Scientist 🔬 or Preacher 🎤: Which Mindset Brings More Revenue 💰?

PART 1: The Secrets to Feedback on Creative Work

The Story

An experiment divided Italian startup founders into two groups. The first group was trained in standard entrepreneurship stuff - business strategy, minimum viable product, etc. They were the control group.

The second group received that training, but also an additional “scientific thinking 🔬” training. That taught them that their business strategy wasn’t a solid, unchangeable plan—it was simply a theory. Every piece of consumer or investor feedback was data to help them sharpen and adjust their offering. 

Within just three months, the control group averaged only $300 in revenue, and those with the scientific thinking 🔬 approach brought in an astounding $12,000.

Why such a stark difference?

• The control group stayed wedded to their original strategies and products—it was too easy to preach their ideas rather than adjust.
• Whereas the "scientific thinking 🔬" group adjusted to consumer feedback and pivoted twice as often.
  
  

Scientist Mindset 🔬: Doubt what they know, are curious about what they don't know, and update views based on data. They know that their idea is not their identity, which helps them be curious instead of defensive.

Preacher Mindset 🎤: Treat their ideas as gospel, reject thoughtful critique as sacrilege, and favor feeling right over being right. They feel like their idea is their identity, which makes them defensive instead of curious.

The next time you're getting feedback on your creative work, try it with a curious scientist mindset. It has been a personal game-changer for me, helping me improve my work much faster than before.

This story is featured in the amazing book Think Again by Adam Grant. 

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P.S. we can teach your team to receive feedback with a curious scientist mindset. [Let's Talk]

P.P.S our software Funware™ Focuser helps turn subjective opinions into quantified feedback. [Request Your Invite]