If you think you can learn and grow, you probably can

Janet Rae-Dupree writes in today’s NY Times that believing you can learn and grow, and not being afraid of making mistakes in the process, may be more important to business success than just innate talent. 

Excerpt:

WHY do some people reach their creative potential in business while other equally talented peers don’t?

After three decades of painstaking research, the Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck believes that the answer to the puzzle lies in how people think about intelligence and talent. Those who believe they were born with all the smarts and gifts they’re ever going to have approach life with what she calls a “fixed mind-set.” Those who believe that their own abilities can expand over time, however, live with a “growth mind-set.” … ¶ …

“[P]eople who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.”  … ¶ …

Is it possible to shift from a fixed mind-set to a growth mind-set? Absolutely, according to Ms. Dweck….

(Paragraphing edited, emphasis added.)