If you’ve watched Eduardo Briceño’s TED Talks or read his award-winning book, The Performance Paradox: The Unexpected Way to Grind Less, Grow More, and Unlock Success, you know he’s more than a thought leader—he’s a guide for anyone who wants to continuously improve.
As the co-founder of Mindset Works with Dr. Carol Dweck, Eduardo helped launch the global growth mindset movement. Today, he works with top organizations to help individuals and teams do better by learning better.
When we recently reconnected, I knew the conversation would be filled with insight, wisdom, and practical takeaways. Eduardo delivered all of that and more.
For the full interview, listen to our Evolving with Gratitude podcast episode here. Also available on your favorite podcast platform.
Two Zones, One Truth
“There’s two different forms of hard work,” Eduardo explained. “There’s hard work to perform and to execute to get things done, as best as we know how… That’s what I call the performance zone. And it has an important value in our lives. But there’s also effort to improve and that’s very different. That’s what I call the learning zone, and that involves leaping beyond the known. It involves doing things that we haven’t done before. ”
The problem? Most of us spend nearly all of our time in the performance zone, often without realizing it. And while that may drive short-term results, it eventually stalls long-term growth.
“ If we want to maximize our immediate performance, the performance zone is fine, but then we stagnate. If we’re constantly performing and that’s all we’re doing, our performance suffers,” he said.
Eduardo encourages us to examine our habits and routines. Are we making time to build skills, reflect, and seek feedback? Or are we stuck executing on autopilot?
Learning While Doing
Many of us don’t feel like we have the luxury to step away from our work just to learn. But Eduardo introduces an alternative: learning while doing.
“We can both get things done and improve over time if we do it intentionally,” he shared.
He offered the example of a team meeting agenda. Is every item focused solely on tasks and deadlines? What if we included space for questions like:
- What have we learned recently?
- What are we trying to improve?
- How can we support each other as learners?
By embedding curiosity and reflection into our workflows, we make learning part of the culture—not an afterthought.
Growth Mindset: The Foundation, Not the Finish Line
Eduardo is clear: growth mindset is the starting point. But it’s not enough on its own.
A growth mindset is necessary, but not sufficient. Just believing that I can improve doesn’t make me a great learner.
—Eduardo Briceño
He defines growth mindset as a belief in our capacity to change—not just in our work, but in ourselves. And that belief makes the learning zone possible.
“It invites us and enables us to make choices about going on a learning journey,” he said.
Four Kinds of Mistakes
Eduardo offered a powerful framework to help us think more clearly about mistakes:
- Stretch Mistakes – Made when trying something new in a low-stakes setting
- Sloppy Mistakes – Repeating known errors due to inattention
- Aha Moment Mistakes – Unexpected realizations during performance
- High-Stakes Mistakes – Best avoided when consequences are serious
We don’t learn from mistakes.
—Eduardo Briceño
We learn from reflecting on mistakes.
He encourages us to normalize these distinctions and talk about them openly in teams, without weaponizing them. Not all mistakes are equal—and some are signs of progress.
Modeling the Learning Zone as Leaders
For those in leadership roles—or anyone who influences others—Eduardo had this to say:
“Anyone can model those behaviors [like experimenting and learning]—that’s actually a sign of confidence and of competence.”
He shared the example of Simone Biles, who practices new routines on foam blocks to reduce risk while learning. This, Eduardo says, is the sweet spot: courageous, not reckless.
“Sometimes it’s hard to get started, but the more we do it… the easier it becomes over time and the more it becomes a habit.”
Grounded in Gratitude
Eduardo also shared his personal gratitude ritual, which begins each morning:
“The very, very first thing that I do every day when I wake up… I express gratitude to the things that I deem most important, which is life, health, love, and peace.”
He explained that this habit helps him focus on what matters most. “It puts me in an emotional state where I can make the most of life.”
Both/And, Not Either/Or
When I asked Eduardo what he hadn’t had a chance to say yet, he shared a powerful insight:
“We tend to think about things as binary. Like it’s either this or this, and it’s often both.”
He sees this dynamic throughout his work—especially in the balance between performance and learning, growth and stability. “They’re opposing but complementary forces that we want to have in harmony,” he said. They’re both essential.
Let this be our invitation to pause, reflect, and move forward with purpose—not just to perform, but to continuously improve.
In Bold Gratitude,
Lainie
Connect with and learn from Eduardo Briceño:
Briceno.com
The Performance Paradox
LinkedIn
TED Talk
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