focusing on what hasn’t been achieved and what employees are not doing, leading to negative feedback that undermines those who work for you.

2. Keep promises.

Creating a positive work environment is accomplished through reward, acknowledgement, group and individual recognition, but most importantly through trust. If you tell the team or an individual person their hard work will be rewarded, either with bonuses, tickets to a game, a show or through some other form of reward, you must follow through. Not keeping a promise will lower individual and team morale.

3. Support your employees.

Inspire your employees by communicating your confidence in their abilities to do what needs to be done to succeed. Only talk in terms ofsuccess, rather than threatening failure. Your team must see you have the deep confidence in them they crave and deserve. When you have doubts about your team communicate in a way that ensures their success. Offer feedback, rather than criticism.

4. Focus on today’s success.

It can be demotivating when leaders focus only on the bigger picture and how far the team is from reaching the company’s loftiest goals. The perception amongstemployees is one of lack and how far off they are from achieving what needs to be done.

5. Build upon strengths.

Study your employees diligently. Observe and comment on their strengths to positively push them to their fullest potential. When you see a specific strength in someone, you will quickly know their optimum position and role on your team. Use this knowledge to refine and expand them. Assign each member a defined purpose on the team that they accept, understand, embrace and feel good about.