Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a mental success coach and cutting-edge leadership consultant, author, trainer, and researcher. He helps improve organizations, leaders, teams, and employees by improving their mindsets. Ryan is currently a leadership and management professor at the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton (CSUF). He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University, and a B.A. from Brigham Young University. Ryan is the author of “Success Mindsets: The Key to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership.” (Morgan James Publishing)

• How a school changed their growth mindsets.

• We take on the mindsets of our collective culture.

• When people have a fixed mindset they focus on looking good.

• When we are emphasizing grades and not learning and growing, we are emphasizing a fixed mindset.

• Fixed vs. Growth mindset

• 90% of our thinking feeling acting is driven subconsciously. What drives that? Our mindsets.

• Study about when kids faced difficult questions.

• When we don’t believe we can improve, and we fail, we feel that we are failures.

• Growth mindset - when we have that belief that we can change, we see growth as an opportunity to learn.

• 50/50 growth vs. fixed

• Intervention for growth mindsets.

• Small interventions can shift our mindsets for 2–4 weeks.

• 15 minute training just talking about how people are not fixed can be beneficial.

• TED Talks and brain plasticity.

• Open vs. Closed mindset

• Compare our mind to a bucket relating to a particular area.

• Closed minded don’t invite feedback.

• Open minded folks leave space in their bucket.

• Book recommendations: Success Mindsets

• Bridgewater Associates - Principles by Ray Dalio.

• Discussions - are we a team or a group where ideas can be heard?

• Principles for success

• Prevention vs. Promotion mindsets

• Compliance is the stereotypical prevention mindset.

• Is that place of safety the intended destination.

• Interventions: Have a destination.

• Amy Purdy ted talk

• Greatest Showman Keala Settle

• Inward mindsets: we see ourselves as being more important than others.

• Outward mindset: others have needs just as great as my own.

• Interventions: positive self talk. Am I seeing people as tools?

• The Arbinger Institute: Leadership and self-deception

• TED talk Benjamin Xander

• When we have an inward mindset, we expect students to cater to us.

• The most powerful thing we can do as educators is see students as people.

• How to be a transformative principal? Go individually to his or her teachers and ask what stands in your way of being your ideal self?

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.