The core idea
People perform up to — or down to — what you expect of them. The growth mindset is the belief that ability is cultivated through effort; the Pygmalion effect is the loop by which leaders' expectations become followers' behaviour. Together, they are a leverage point: change what you expect and watch what happens. — after Dweck, Rosenthal & Jones
The hero diagram
The expectation chain.
Your belief shapes your behaviour shapes their belief shapes their result — and their result reinforces your belief next time round.
Frameworks in this module
Named ideas to remember.
How to apply
This week, with one under-performer.
- Name the context first. What is happening to them, not what is wrong with them?
- Tell them you believe they can do it. Explicitly. This is the Pygmalion lever.
- Praise the effort, never the genius. Genius is fixed; effort is trainable.
- Give them a stretch task. Belief without opportunity is a poster.
Key reading · Mindset · Dweck
The new psychology of success.
Dweck's 30 years of research show that one belief — whether ability can grow — shapes what people attempt, how they respond to setback, and how far they end up going. Leaders who install growth-mindset norms out-develop those who hire for raw talent alone.
Most people live up to the bar you hold for them — for better, and for worse.