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Success Mindsets: Your Keys to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership
A Wall-Street Journal and USA Today Best-Seller. Do you know for sure that you have the mindsets necessary for success?Success Mindsets presents the most comprehensive and research-backed mindset framework ever compiled, highlighting four different sets of mindsets that have been researched over 30 years, including fixed and growth mindsets, closed and open mindsets, prevention, and promotion mindsets, and inward and outward mindsets. When you read the book, you will be invited to take a personal mindset assessment. Of the 15,000+ people who have taken the assessment, only 2.5% are in the top quartile for all four sets of mindsets. This means that you probably have some work to do on your mindsets if you want to unlock greater success in your life, work, and leadership (author included). Success Mindsets will help you awaken to the quality of your current mindsets and will give you research-backed best-practice recommendations for elevating your mindsets. It may just be the deepest introspective dive you have ever done. Here are what other readers are "By far, one of my favorite books to date on mindsets.""I had been personally studying mindsets for a couple of years and was feeling 'full'. Halfway through the first chapter my mindset and attitude shifted. Ryan introduces the research, concepts and principles in a way that is easy to digest, is entertaining, and authentic.""This book should be required reading for all leaders.""Best Leadership Book I've Read In Ages""What a phenomenal book! Every leader and individual needs to read this in order to understand the blind spots and self-limiting beliefs that hold us back from success. I'll definitely be revisiting this book many times over.""Ryan puts a mirror in front of you while you consider your own mindsets. The insights, the stories, and the research provide a solid foundation for you to look at what you do, understand why you do it, and decide if you want to keep doing it. Well worth the reading time."
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2020
79 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Gottfredson
8 books5 followersRyan Gottfredson, Ph.D. is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. Ryan is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Success Mindsets, The Elevated Leader, and Becoming Better. He is also a leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 4, 2022
Absolutely, 100% eye-opening and for me, life-changing. I love that Dr. Gottfredson has an assessment so you can figure out where you are on the Success Mindsets curriculum for each of the 4 mindsets, and on his website he even has PDF lists of resources for each mindset. Amazing!
I was familiar with the Fixed vs. Growth mindset (that feels like the OG of mindset research, by Carol Dweck), but was really fascinated by the other 3. And here's the thing--I scored on the positive side for 3 of the 4--but the one mindset (Prevention vs Promotion) where I scored on the negative side...that mindset has REALLY held me back. So it's not that if you're doing well with most of them, you're probably doing great. You might be...but that low-scorer might REALLY be something you need to figure out. It's how much the 1/2/3/4 mindsets where you're NOT doing so great are impacting your life. I can honestly say that this book (which I discovered in my research on vertical development, another mindblowing concept to me) has made me change my own habits. I now have (and use!) a 5-minute journal, I've begun using my Full Focus Planner (a goal-setting planner), and I'm taking a goal-setting course so I can be more promotion-oriented. It just kicked off such a period of growth and focus on my development. This book (and assessment) helped wake me up.
Here's my favorite part of Success Mindsets/Vertical Development...when I talk about it with leaders I know in banking/healthcare/corporations...almost all of them have never heard of the concept. It's very satisfying to feel like I understand and am aware of something that major leaders don't know but really need to know. It feels like a secret! And I want to share it!
I was familiar with the Fixed vs. Growth mindset (that feels like the OG of mindset research, by Carol Dweck), but was really fascinated by the other 3. And here's the thing--I scored on the positive side for 3 of the 4--but the one mindset (Prevention vs Promotion) where I scored on the negative side...that mindset has REALLY held me back. So it's not that if you're doing well with most of them, you're probably doing great. You might be...but that low-scorer might REALLY be something you need to figure out. It's how much the 1/2/3/4 mindsets where you're NOT doing so great are impacting your life. I can honestly say that this book (which I discovered in my research on vertical development, another mindblowing concept to me) has made me change my own habits. I now have (and use!) a 5-minute journal, I've begun using my Full Focus Planner (a goal-setting planner), and I'm taking a goal-setting course so I can be more promotion-oriented. It just kicked off such a period of growth and focus on my development. This book (and assessment) helped wake me up.
Here's my favorite part of Success Mindsets/Vertical Development...when I talk about it with leaders I know in banking/healthcare/corporations...almost all of them have never heard of the concept. It's very satisfying to feel like I understand and am aware of something that major leaders don't know but really need to know. It feels like a secret! And I want to share it!
