It could well be, according to Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

The premise of the book is that people are of the fixed or growth mindset. The fixed mindset believes in having natural talent and abilities that achievement can be attributed to. The growth mindset believes that achievement is a byproduct of improvement and learning.

Her research has led her to believe that people with the growth mindset are those who have long term success. This happens because those with the growth mindset are willing to improve but those with the fixed mindset will quit when the run into trouble, believing either they have the ability to do something or they don’t.

She believes that if you have the fixed mindset you must prove yourself to the world on a daily basis. Those with the growth mindset are willing to admit mistakes and seek help in order to improve. People with the fixed mindset make excuses and assign blame as their self-esteem is tied up in their ability. People with the growth mindset are humble.

She maintains that ultimately talent is a myth and that people in all walks of life have succeeded because of hard work improving themselves. She applies this to all walks of life…parenting, business, and relationships. This is because setbacks are seen as a normal part of achievement, not a judgment on our worth as a person.  Those with the growth mindset do not get discouraged but press on.

One point that I found especially applicable to pastors was her section on business. She maintains that most executives stop learning and developing within a few years of achieving a new position. I realized that I can be guilty of that as well. I have reached a certain proficiency in preaching and now that I am (at least in my mind) good, I stoped improving. Once I have achieved an acceptable level of personal rapport, I stop re-reading How to Win Friends and Influence People.

If this concept is true, the greatest change might come in how we lead. We will need to be people who praise progress and improvement more that we praise outcomes.

As a Christian I had a little trouble with the concept as it seems to be in conflict with the belief we have in Spiritual gifts, but I also believe that we need to be willing to develop our gifts. So in other words, if we believe that God has gifted us with the spiritual gift (or in her language, a talent) of leadership, we still need to work on and improve that God-given ability.

I liked this book a great deal as it forced myself to do a great deal of introspection. That being said, I think the content could have been communicated in half the pages. Once you get the idea you can only see it illustrated so many ways.  This book is another one I would recommend reading but go the library route. If you would like to read more about her work before buying or checking out the book, I would also suggest looking at this article which I first referenced here.