Mindset Expert David Yaeger Recommends ‘Unthreatening Upward Comparison’

Comparison is everywhere—it’s unavoidable. In sports, it’s stats, rankings, playing time and contract size. In business, it’s revenue, promotions and market share. But how can you strike the right balance between not comparing yourself to someone out of envy and instead doing so with curiosity for how they got where they are? David Yaeger, cofounder of the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute, has made that into a superpower.

Yaeger dubs his idea “unthreatening upward comparison.” He illustrated it using the story of Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, Steve Young. Before he was a Super Bowl-winner, Young was a longtime backup. But, as Yaeger said on a recent episode of The Corporate Competitor Podcast, not only did Young not accept that, he sought out the time and experience of those above him to get better.

“Not everybody does that,” explained the MasterClass instructor known as one of the world’s top experts on mindset and motivation. “Because it’s threatening. Sometimes to look at people who are ahead of you [is hard] because [it’s] just a reminder I’m no good. But high performers flip that. [With] a growth mindset, you’re not threatened by better performance. You see it as information.”

Similarly, in business, someone who is just starting out in the industry might think they’re “just” a salesperson. But instead of accepting that role at the bottom, Yaeger noted, it’s better to absorb everything you can from the lead salesperson and use it to move up. If not, you may remain merely a backup and miss out on an iconic career.

Yaeger talked about this and more on the pod, including:

• Appreciate butterflies. When you’re in a big moment and you start to feel those butterflies in your stomach, what do you do? Yaeger said he acknowledges the feeling—the nerves—but instead of letting it take over, he realizes it’s a positive. That it’s a signal something important is happening and he cares about it. Butterflies rev him up!

• Meaning vs. reality. Yaeger said that it’s important to differentiate the real world vs. your own experience of the real world. Events have individual meanings to those witnessing them. So, he cautioned, make sure you’re not misreading the moment due to some past history. “Often what we react to is not the event,” he said. “It’s what the event means to us.”

• Mindset matters. Yaeger led one of the largest Growth Mindset experiments ever conducted and today the word “mindset” has become a central part of the conversation in corporate culture. His definition is “the belief that your abilities are your potential and some domain can change.” What’s yours?