-
The Power of yet
I
heard
about
a
high
school
in
Chicago
where
students
had
to
pass
a
certain
number of courses to graduate, and if they
didn
’
t pass a course
they got the grade
“
Not
Yet.
”
And I
thought that was fantastic, because if you get a
failing grade, you
think,
I
’
m nothing,
I
’
m nowhere. But if you get
the grade
“
Not
Yet.
”
You
understand that
you
’
re on a learning curve.
It gives you a path into the
future.
“
Not
Yet
”
also gave me insight
into a critical event early in my career, a
real turning point.
I
wanted
to
see
how
children
coped
with
challenge
and
difficulty,
so
I
gave 10-year-olds problems that were
slightly too hard for them. Some
of
them reacted in a shockingly positive way. They
said things like,
“
I love
a
challenge,
”
or,
“
You
know,
I
was
hoping
this
would
be
informative.
”
They understood that their abilities
could be developed. They had what I
call a growth mindset.
But other students felt it was tragic,
catastrophic. From their more fixed
mindset
perspective,
their
intelligence
had
been
up
for
judgment
and
they failed. Instead of luxuriating in
the power of yet, they were gripped
in
the tyranny of now.
So what
do they do next? I
’
ll tell
you what they do next.
In
one
study,
they
told
us
they
would
probably
cheat
the
next
time
instead
of
studying
more
if
they
failed
a
test.
In
another
study,
after
a
failure, they looked for someone who
did worse than they did so they
could
feel really good about themselves. And in study
after study, they
have run from
difficulty.
Scientists
measured
the
electrical
activity
from
the
brain
as
students
confronted an error.
On
the
left,
you
see
the
fixed
mindset
students.
There
’
s
hardly
any
activity. They run from the error. They
don
’
t engage with it. But on
the
right,
you
have
the
students
with
the
growth
mindset,
the
idea
that
abilities can be
developed. They engage deeply. Their brain is on
fire with
yet. They engage deeply. They
process the error. They learn from it and
they correct it.
How are we raising our
children? Are we raising them for now instead of
yet?
Are
we
raising
kids
who
are
obsessed
with
getting
A
’
s?
Are
we
raising
kids
who
don
’
t
know
how
to
dream
big
dreams?
Their
biggest
goal is getting the next A or the next
test score? And are they carrying
this
need for constant validation with them into their
future lives?
Maybe,
because
employers
are
coming
to
me
and
saying,
we
have
already
raised a generation of young workers who
can
’
t get through the
day without an award.
So what can we do? How can we build
that bridge to yet?
Here
are some things we can do.