What is a fixed mindset?
Article written by
Stuart Brameld
What Is a Fixed Mindset?
A fixed mindset is the belief that your abilities, intelligence and talents are innate traits that cannot be significantly improved. People with a fixed mindset assume they are born with a certain level of skill or intelligence, and that this level stays constant throughout their lives. As a result, they often avoid challenges, give up quickly when faced with obstacles, and see effort as pointless. They may also feel threatened by the success of others and dismiss constructive feedback. Ultimately, a fixed mindset severely limits personal and professional growth.
Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset
In contrast, a growth mindset embraces challenges and views failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. People with a growth mindset believe their abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, persistence and continuous learning.
For growth marketing teams, adopting a growth mindset is essential. A fixed mindset can block innovation, discourage experimentation and prevent teams from adapting to changing market conditions. A growth mindset, on the other hand, encourages marketers to test new strategies, learn from failures and continuously optimise their approach.
Examples of a Fixed Mindset in Marketing
The table below shows how a fixed mindset differs from a growth mindset in common marketing scenarios:
Scenario | Fixed Mindset | Growth Mindset |
|---|---|---|
Experimenting with new channels | "We've always used email marketing. Trying something new won't work." | "Let's test new channels like LinkedIn ads or TikTok to see if we can reach new audiences." |
Responding to campaign failure | "This campaign failed. Clearly, we're not good at this." | "This campaign didn't perform as expected. Let's analyse the data and learn how we can improve." |
Receiving critical feedback | "They don't understand our approach. Their feedback isn't helpful." | "This feedback highlights areas we can improve. Let's incorporate these insights into our next campaign." |
Competitor success | "Our competitor's success means we're failing." | "Our competitor's success shows there's opportunity in the market. Let's learn from their approach." |
How to Identify if You Have a Fixed Mindset
As a growth marketer, regularly evaluating your mindset is important. Ask yourself these questions to identify if a fixed mindset is holding you back:
Am I avoiding challenges and sticking to familiar strategies instead of exploring new opportunities?
Do I give up easily when faced with marketing obstacles, or do I persist until I find a solution?
Do I view effort as pointless, or do I see it as a necessary step towards mastering my marketing skills?
When I receive criticism, do I take it personally or use it constructively to improve my marketing approach?
Am I threatened by the success of others in my field, or do I seek inspiration and lessons from their achievements?
How Growth Method Helps Marketers Adopt a Growth Mindset
Moving from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset requires the right tools and processes. Growth Method is the only work management platform specifically built for growth marketing teams, consultants and agencies. It helps marketers embrace experimentation, learn from results and continuously improve their strategies.
Traditional task management software like Asana, ClickUp and Monday.com can help manage tasks, but they don't provide everything growth marketers need. Growth Method simplifies your growth marketing workflow by combining ideation, experimentation and analytics in one powerful platform:
Ideation: Our intuitive ideation system ensures your growth ideas align with team goals and follow hypothesis best practices. Ideas are automatically categorised and shared with your team for feedback, keeping everyone in the loop.
Experimentation: Growth Method incorporates best practices from leading growth teams, guiding experiments through clear stages—building, live, analysing and complete. This structured approach increases experiment velocity, encourages learning and promotes an agile, results-driven marketing culture.
Reporting: Demonstrate the value of your growth marketing efforts with professional, detailed reports. Growth Method's industry-leading reporting capabilities make it easy to communicate strategy, goals, experiment results and insights to stakeholders.
"We are on-track to deliver a 43% increase in inbound leads this year. There is no doubt the adoption of Growth Method is the primary driver behind these results." Laura Perrott, Colt Technology Services
Growth Method is the only platform built specifically for growth marketers. It includes AI-powered categorisation, integrations with major analytics platforms like Google Analytics, Amplitude and MixPanel, and fast, always-human support. We also offer a free white glove migration service to ensure a smooth transition.
Ready to adopt a growth mindset and drive better marketing results? Book a call today to see how Growth Method can help your team.
Article written by
Stuart Brameld