Flourishing Leadership
Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success is a seminal work which explores the profound impact that adopting a mindset can have on someone’s development and personal growth in every facet of life. She writes that “It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value.”[1]
Growing up in a household with parents who exhibited perfectionist tendencies significantly influenced my own development of perfectionism. This observation is not intended as an attribution of blame but rather as an acknowledgment of the environmental factors that shaped my own mindset. During my childhood, I did not excel academically. I distinctly recall an instance when I returned home with a report card that included a “B” grade, which I proudly presented to my parents. My father, likely trying to motivate me, suggested that I strive for higher grades in the future. Such experiences instilled in me the belief that performance results were the most important factor. Unwittingly, I perpetuated this mindset in my earlier life. Thankfully, I became free from this mindset through times of healing prayer and spiritual formation but couldn’t really articulate this until I read Dweck.
The two mindsets compared by Dweck in the book are the growth mindset and the fixed mindset. I found the growth mindset to be freeing, encouraging and inviting. Dweck writes, “This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies, and help from others. Although people may differ in every which way—in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments—everyone can change and grow through application and experience.”[2] The distinctive feature of a growth mindset is, “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well…”[3] Conversely, I found the fixed mindset to be anxious, diminishing, and crippling. A person with a fixed mindset believes that everyone’s qualities are set in stone and that each person in only given a certain amount of talent, intelligence and moral attributes. Thus, the person with this mindset attempts to prove themselves over and over. Every situation is a confirmation of competence or defining failure when not measuring up.[4]
As I interacted with Carol Dweck’s Mindset, I found myself reflecting on my initial experiences in pastoral ministry. During those early days, I was acutely aware of the immense pressure to excel in every service, meeting, and interaction. Along with other environmental factors, this relentless inner pursuit of perfection induced significant anxiety, leading to overwork and a tendency to over-perform. One of the factors that helped me to thrive as a leader was embracing the concept of a growth mindset, as opposed to the fixed mindset that had previously diminished me.
The negative effects of a fixed mindset that I experienced are remarkably like those observed in many church leaders today that I work with. In the remainder of this blog, I intend to explore how adopting a growth mindset can facilitate the flourishing of leaders within this context and how this interacts with my NPO.
In Chapter 5 of the updated edition, Dweck focuses on the growth mindset in leadership. Citing the discovery of the “Level 5 Leader” by Jim Collins in Good to Great she writes:
…they are constantly trying to improve. They surround themselves with the most able people they can find, they look squarely at their own mistakes and deficiencies, and they ask frankly what skills they and the company will need in the future. And because of this, they can move forward with confidence that’s grounded in the facts, not built on fantasies about their talent.[5]
This description evokes the mindset articulated in Eve Poole’s Leadersmithing. Poole advocates for an apprenticeship approach to leadership development, wherein a leader with a growth mindset would inherently value the continuous process of learning and growth much like an apprentice.[6] Such a model has the potential to liberate leaders from the pervasive performance trap in which they are the expert or hero. It challenges the notion that leadership is a rare, innate endowment possessed by a select few, promoting instead the idea that leadership skills can be cultivated through dedicated practice and experience.
Moreover, an apprenticeship model fosters an environment conducive to experimentation, innovation, and even failure, thereby encouraging leaders to take risks and learn from their experiences. This approach not only enhances individual development but also contributes to a more dynamic and resilient leadership culture.
As I reflect on a growth mindset and my NPO there are certainly some implications. My NPO states: Leaders in The Alliance Canada lack collaborative leadership skills which inhibits innovation and diminishes member empowerment for mission. Collaborative skills require leaders to take a learning and growth posture, rather than expert posture. Collaborative leaders will lead through processes that highlight the strengths and draws on the perspectives of others. Dweck reflects on leaders with a growth mindset, “They’re not constantly trying to prove they’re better than others. For example, they don’t highlight the pecking order with themselves at the top, they don’t claim credit for other people’s contributions, and they don’t undermine others to feel powerful.”[7]
Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset provides a valuable map for understanding the potential transformation in leader and organizational development. Leaders with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and view effort as a pathway to success. This mindset fosters an environment where continuous learning and development are prioritized, enhancing collaborative efforts and innovation within their ministries.
While the development of a growth mindset has been an ongoing journey for me, beginning well before my engagement with this book, I am committed to cultivating this mindset for myself and among leaders. My desire is to assist them in developing a growth-oriented perspective, both for their personal development and for the ministries they oversee.
[1] Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Updated edition (New York: Random House, 2016).Kindle.6.
[2] Dweck.6.
[3] Dweck.7.
[4] Dweck.6.
[5] Dweck.110.
[6] Eve Poole, Leadersmithing: An Apprenticeship Approach to Making Great Leaders (London ; New York, NY: Bloomsbury Business, 2017).
[7] Dweck, Mindset.Kindle.110.
About the Author
Graham English
I was born in Cape Town, South Africa 30 minutes from Table Mountain, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. My family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada where I spent my teen years, met Wendy, and got married. We now live on the Canadian prairies in northern Alberta. I think God has a sense of humour. I'm a follower of Jesus, work in leadership and church development, love my family and walk a lot.8 responses to “Flourishing Leadership”
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Hi Graham, It is nice to be able to define in words what we have been learning, isn’t it? As you work with church leaders and recognize a fixed mindset, are there any specific or “go to” techniques you employ to bring awareness to them without triggering the defeat before they even start?
Hi Diane, as a denominational person I try to be aware of the many biases toward me and the hangups people have about the denom. I have found that the coach approach is a helpful way rather than giving advice. It seems to disarm people and puts them in the driver’s seat.
Graham – I am so glad that Dweck gave you insight to your own story and journey. You mention breaking free from perfectionism through healing prayer and spiritual formation – something Dweck doesn’t touch on. If you were telling someone about how to go from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, how would you weave in healing prayer and/or spiritual formation?
Christy, that’s a great question because Dweck doesn’t deal with it. However, in my context we constantly move into caring for the soul even as we talk about leadership. I think this is a holistic approach. Often our mindsets are linked to lies believed in childhood. In my experience, lies need to be renounced and wounds healed before new patterns can be established. This week we had 500 leaders at 3 day retreat in which cared for the soul of the leader.
Hi Graham,
Thank you for sharing your childhood experience. In what ways do you perceive your growth mindset as a potential roadblock or challenge for someone you are mentoring?
Good question, Shela. I think a “growth” mindset can be threatening for leaders and organizations that don’t want change. If someone is change resistant they don’t want someone asking questions and provoking growth. I try to overcome this by asking questions and inviting people into a conversation rather than telling them what they need.
Graham, I love this post, especially hearing about your self-reflections. In your opinion, how can the growth mindset principles be applied to leadership development within your faith community or context to promote collaboration, innovation, and personal growth?
Thanks for reading my post, Jennifer.
I think our heroic/expert model of leadership fosters a fixed mindset within the overall culture of the church.
Some of the ways that we can foster a growth mindset is through regular leader/people development, helpful feedback loops, teaming well, and encouraging more participation from the congregation.
The New Testament lays a great foundation for growth mindsets. So we should be teaching ongoing development as a way of life. From good to great. From great to grand. etc. Philippians 3 is a great place to start… “12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”