Manufacturing Success: Change Your Perspective, Change Your Destiny
Part 2: Fixed Mindset
By Zulfiqar Ashraf Chaudhry
Roseville, CA
If growth mindset (GMS) does not see failure, fixed mindset (FMS) is terrified of failure. If GMS takes every challenge, every ordeal, and every setback as a stepping stone to a higher station, FMS takes them as a dagger meant to expose his nakedness, frailties, and weaknesses. If GMS imbibes every challenge to get stronger and better, FMS remains drunk and paralyzed in his own presumed superiority over others. In short, GMS manifests itself in the form of Adam, while, FMS manifests itself in the form of Iblees. Indeed, even Iblees –the great foe and challenger of Adam, becomes his instrument of continuous progress.
(Iblees to Gabriel) If you are ever alone with God, ask Him:
Whose blood colored the story of Adam?
In the last essay, we gave examples of Michael Jordan and Jack Welch as the flesh and blood embodiment of the 'growth mindset'. In this essay, we will give examples of Iblees, Jeffrey Skillings, Lee Iacocca, and John McEnroe as the embodiment of the 'fixed mindset.'
Exp #1 of FMS: it is said that Iblees prayed on every inch of our Earth. He made more 'Zikr' and praise than anyone else. Some Muslim romantics still think that he's the only true lover of Allah, for he would not bow to anyone, except Allah. In other words, he was more religious than anyone. He was a true “Maulana”. Then, why did he fail?
Iblee’s religiosity gave him an air of arrogance. He thought that he was better than Adam. All this could still be forgiven by the Almighty, had he only the intellectual integrity to admit and fix his mistake and move on. But no! He refused to admit and fix his mistake, and thus, got stuck in eternal failure. In contrast, Adam had the intellectual integrity to admit his mistake, fix it, and set on the path of continuous improvement.
Having the courage to admit one's mistakes is the hallmark of successful people. This is how the most successful people in business behave too. Take the examples of Andy Grove of Intel, Bill Gates of Microsoft, and Steve Jobs of Apple. Yoffie and Cusumano, in their book, Strategy Rules, say of these business Giants: "All too often failure leads to paralysis or a stubborn refusal to admit past mistakes. But Gates, Grove, and Jobs all understood the importance of cutting their losses and moving forward. Unsparing critics of those around them, they were no less rigorous when it came to their own performance. This intellectual honesty was an essential ingredient of their success." In other words, Adam admitted his mistake and moved on to carve Rushmore Mountain, dig Panama Canal, and build the Taj Mahal, while Maulana Iblees refused to admit his mistake and got stuck in failure for eternity. But if Adam adopts the same attitude as Iblees, he will meet the same fate.
Delve into your soul and there seek our life’s buried tracks;
Will you not be mine? then be not mine, be your own right!
Example # 2 of FMS: Jeffrey Skillings of Enron was as arrogant and proud of his intellectual prowess, as Iblees. He could come up with schemes that would make millions of dollars, even before any real work was accomplished (sort of like our Pakistan politicians and media outlets, which think that only talking about projects will make them actually happen.) To show his imaginary progress, and justify his lavish and extravagant life style (he used company jets as personal property), he would "cook" the accounting books (sort of like our politicians) and dupe others into thinking that actual profits were being made. Dr Dweck mentioned in her book, Mindset, “as McLean and Elkind report, Enron recorded “millions of dollars in profits on a business before it had generated a penny in actual revenues.” Of course, after the creative act no one cared about follow through. That was beneath them. So, often as not, the profit never occurred.” (p. 120). In other words, like Iblees, Jeff Skillings wasted his brilliance on fooling himself, his employees, and the government. But in the end, his actions caught up with him.
Example # 3 of FMS: Lee Iacocca thought of himself as a hero. He loved the royal life style at Ford, until he was fired. He was infuriated at Henry Ford for not recognizing his talents. He used this fury to infuse life into a dying company called Chrysler. However, he remained more concerned about his personal legacy and Wall-Street image, than investing in better car designs and manufacturing techniques. Even when the company was profitable and money was pouring in, he did not reward his subordinates: their salaries remained low, and their working conditions poor, while he supported a regal lifestyle. When Chrysler started faltering, he balked at approving better designs from his subordinates, worried that they might be seen as “new saviors” and dampen his legacy as the only true savior. So, instead of doubling his efforts to make better cars and save the company, he blamed external factors, like Japan, and campaigned for higher tariffs on Japanese cars (like we Pakistanis blame India’s RAW or USA’s CIA for most of our problems.) According to Dr Dweck, “Iacocca lived a fixed mindset. Although he started out loving the car business and having breakthrough ideas, his need to prove his superiority started to dominate, eventually killing his enjoyment and stifling his creativity. As time went on and he became less and less responsive to challenges from competitors, he resorted to the key weapons of fixed mindset—blame, excuses, and the stifling of critics and rivals.” (p. 117). However, recently, Iacocca seems to have cured himself of the fixed mindset. He’s helping to raise money to cure diabetes and to make better, environmentally-friendly, cars. After all, there’s hope for people with fixed mindset, including Muslim Ummah in general, and Pakistanis in particular.
But of his barren acres Iqbal will not despair:
A little rain, and harvests shall wave at last, oh Saki!
Example #4 of FMS: John McEnroe blamed external factors for his failures. Anytime, things did not go his way, he would throw tantrums, like a child. He would throw his racket, curse everybody, and blame external factors for his failure. Sometimes wind prevented him to deliver his best performance; other times his racket was not properly taut to hit the ball exactly the way he wanted to (sort of like, how we blame our corrupt politicians and India to hold us back from realizing our true potential.) Personal responsibility is not even a consideration. Finger is always pointing outwards. The result: eternal disappointment and perpetual failure, sort of like Iblees’s predicament.
If revolution takes place in your self,
Possibly this space and time may change.
In the next article, we will discuss how to cultivate the growth mindset in our young generation.
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