Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do

Sept. 8, 2018

Performance psychologist Dr. Simon Marshall, PhD is with me on the podcast today to talk about one of my favourite topics: growth mindset. A year ago Simon introduced me to the book Mindset by Carol Dweck and reading it made me aware of some of my own limiting beliefs about human potential.  It’s the idea that abilities are developed through dedication and hard work, with fixed factors like genes or talent being just a starting point. These concepts have significantly altered the way I talk to and encourage my kids, and also how I approach new skills in my own life.

In this episode of the podcast, Simon and I talk about the impact of mindset on personal development in all areas, including athletics, education, and the workplace.  Simon shares his strategies for switching to a growth mindset and identifying your own blind spots and biases. If you enjoy this podcast, you’ll definitely want to read The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion, by Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Simon Marshall:

[00:00:10] Lesley Paterson; Podcast: Off Road Triathlon World Champion Lesley Paterson on FMT and Solving Mental Conundrums.

[00:00:42] Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck.

[00:05:30] VO2 Max test.

[00:07:05] Studies from educational psychology: Yeager, David Scott, and Carol S. Dweck. "Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed." Educational psychologist 47.4 (2012): 302-314.  Also: 1, 2.

[00:09:15] Changing our relationship with failure.

[00:11:32] People don't fail; actions do.

[00:12:38] Book: Black box Thinking: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, by Matthew Syed. Not mentioned in the podcast, but Simon also recommends the book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman.

[00:14:49] Experience alone doesn't necessarily make you better; Studies: Kahneman, Daniel, and Gary Klein. "Conditions for intuitive expertise: a failure to disagree." American psychologist 64.6 (2009): 515 and Tracey, Terence JG, et al. "Expertise in psychotherapy: An elusive goal?." American Psychologist 69.3 (2014): 218.  Others: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

[00:16:00] Attribution bias.

[00:17:54] Joby Aviation.

[00:18:52] Lack of situational awareness; United Airlines Flight 173.

[00:19:13] Sustained attention; Radar operators in WW2.

[00:20:52] Fixed mindset and diet.

[00:23:19] Blaming.

[00:24:35] Book: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, by Robert Sapolsky.

[00:26:02] Paradox of success.

[00:28:28] Playing the cards you're dealt.

[00:30:13] How to switch to a growth mindset.

[00:30:43] Expose yourself to failure.

[00:35:32] Self esteem comes from success, not the other way around.

[00:38:27] Dopamine drives the desire to continue.

[00:40:15] Cognitive dissonance; Leon Festinger.

[00:43:21] Tony Blair; Cognitive bias.

[00:44:37] Confirmation bias.

[00:48:27] Book: The Keto Reset Diet: Reboot Your Metabolism in 21 Days and Burn Fat Forever, by Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns.

[00:48:27] Robb Wolf’s Keto Masterclass; Podcast: The Keto Masterclass with Robb Wolf.

[00:49:38] Book: Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott; Podcast: Radical Candor™ with Dr Tommy Wood.

[00:53:15] Ruinous empathy.

[00:53:47] Earning the right to be direct.

[00:56:43] How to know where your blind spots are.

[00:59:36] New program on Patreon.

[01:00:30] 7-min analysis.

[01:02:05] Barriers to progress: time, motivation, energy, consistency.

[01:02:30] Elite Performance Members Club Forum.

[01:04:24] Finding accountability.

[01:05:12] Accountability as a motivator; Study: Lerner, Jennifer S., and Philip E. Tetlock. "Accounting for the effects of accountability." Psychological bulletin 125.2 (1999): 255.

[01:06:13] Loser avoidance bias.

[01:08:09] patreon.nbt.ai.

[01:08:47] Coming soon: deeper investigations into diet, sleep, exercise, weight loss.