October 5, 2022
LIfe changing and business changing. The last thing we want to believe about ourselves is that we could have "fixed" mindset. We all want to believe we are "growth" minded. The fact is we have holes in our armor...we are often more fixed than we want to admit. The same is true when it comes to our beliefs about "closed" or "open" mindsets, "promotion" or "prevention" minsets, and perhaps the biggest one, an "outward" or "inward" mindset. Dr. Ryan Gottfredson has written a book that if you have the courage to not just read it, but apply it, it will change your life, your career, your business, and every single relationship you have now and in the future. It is in my opinion and absolute must read!
September 27, 2021
Fantastic read! Gave me a good foundational framework for various mindsets:
Fixed Vs Growth
Open Vs Closed
Prevention Vs Promotion
Helped me understand where I stand on each continuum and where I can improve.
Sadly, most of the people on the negative side of each continuum will never learn this stuff because they are too close minded. That is a big challenge-getting through to this who need this information the most!
Fixed Vs Growth
Open Vs Closed
Prevention Vs Promotion
Helped me understand where I stand on each continuum and where I can improve.
Sadly, most of the people on the negative side of each continuum will never learn this stuff because they are too close minded. That is a big challenge-getting through to this who need this information the most!
December 11, 2021
Good; solid foundational principles from which to view the world and life.
Authors are generally distracting when they read their own books; no exception here.
Change most often comes from either trials or deep learning.
Authors are generally distracting when they read their own books; no exception here.
Change most often comes from either trials or deep learning.
November 30, 2021
Powerful Truth in this Book
I want to buy a copy of this book for everyone in my office, not because I think they all have negative mindsets but because I believe this book empowers people to learn more about themselves and others.
I want to buy a copy of this book for everyone in my office, not because I think they all have negative mindsets but because I believe this book empowers people to learn more about themselves and others.
January 30, 2022
Must-read for leaders and coaches everywhere
Concepts are regrouped and explained well so anyone can understand. An assessment online complements the book. I am glad the author thought of creating such a comprehensive reference. Thank you.
Concepts are regrouped and explained well so anyone can understand. An assessment online complements the book. I am glad the author thought of creating such a comprehensive reference. Thank you.
March 30, 2022
Life changer
The book will help change the trajectory of your life if you choose to apply it to your life. It opened my eyes to some blind spots and gave me the tools I need to overcome them. Must read!!!
The book will help change the trajectory of your life if you choose to apply it to your life. It opened my eyes to some blind spots and gave me the tools I need to overcome them. Must read!!!
September 12, 2022
This book helps me deeper understanding of the power of mindsets. I feel it is really practical that can guide me to identify the mindsets most conducive to success, assess my current mindsets, and how to upgrade my mindsets.
April 18, 2020
By far, one of my favorite books to date on mindsets. I have to admit, I was distraught when I took the mindset assessment and I landed pretty far on the negative side of the continuum for all four mindsets. But after reading this book, I feel so much better because knowing where I am on that continuum will help me get to where I want to be so that I can be successful in my life, my work and any leadership opportunities I have, such as parenting. Dr. Gottfredson's writing style is so easy to read, and it is so engaging that I found myself reading for an hour past the point when I wanted to be sleeping at night. He includes a variety of stories, examples and research results, and these really drive home his points. I am a sports fanatic so I especially enjoyed his sports analogies, most notably the basketball stories from his past and the NBA. Go Warriors! Gotta love Curry! I highlighted so many passages to refer back to as I begin to apply the practical tips and action items he offers to help shift my mindsets from the negative to the positive, all while giving myself grace for being human.
One of my favorite quotes in the book is: "When we have a purpose to which we are truly committed, when we imagine and commit to a desired future, the desired future begins to determine what we do in the present. When we wed a future, we break with convention. We begin to engage in unconventional actions and a new future begins to emerge. When we are purpose driven we are still influenced by our past but we are no longer prisoners. We integrate knowledge with desire and it takes us off the path of least resistance. We move from problem solving to purpose finding. This gives rise to learning and creation."
This quote and many more have inspired me to change my mindsets so that I can be more successful in my life, my work and leadership. Such a great read!
One of my favorite quotes in the book is: "When we have a purpose to which we are truly committed, when we imagine and commit to a desired future, the desired future begins to determine what we do in the present. When we wed a future, we break with convention. We begin to engage in unconventional actions and a new future begins to emerge. When we are purpose driven we are still influenced by our past but we are no longer prisoners. We integrate knowledge with desire and it takes us off the path of least resistance. We move from problem solving to purpose finding. This gives rise to learning and creation."
This quote and many more have inspired me to change my mindsets so that I can be more successful in my life, my work and leadership. Such a great read!
