As children we have all had our favourite heroes. People like Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, Stephen Hawking, Malala Yousafzai, Nelson Mandela, Don Bradman and Usain Bolt are some of those that come easily to mind. These are all individuals who inspire us, whose inherent talent and skills we admire, and whose achievements we marvel at. Many of us have tried to emulate them.
There is a widely held belief that these “superheroes” naturally excel at their craft. We believe that these gifted individuals were born with the extraordinary talents they display. Moreover, we believe they are able to easily sail on their road to success because of that inborn talent without too much hard work involved.
Some of these people are fortunate enough to have been born with particular talents and passions. Despite a widespread belief that their ability is purely innate, they spend inordinate amounts of time and endless hard work in pursuing and honing their craft, developing their skills and becoming an expert in their field. They train intensively, engage in deliberate practice, persist in the face of set backs and dedicate themselves to distinguishing themselves. Other individuals with perhaps immense talent, never manage to achieve success because they do not stick at it and are disdainful of serious effort.
A study by award-winning psychologist Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University and author of Mindset, has shown that what we come with is the raw material we have to develop. Her findings show that ability is something that can be developed and intelligence, like a muscle, grows stronger through exercise. She calls this a growth mindset.
Through decades of practical experience and 12 years of systematic research, the SuccessDNA founder has been figuring out answers to why some senior secondary and post secondary learners achieve their potential while equally talented others do not. The key she found, is not ability. It is a system of learning, a set of incremental skills which can learnt. Followed systematically, a learner can make dramatic strides in their performance and can excel.