Why work ethic can put talent in second place

20/09/2008

Top American psychologist explains that a willingness to develop and learn from mistakes

is what separates top athletes from also-rans, reports Alan Campbell
IT'S ONE of the most fascinating questions in sport: why do some of the most talentedyoung athletes never reach their full potential, while others, with less naturalabilities, go on to become champions?
While external influences are at play, Carol Dweck, a psychologist at America'sprestigious Stanford University, believes another factor influences sportsmen and women.

Based on 20 years of research, the 61-year-old says that athletes who have growth mindsetshold a big advantage over those with fixed ones. "In our studies, those with fixed mindsets don't work too hard," Dweck points out. Shecites two former Stanford luminaries - John McEnroe and Tiger Woods - as examples of the different types. McEnroe, says the psychologist, has a fixed mindset and didn't reach his full potential despite winning seven singles Grand Slams. Woods, conversely, has a growth mindset and was prepared to dismantle his swing in the 1990s to maximise his alreadyconsiderable talents.
"Everything in life that is worthwhile requires an awful lot of effort over long periodsof time," claims Dweck. "If an athlete believes that effort, or rigorous training, is justfor those who don't have natural ability, then there's a problem.
"This is why I believe many very gifted athletes do not reach their potential. Often when they are young they can coast and still be better than other athletes. Everyone is telling them how talented they are. Suddenly the time comes when they cannot cope any longer -

when they must put in the effort and the learning to go beyond where they are. And they don't know how, and they don't enjoy it.
"Bruce Jenner is one of the greatest American Olympians ever. He said he would never havewon his many gold medals if he hadn't had a learning disability that made academic life difficult for him. He came to understand the power of effort. He said had he not realised hat he would have coasted and been a mediocre athlete."
At a seminar held at Hampden Park on Friday, organised by the Winning Scotland Foundation, world duathlon champion Catriona Morrison told Dweck and the audience that nine out of 10 of the champions she knew admitted they weren't the best at their sports when they were young. That, and Dweck's exhaustive research, raises questions about talent identification and so-called late developers. Perseverance and a willingness to learn from mistakes, it would seem, usually triumph over natural talent if that is accompanied by a fixed mindset.

"What we see over and over again in people with fixed mindsets is that they don't have alot of resilience," says Dweck. "They don't react well to setbacks. Talent needs to be developed by effort, coaching and hard work. Michael Jordan wasn't Michael Jordan until he put in years of passionate, dedicated labour. Talent is great, but it's a starting point - it's not the destination.

"What happens is that people who are the best when they are very young have not learned how to work hard - how to push themselves to the limit. The ones who are ranked second to fifth understand they have to do something if they want to be the best. They develop and have a growth mindset."
Recently Dweck was approached by Blackburn Rovers' youth academy director Tony Faulkner, who was concerned that many of his charges weren't reaching their potential. It is the familiar story of British football culture, with players believing that natural talent, rather than hard work, is the key to success. Players in Britain generally tend to have fixed mindsets, whereas the likes of Eric Cantona, with the growth variety, had to be dragged from the training ground. For sport in Scotland to improve, says Dweck, it is not just the athletes, but coaches and parents who need to change the way they think. She says praise for the child should be based on the amount of effort put in, rather than on talent and the outcome of an event.

"In America there is such a culture of praise and boosting self-esteem, that some kids can no longer take even simple feedback without feeling undermined," claims Dweck. It was a highly educational seminar, and one which was repeated to an SFA audience later on Friday.
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Here is how Dweck assesses some of the best-known Scottish and world sportsmen:
Michael Phelps
Growth mindset
"Like the other swimmers at the Olympics in Beijing he wasn't used to championship finals in the morning, but he said: If you're not prepared to do it, don't show up. You've got to take what you're dealt.' Similarly, in an interview he confessed to having been bullied quite severely, but I was so impressed that he funnelled his energy into becoming great at something, not into retaliating."

John McEnroe
Fixed mindset
"He was fantastically talented but he didn't like to practice. He didn't know how to handle difficulty. My strong feeling is that if he'd had a growth mindset he would have enjoyed the honing of skills - and instead of tantrums he would have known how to handle setbacks. I think he would have had the greatest career of all time."

Tiger woods Growth mindset "His father (Earl) had a sense that his son would be great, but didn't think he would just coast to greatness. He taught him the love of learning and practising. He coached him in attention skills and taught him to keep his focus no matter what was happening. He took apart his swing and put it back together, enduring a couple of fallow seasons. He understands it takes constant learning, stretching himself and hard work to remain on top and be the most talented person he can be."

Colin montgomerie
Fixed mindset
Even at his peak, Monty was notorious for his disdain of the practice range. "He is one of the greatest golfers never to have won a Major. When I looked into what has been written about him it became clear that he hadn't necessarily addressed his weaknesses. That is so typical of a fixed mindset. Some people believe talent will take them the whole way and if they win without practising that is such a testament to their talent.
"At the same time they are dooming themselves to a lesser career. He (Montgomerie) can also be distracted by very minor incidents and looks to assign blame when he is doing poorly. You never see the super champion athletes doing that - it's their responsibility to take charge and surmount whatever comes their way."

Chris Hoy
Growth mindset
"When his main discipline was dropped from the Olympics he could have been discouraged or he could have made a half-hearted effort. Instead he addressed what might have been his weaknesses and re-invented himself.
"He said of talented kids he'd competed against: Maybe because they were so gifted they didn't really have the desire to work hard. They also didn't like the feeling of losing when it happened.' "He understood that those talented kids had a negative-effort belief, and didn't have the resilience to overcome setbacks."