Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations by Mary C. Murphy

I love books that give me a coherent model and vocabulary for things I’ve observed but not necessarily put together myself.

We often describe people as having a growth mindset and the book covers a lot of ground on how to foster that. As the title suggests, it also demonstrates that mindsets are cultural, and that the collective mindset is a predictor of the individual mindset.

Growth mindset cultures inspire learning, foster collaboration and inclusion, spur innovation, and build trust. Leaders in growth mindset cultures believe that great ideas come from everyone. People in growth mindset cultures tend to celebrate the success of others.

So, what’s the opposite of growth mindset culture? It’s genius mindset culture.

Genius mindset cultures undermine learning, stifle innovation, and create mistrust and inter-personal competition. They’re based on the premise that, as the name suggests, some people possess inherent genius and should be rewarded as such.

Leaders in genius mindset cultures favour people who think the same way as them, look fondly upon those who unquestioningly execute their plans, and reward people for their overt individual contribution.

Genius mindset cultures have in-groups of people deemed brilliant or talented, and out-groups seen as incompetent. In-groups get all sorts of leeway to make mistakes, whereas failure in out-groups is further evidence they cannot be trusted.

People in genius mindset cultures are incentivised to move from the out-group to the in-group, and remain there at all cost. They are more likely to cut corners, own other’s ideas, and resent others for their accomplishments.

The book is based on rigorous scientific research and provides many resources to promote growth mindset cultures. For me, the standout concepts are that mindsets are cultural, and that thing I’ve observed, genius mindset, now has a name.