May 17, 2020
This is a book I will be reading multiple times. It was and will continue to be life changing. A few quotes that I particularly liked (I’ll try to post more once I go through it again)
95% of us believe we are self-aware, but in reality, only 10-15% of us are actually self-aware (Tasha Eurich). "This means that on a good day - on a good day - 80% of us are lying to ourselves about whether we're lying to ourselves."
When we do not see our mindsets as being a key part of our lack of success, we generally incorrectly blame either external factors (e.g., don’t have enough money, time, or resources) or the wrong internal factors (e.g., intelligence, abilities, or personality).
Because these factors are largely outside of our control, we hide behind them as an excuse for giving up, accepting a fate of living below our potential. We fail to recognize that others with less ideal circumstances and abilities have reached the levels of success we are seeking. Second, even if we can influence or change these factors, focusing on them instead of our mindsets means that our mindsets will likely stay the same and continually prevent us from thinking, learning, and behaving in ways that will lead to greater success.
95% of us believe we are self-aware, but in reality, only 10-15% of us are actually self-aware (Tasha Eurich). "This means that on a good day - on a good day - 80% of us are lying to ourselves about whether we're lying to ourselves."
When we do not see our mindsets as being a key part of our lack of success, we generally incorrectly blame either external factors (e.g., don’t have enough money, time, or resources) or the wrong internal factors (e.g., intelligence, abilities, or personality).
Because these factors are largely outside of our control, we hide behind them as an excuse for giving up, accepting a fate of living below our potential. We fail to recognize that others with less ideal circumstances and abilities have reached the levels of success we are seeking. Second, even if we can influence or change these factors, focusing on them instead of our mindsets means that our mindsets will likely stay the same and continually prevent us from thinking, learning, and behaving in ways that will lead to greater success.
May 26, 2024
Relatable, well researched, and highly motivating. This book has actionable advice for people of all walks of life- parents, employers, employees, and especially in the later chapters- for all humans! When he goes into the outward mindset in Part 5, it should come with a soundtrack. Something exciting and motivating, like in movies, when you’re ready to join a huge movement or climb a mountain or solve world hunger. Because that’s how it made me feel.
Really, this book appeared more business-oriented at first, but as I kept reading I kept nodding my head- yes, growth mindset, humility and curiosity, and regard for others- it’s actually how we succeed and improve and fully enjoy our lives and potential. All covered in this book, with personal stories, stories of sports and business figures, and helpful charts and summaries. Highly recommend for a boost and re-centering/leveling up of one’s mindset!
Really, this book appeared more business-oriented at first, but as I kept reading I kept nodding my head- yes, growth mindset, humility and curiosity, and regard for others- it’s actually how we succeed and improve and fully enjoy our lives and potential. All covered in this book, with personal stories, stories of sports and business figures, and helpful charts and summaries. Highly recommend for a boost and re-centering/leveling up of one’s mindset!
March 30, 2025
I loved this one! The writing was sometimes a little lacking, I felt like the mindsets could have been described a little clearer. But, I loved the explanations, none the less, for growth-fixed, open-closed, and prevention-promotion mindsets. I was already quite familiar with the inward-outward mindset so that was more of a review. I took lots of notes and loved the book recommendations. I need to keep working on my open mindset and my promotion mindset. I think that is where I greatly lack right now.
September 7, 2020
Great book discovering 4 key mindsets
Great book discovering 4 key mindsets to unlock for success. Without fully understanding their impacts, it’s hard to progress clearly and efficiently; seems like these mindsets will expedite the trial & error process. Encourage those with ambitions feel like they can’t pinpoint why they are being held from realizing your potential or those feeling stalled; give this book a read.
Great book discovering 4 key mindsets to unlock for success. Without fully understanding their impacts, it’s hard to progress clearly and efficiently; seems like these mindsets will expedite the trial & error process. Encourage those with ambitions feel like they can’t pinpoint why they are being held from realizing your potential or those feeling stalled; give this book a read.
January 11, 2023
I found the opening to this book stunning: the author spends his first several pages telling the reader that your problem is you have a fixed mindset and are not open to new ideas. Why did I buy this book if I'm not open to new ideas? I couldn't continue reading. He starts with an incorrect assumption and ruined all credibility with me. I was going to leave it in a common area at work, but decided it was best left in the recycling bin.
February 26, 2020
I thought I had things figured out
I took the assessment with this book, and it said things were pretty good. Then, I read the book and saw that my high opinion of myself needed some correcting. I knew there were other mindsets before reading, but I didn’t really understand how to apply them to my life. Great book.
I took the assessment with this book, and it said things were pretty good. Then, I read the book and saw that my high opinion of myself needed some correcting. I knew there were other mindsets before reading, but I didn’t really understand how to apply them to my life. Great book.
