Last two weeks we were in Laos and Vietnam together with our friends of EyeOpenerWorks. We facilitated several trainings:
We worked with vastly different groups: In Hanoi one of the groups we worked with were CEOs of major companies while in Laos we worked with farmers in small villages. Still, the two groups had one thing in common: an enormous eagerness to learn! Curiosity, openness, enthusiasm and commitment, asking a lot of questions, 100% participation … what an inspiration! The energy was high and it was clear that the participants progressed each day. Learning was seen as a hugely rewarding opportunity!
Because of this I had to think of Carol Dweck: the American psychologist calls what we experienced in Laos and Vietnam a “growth mentality”. If you truly believe that you can develop yourself, then you will generate a mindset that supports learning. Not “I can’t” but “I can’t yet“; you will use criticism to grow and see obstacles as opportunities to learn.
How about you? Do you learn with a “fixed mind-set” or a “growth mind-set”?
