How to develop a growth mindset and keep your mind open

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For Galef, the first step is self-awareness. She says: ‘It’s not realistic to be a perfect scout all the time, but we can at least make incremental shifts towards a scout mindset. That requires a few skills, such as self-awareness: the ability to catch yourself being a soldier. We all sometimes rationalise away our mistakes, or dismiss arguments we don’t like without even considering them, and most of us don’t even notice we’re doing it. Noticing is the crucial first step to changing a habit.’

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For Nevid, staying open to new information – even if it challenges your beliefs – means making a conscious effort to see the other viewpoint. He says ‘A psychology professor of mine once said that the hardest thing for graduate students to do is to think of even one alternative way of interpreting a given set of facts or findings. It may take practise, but we should always try to look for other angles and different explanations.’

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When you express an opinion, don’t be afraid to make clear that it may be subject to change, as it’s based on your knowledge in that moment. It’s also okay not to commit to a view at all, and say, ‘I don’t know enough right now to have an opinion.’

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Remember that very little in life is binary and black or white, urges Webber. He says: ‘More than one thing can be true, and frequently two opposing views can both be true at the same time. As a coach and therapist, it is all too common for me to reply “It depends” when asked for the “best” way to achieve a goal – we know that 5+5=10, but so also does 8+2!’

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Own it. Don’t be ashamed to admit that you have had a change of heart – it is evidence that you have given a matter serious thought, and that you have the ability to reflect and to learn.