Growth Mindset and Tech Progress

In Northwestern's High Performance Leadership Course, Professor Leigh Thompson discusses growth vs fixed mindsets - an idea based on work by Carol Dweck's research from Stanford University.

Dweck explains that people with a fixed mindset believe that their personality and skills are fixed. They cannot change. On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe their intelligence, personality, talent, and skills are not fixed - there is always room for growth and change.

The course makes the case that a team leader should actively cultivate a growth mindset within a team.

But, this is just the beginning.

Promoting a growth mindset can be extended to a larger group of people, a country, or a culture.

The results of this mindset shift are more important than we can imagine.

I see this type of mindset in the tech, startup, and entrepreneurship space. Whether it be an edtech or a space company, the mindset that growth and progress is possible must permeate through the company culture.

An important part of a growth mindset is the comfort with failure - it's the realization that failure is part of the process of growth.

This mentality has been ingrained in the ethos of America and Silicon Valley.

The people that built institutions that shaped America and Silicon Valley embraced a growth mindset and cultivated a culture of building, change, and growth.

I've found the umbrella term of a tech progressive an interesting extension of this type of thinking.

A tech progressive believes that technology can move humanity forward.

Whether it be space travel, climate tech, crypto, or any other crazy innovation, technological progress is important to a prosperous and thriving society.

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