1. Growth and
Creator Mindsets
DR. MICHAEL SPARROW—ASSOCIATE DEAN, ACADEMIC SUCCESS
NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MSPARROW@NORTHAMPTON.EDU
2. What is a mindset?
Why are mindsets important?
An established set of assumptions,
attitudes, orientations, and worldviews
Can fuel internal expectations
Oftentimes are deficit-focused and
destructive
How can we identify and reframe?
“Whether you think you can or you can’t,
you’re right”—Henry Ford
3. What is a Fixed and Growth
Mindset?
Fixed Mindset:
Skills, talents, and intelligence are set
Someone either has “it” or doesn’t
Some people are just naturally good at
{fill in the blank}
People are not in control of their
abilities—innate and immutable
Focus on results and outcomes, not
process
Growth Mindset:
Skills, talents, and intelligence are grown
and developed
Someone who is good at something built
that skill or talent over time
Someone who is not good at something is
not good because they have not done the
work
People are in control of their abilities
Focus on process of getting better
Let’s now look at how growth mindset works in the role of effort, challenges, mistakes, and feedback
4. Role of Effort
Someone with a Fixed Mindset thinks:
Effort is not good
People working hard are not good at
something
Instead, someone with a Growth Mindset
believes:
Effort is necessary and useful
Effort is an important part of learning process
5. Role of Challenges
Someone with a Fixed Mindset thinks:
I need to avoid Challenges
Challenges are a threat
Instead, someone with a Growth Mindset
believes:
I need to seek out and embrace challenges
Challenges are an opportunity to grow and learn
6. Role of Mistakes
Someone with a Fixed Mindset thinks:
Mistakes are upsetting
Mistakes=not good at endeavor and can never
be good
I need to avoid making mistakes by focusing
on easy, already mastered tasks
Failure leads to discouragement easily
Instead, someone with a Growth Mindset
believes:
Mistakes are learning opportunities/teachable
moments
7. Role of Feedback
Someone with a Fixed Mindset:
Take feedback personally
Gets defensive
Doesn’t see value/purpose in feedback
Instead, someone with a Growth Mindset:
Seeks feedback
Appreciates and uses it
8. Creator Mindset Overview
Almost all of events in life are value
neutral
We create meaning by our interpretations
of these events
While we cannot control much of what
happens to us, we can control our reaction
to these events
For those with an “outside in” perspective,
life happens to them—no agency
For those with an “inside out” perspective,
life is how they react to outside stimuli—
agency
9. How do Growth and Creator
mindsets work together?
Mutually reinforcing
Starts from the belief that I can exert a
measure of control
Setbacks/failures are not permanent; how I
react can be
I can view failure and adversity as
opportunities to grow
Negative feedback (failing a test, for
example) is an invitation to reconsider my
approach
Think about the difference between “2 steps
forward, 1 step back” and “1 step back, 2
steps forward.”
10. Entrepreneurial Mindset and
Creative Problem Solving
If we only focus on the problem in front
of us, we cannot see all of the solutions
around us.
Every problem contains an opportunity
Don’t be afraid to fail—each failure is one step closer to
success
Think differently about a problem—if you keep doing what
you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got.
Innovate, fail, learn, repeat.