October 9, 2020
An enlightening and challenging (in the best possible way) read. Learned so much about Mindsets and the importance they play in having a life of success/fulfillment/contentment/joy. I'll be incorporating much of this into my coaching practice - but learning and growing myself first in any number of areas!
November 17, 2020
Easy read which thoroughly explores how to improve and promote a positive mindset. I found the assessment really valuable and I look forward to seeing how my mindsets improve over the years.
I did think that the book was a little light on the science. It referenced to a lot of research but didn’t ever dive into to it. However, I’d most definitely recommend it.
Good book!
I did think that the book was a little light on the science. It referenced to a lot of research but didn’t ever dive into to it. However, I’d most definitely recommend it.
Good book!
September 22, 2020
Really good reminders of how powerful our mind is. Our mind can create our happiness or misery, success or failures by choosing perspectives, perceiving situations differently. I have to admit I didn't like the results of my assessment, but that is precisely why I needed to read the book! Lol.
April 13, 2021
The key to any task is your mind..
March 8, 2022
4.5 Stars because I have to say the first 100 pages are rather elementary but pages 121-184 are 63 of the best professional development pages out there. Author is a good guy too. Recommend the book!
December 19, 2022
Suggest skipping if you have already read Carol Dweck's Mindset.
December 24, 2023
Opened me up to the idea of the four mindsets, previously I was only aware of Fixed/Growth.
August 15, 2025
being more outward-minded and less self-protective can be exponentially helpful in interacting with the world! less inward, more outward mindset!
February 24, 2020
Have you ever wondered what having a “positive mindset” means?
I’ve wondered about this, but I parked the question on the back burner, because of not knowing where to look for the answer. One day, I discovered Ryan Gottfredson on LinkedIn and was excited to learn that his research focused on mindsets. I started to follow Ryan Gottfredson’s blog. I completed his mindset assessment and now I’ve read his book.
Ryan Gottfredson’s work has given me the framework and vocabulary to talk about mindsets. I love talking to friends about Ryan Gottfredson’s work. Through this book, you’ll learn such things as the importance of self-awareness, how to navigate relationships and breaking free from self-limited beliefs.
You will know what it means to have a positive mindset after reading “Success Mindsets”!
I’ve wondered about this, but I parked the question on the back burner, because of not knowing where to look for the answer. One day, I discovered Ryan Gottfredson on LinkedIn and was excited to learn that his research focused on mindsets. I started to follow Ryan Gottfredson’s blog. I completed his mindset assessment and now I’ve read his book.
Ryan Gottfredson’s work has given me the framework and vocabulary to talk about mindsets. I love talking to friends about Ryan Gottfredson’s work. Through this book, you’ll learn such things as the importance of self-awareness, how to navigate relationships and breaking free from self-limited beliefs.
You will know what it means to have a positive mindset after reading “Success Mindsets”!
February 23, 2020
As with a lot of self help/business books I read, I always get something out of the content but struggle to give a great rating because the writing is sub-par. In the interest of having an outward mindset and believing the author to have done his best, I settled on a 4-star rating.
February 13, 2020
This book was very insightful and impactful. It immediately prompt me to start assessing my mindsets and helped me realized areas in which I’m taking advantage of them and where I can improve. I strongly recommend anyone seeking to improve any aspect of their life to read it. I will actually read it again, as I think that can be significant in different ways at different times.
January 3, 2020
Ryan provided me an advance copy of his new book - Success Mindsets.
As a student of personal development and a CEO coach, I am always on the pursuit of new tools to help leaders get to the next level. In much of our work, we challenge these men and women to change their behaviors. At a subconscious level, the mindsets block behavior changes from happening. Dr. Gottfredson provides a FREE Assesment for understanding your mindsets and then a road map to make changes to them, shifting them from disadvantageous or growth-limiting to positive or success linked.
If you want to grow as a person, start here to understand your baseline and then enjoy your journey.
As a student of personal development and a CEO coach, I am always on the pursuit of new tools to help leaders get to the next level. In much of our work, we challenge these men and women to change their behaviors. At a subconscious level, the mindsets block behavior changes from happening. Dr. Gottfredson provides a FREE Assesment for understanding your mindsets and then a road map to make changes to them, shifting them from disadvantageous or growth-limiting to positive or success linked.
If you want to grow as a person, start here to understand your baseline and then enjoy your journey.
January 16, 2020
This book is an incredible resource to those seeking to grow as leaders. It’s easy to read, but still has such strong scientific backing. Not an easy feat. The content is powerful and impactful, I’d highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews