The Humanevi newsletter
Once a week: 5 things worth your time.
1 story, 1 idea, 1 discovery, 1 tool, 1 book.

Psychologist Carol S. Dweck's book distinguishing the fixed mindset from the growth mindset and showing how each affects learning and performance.
Advertising · Affiliate link
By purchasing through this link, Humanevi may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Dweck, a psychology professor, gathers decades of research on how people view talent. For those with a fixed mindset, ability is a given trait; for those with a growth mindset, it develops through effort and strategy. The book carries the distinction into school, sport, work, relationships and parenting.
Teachers, parents, managers and professionals who deal with learning, feedback and mistakes. It also suits people who freeze in front of challenges for fear of looking incapable and want a clear, accessible explanation for that pattern.
The text relies on many stories of athletes, executives and students to illustrate the idea, which makes it fluid but repetitive in places. It is worth remembering that the author herself warns against the simplified version, in which praising effort becomes a formula detached from strategy and real learning.
It is available in several editions, and an updated version often carries a preface or afterword by the author on misunderstandings of the concept, which is worth reading. To turn the idea into practice, pair it with Atomic Habits; for the workplace, with Essentialism.