CREATING CULTURE FOR KIDS
Five Legendary Lessons To Maximize Performance
The word “culture” comes from the Latin “cultus” which means “to care.” As Maya Angelou once said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Today, we’re going to build on your strong commitment to caring about kids and explore the first of five legendary lessons from teachers, coaches, and parents to intentionally create cultures that increase your positive impact and maximize the performance of your students, players, and kids.
As you learn more about the five legendary lessons, you’ll be familiar with some of them, and probably have utilized one or more in your lifetime. My challenge to you is to consider how you can better apply this lesson, so you will know you are intentionally establishing a culture that increases the probability your kids will perform their very best.
Legendary Lesson #1:
Develop a growth mindset.
Kids with a GROWTH MINDSET believe new SKILLS can be developed through practice. They embrace CHALLENGES as opportunities to learn. They think EFFORT is essential and see FEEDBACK as helpful.
FIXED MINDSET kids think SKILLS are something you’re born with. They avoid CHALLENGES often out of fear of failure. They believe EFFORT is something you do when you’re not good enough and get defensive when offered FEEDBACK.
Why is developing a growth mindset important?
The hallmark of the GROWTH MINDSET is a passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, especially when it’s not going well.
To magnify this point, consider the “Puzzle Test” research that Dr. Carol Dweck conducted with kids.
Initially, every child tested received easy puzzles. Afterward researchers shared test scores with them, adding a single six-word sentence of praise.
Half of the kids were praised for their intelligence (“You must be smart at this.”) and half were praised for their effort (“You must have worked really hard.”).
The kids were tested a second time, but this time they chose between a harder test and an easier test. 90% of the kids who’d been praised for effort chose the harder puzzle. Whereas a majority of the kids who’d been praised for intelligence chose the easier puzzle.
The third level of testing was uniformly harder; none of the kids did well. However, the two groups of kids responded very differently to the situation.
The group praised for their effort dug in and grew more involved, trying out different solutions and strategies. Later, they even said that they liked it.
But the group praised for intelligence hated the harder test. They took it as proof that they weren’t smart.
The last part of the experiment returned to a test of the same difficulty as the initial test. The praised-for-effort group improved their score by 30%, while the praised-for-intelligence group’s score declined by 20%.
All because of six short words. Dr. Dweck was so surprised at the result that she re-ran the study five times. Each time the result was the same.
In his book, the Talent Code, Daniel Coyle supports Dr. Dweck’s work –valuing effort over intelligence - through his research on “talent hotbeds” across a variety of sports and activities for young people.
How can you as a teacher, coach, and/or parent ensure you are creating a culture to develop Growth Mindsets? Let’s look at a couple of “Tangible Tips.”
Tip 1 – PRAISE KIDS WISELY. Leaders, teachers, and parents need to “celebrate trying.” Encourage and reward effort for processes kids engage in, such as strategy, focus, and perseverance. Be intentional about focusing less on intelligence, or talent.
Examples of wise praise include:
“Wow, you really gave great effort!”
“Keep training your brain in Math.”
“Mistakes can help you learn better.”
Tip 2 – USE THE PHRASE “NOT YET. Using the words “yet” and “not yet,” after students engage in learning creates greater confidence and persistence. We can also teach kids to use this phrase themselves as they are developing skills. Phrases sound like:
“I’m on the right track, but I’m just not there yet.”
“I haven’t achieved my goal yet, but I will improve if I keep trying.”
As you consider Legendary Lesson #1 – Develop a Growth Mindset – I encourage you to take two minutes (right now) to assess yourself on where you’re at with helping the kids in your world develop a growth mindset. First, on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “not very good at all” and 10 being “amazing,” rate your ability to develop a Growth Mindset in your players, students, and kids. Second, write down one thing you do well to develop a Growth Mindset and could integrate more consistently into your team activities, classroom, or conversations at home.
As we wrap up the first of 5 Legendary Lessons to Maximize Performance, I would ask you to consider your current self-rating (1-10) for Developing a Growth Mindset, and then answer three questions:
“Where do I want to be in 2 weeks from now?”
“Where do I want to be 6 months from now?”
“What will I do to get there?”
At the end of the day, you are capable of amazing things, but it’s up to you. Or as said in a Chinese Proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”