1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?
I decided to read the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. The general theme of this book implies that your mindset is formed by your responses to people and events you encounter on a day to day basis. The book focuses on two premises; a fixed and growth mindset. A growth mindset is one that is more open to solving things in novel, creative ways. A fixed mindset is one that is less likely to think of alternatives to solve problems.
2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book and its concepts has allowed me to change my mindset and perspective in life,
especially in this course. I used to have a fixed mindset, specifically when working on certain assignments, because I would only use one solution to solve my problems which would prevent me from thinking outside the box. Once I realized that these problems could be solved by a different and more effective method, I opened my mindset (Growth) and though of various unique ways to solve these issues. Once I did that, not only did my learning develop, but I became more efficient, especially in problem solving. This has enhanced my learning immensely in ENT because if you create a business with a fixed mindset, you will not see yourself nor the business flourish in any way shape or form. However, if you tackle the issue through a growth mindset, and you put yourself out there in order to make connections and deals, you’ll find your business moving forward. This will help position your business, its brand, and will prosper for growth, profit, and a variety of success in the future.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
I would design an exercise in which you identify an object in your business that you believe contains functional fixedness. Functional fixedness assigns stable uses to an object and fail to think about the features of the object that might be useful in helping solve a problem. To overcome functional fixedness, one must adapt a growth mindset in order to see the alternatives to a basic issue. For instance, lets say you’re helping your dad tighten a loose screw on a desk, however, you cant seem to find a screwdriver leaving you stumped as to how you will solve this problem. You reach into your pocket and you just so happen to find a coin. When you look at a coin, you typically assume its only function is currency, this is succumbing to functional fixedness. However, if you apply your growth mindset and think outside the box, you will find yourself using the coin as a substitute for the screwdriver, to tighten the screw. Thus, you’re going beyond the idea of its common function and overcoming functional fixedness.
4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
My biggest “aha” moment when reading this book was how common it is to obtain a
fixed mindset. Many innovators on a day to day basis find themselves overlooking elegant solutions hidden in plain sight. This is because we do not like to think outside the box since its not a norm for us. Although its unusual, once you learn how to adapt a growth mindset and learn how to overlook these ideas, it becomes a part of our daily lives and it is actually extremely beneficial especially regarding success. Once you have identified these tools to overcome these cognitive traps, you and your business will find yourself solving problems in innovative ways—“whether conceiving new products, finding novel applications for existing products, or anticipating competitive threats.” What I learned that differed from most of my expectations is the relativeness of insight problems. Insight problems present themselves in our daily lives. While the problem initially seems impossible to solve, an alternative approach will suddenly bursts into your consciousness once you view the problem in a novel way. You need to start approaching your daily expectations and problems in innovative ways or else you will constantly find yourself stuck within a fixed mindset, preventing you from flourishing, learning, and building on that experience.
I decided to read the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. The general theme of this book implies that your mindset is formed by your responses to people and events you encounter on a day to day basis. The book focuses on two premises; a fixed and growth mindset. A growth mindset is one that is more open to solving things in novel, creative ways. A fixed mindset is one that is less likely to think of alternatives to solve problems.
2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
This book and its concepts has allowed me to change my mindset and perspective in life,
especially in this course. I used to have a fixed mindset, specifically when working on certain assignments, because I would only use one solution to solve my problems which would prevent me from thinking outside the box. Once I realized that these problems could be solved by a different and more effective method, I opened my mindset (Growth) and though of various unique ways to solve these issues. Once I did that, not only did my learning develop, but I became more efficient, especially in problem solving. This has enhanced my learning immensely in ENT because if you create a business with a fixed mindset, you will not see yourself nor the business flourish in any way shape or form. However, if you tackle the issue through a growth mindset, and you put yourself out there in order to make connections and deals, you’ll find your business moving forward. This will help position your business, its brand, and will prosper for growth, profit, and a variety of success in the future.
3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
I would design an exercise in which you identify an object in your business that you believe contains functional fixedness. Functional fixedness assigns stable uses to an object and fail to think about the features of the object that might be useful in helping solve a problem. To overcome functional fixedness, one must adapt a growth mindset in order to see the alternatives to a basic issue. For instance, lets say you’re helping your dad tighten a loose screw on a desk, however, you cant seem to find a screwdriver leaving you stumped as to how you will solve this problem. You reach into your pocket and you just so happen to find a coin. When you look at a coin, you typically assume its only function is currency, this is succumbing to functional fixedness. However, if you apply your growth mindset and think outside the box, you will find yourself using the coin as a substitute for the screwdriver, to tighten the screw. Thus, you’re going beyond the idea of its common function and overcoming functional fixedness.
4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
My biggest “aha” moment when reading this book was how common it is to obtain a
fixed mindset. Many innovators on a day to day basis find themselves overlooking elegant solutions hidden in plain sight. This is because we do not like to think outside the box since its not a norm for us. Although its unusual, once you learn how to adapt a growth mindset and learn how to overlook these ideas, it becomes a part of our daily lives and it is actually extremely beneficial especially regarding success. Once you have identified these tools to overcome these cognitive traps, you and your business will find yourself solving problems in innovative ways—“whether conceiving new products, finding novel applications for existing products, or anticipating competitive threats.” What I learned that differed from most of my expectations is the relativeness of insight problems. Insight problems present themselves in our daily lives. While the problem initially seems impossible to solve, an alternative approach will suddenly bursts into your consciousness once you view the problem in a novel way. You need to start approaching your daily expectations and problems in innovative ways or else you will constantly find yourself stuck within a fixed mindset, preventing you from flourishing, learning, and building on that experience.
Hi Dimitrios! Just from reading your description of the book, I might have to buy this book now. It truly sounds like you benefited from reading it and were able to change your mindset and apply the principles that you learned. I really like your idea for the class exercise. I think it's important to see alternatives and not always be fixed on one idea. It would definitely be a great learning opportunity. I believe you did a great job with breaking this down and that we could all take away from what you learned.
ReplyDeleteHey Dimitrios,
ReplyDeleteSeems like a really interesting book, and I like the idea of the mindsets. It made me think, you're absolutely right that in starting up a business, you need what you call a growth mindset. But is there ever a time where a fixed mindset can help more than a growth mindset? Or if it doesn't help more, does it at least get the job done faster or more efficiently than a growth mindset? Of course, we should always practice creative thinking (and on that point, I REALLY like the idea you have for an assignment, I think that was really well thought out) but I'm always curious how efficient or useful creative thinking is when there's already a well defined way to do something.
Great review! I may have to check out the book