There are 2 types of mindsets and everyone fits into one of the two . These are the fixed mindset and the growth mindset . The Fixed mindset says that this is how I am and that is just it . Nothing can be done about it . The Growth mindset on the other hand says that even though this is how I am right now , I can change and become something else .
People with the fixed mindset can also be referred to as finality thinkers . They see things in final states while growth mindset people know that nothing is in its final state . Everything you see around you today including the garbage in your dustbin is not in its final state . Everything can be turned into something else and the garbage can be recycled . Fixed thinkers look at people as they are while growth thinkers look at people as they can be and this is why growth thinkers make the best leaders . They are constantly transforming followers into leaders .
Let us take the issue of intelligence . Fixed mindset says that some people are intelligent and others are not and there is nothing that can be done about it . However , the growth mindset says that no matter what level of intelligence you were born with , it can be grown and developed further . And over the years there have been countless testimonials of people who were once perceived to be unintelligent who ultimately became nobel prize winners and geniuses .
The truth is that no entity be it an individual , an organization or even a nation can grow with fixed thinking . Similarly , resources will never grow in the custody of people with fixed thinking .
If anyone had said that a spot in the desert would become the preferred destination for people all over the world to visit , the fixed thinker would have dismissed such thoughts as impossible . However , the whole world flocks to Dubai today and the World cup is being held in Qatar . In fact the Qataris have spent more than any nation in the history of the world cup to put up a spectacular show with re-usable stadiums that will be uprooted right after the world cup . How amazing is that ?
On the other side of the coin are nations who started off with great resources but who are today like ghettos when compared with these desert wonder cities .
The bible gives an insight into this . A rich man gave three of his servants money . To the first he gave 5 units . To the second he gave 2 units and to the third he gave 1 unit . Their assignment was very simple - to grow the money . It is important to note that they were given according to their ability and not according to their spirituality .
This is a very poignant point because the African continent is arguably the most spiritual continent on earth but with very little to show for the spirituality . We have even exported spirituality and so a report alleges that Nigerians have 2,684 churches in the UK while Indians have 4,300 companies in the UK and Pakistanis have 6,237 companies in the UK . If ability is discarded in favour of spirituality , spiritual centres will experience growth while national transformation will suffer massively . Anyway the story of spirituality versus ability is a story for another day .
Back to our bible story , the man with 1 unit had the lowest level of ability and he proved it because even with what he had , he did not know what to do and so he buried it . It is interesting that the others were able to grow their resources and the reward was to be in charge of cities . Maybe a little test we should conduct for leaders is their ability to grow resources and maybe this should be a yardstick for who we allow to lead us .
Many people who have fixed thinking do not even know that they have it . However , the mind expresses itself in the results . People with a growth mindset grow resources while people with a fixed mindset are like the gentleman that was given 1 unit . They do not know what to do with it and hence they bury it . Think of it , if he had a growth mindset he would have grown that 1 unit and in just one move he would have levelled up with the person that was given 2 units . Fixed thinkers never think that far . They are always consumed with the seen , the obvious and the comfortable that they miss out on what is possible . The good news however , is that no matter who you are or where you are at this point in time , a growth mindset can be developed .
My Indian daughter in-law sent me something on WhatsApp that made my day and it totally cracked me up and I want to kick off my column piece in this issue by sharing what she sent .
“ India claims that Rishi Sunak , the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , is of Indian origin , as his grandparents migrated from undivided India under British rule ! Pakistan also claims that Rishi Sunak is their son , as his grandfather was born on their land ! Kenya claims that Rishi Sunak ’ s father Yashveer Sunak was born in Kenya , they claim his origin as well . UK says nothing needs to be said because Rishi was born in Southampton , UK so he is a British ! South Africa also claims his origin , as Rishi ’ s mother , Usha was born there ! India also claims that Rishi ji is their sonin-law as he is married to Akshata Murthy , daughter of Narayana Murthy ! USA now enters the battlefield claiming that since Akshata Murthy is a US citizen , Rishi is their son-in-law !
The moral of the story is that success has very many relatives , while failure on the other hand is a miserable orphan !
So , the United Kingdom has its first Indian Prime minister and the whole world - especially the Kenyan world - was quick to remind us of his Kenyan roots . This is exactly what happened when Barack Obama became president of the United States of America . We were quick to remind the world of his Kenyan roots .
Now the million-dollar question is , “ if they were here in Kenya would the system allow this to happen ?” I know for sure that in my native Nigeria such could never happen .
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The mentees of wealthy people often end up being more savvy than the heirs . Being born into wealth does not automatically guarantee a wealthy mindset . In essence if the mindset is not right no amount of money can guarantee sustainable wealth . For this reason , economic development programs must of necessity tackle the mindsets of the beneficiaries .