80% of executives say a growth mindset drives profits<\/h5>
Get 10 tactics to unlock a growth mindset culture throughout your org.<\/p>Grab your free copy<\/a><\/div> A growth mindset rejects the idea that talent or skills are fixed traits. Instead, it\u2019s the belief that dedication and consistent effort help in developing skills and overcoming challenging situations.<\/p>\n The term was coined by researcher Carol Dweck in 2012 and it centers around belief that \u201cbecoming is better than being.\u201d<\/p>\n But what does having a growth mindset actually mean? Growth mindset examples<\/a><\/strong> include embracing challenges, accepting feedback, and adapting to changes.<\/p>\n In practice, the difference plays out as one sales team with a fixed mindset that sees a missed target as a final verdict on their ability. While the team with a growth mindset sees the same miss as a valuable data point, asking, \u201cWhat part of our process can we test and improve tomorrow?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n A growth mindset is made from intentional habits built around a core belief in continuous improvement, a concept explored in research from Southern New Hampshire University.<\/p>\n What was found is that 5 key characteristics are often at the forefront of people with a strong growth mindset.<\/p>\n The most common characteristic is embracing challenges<\/strong>. A person with a fixed mindset sees a difficult task outside their comfort zone and thinks, \u201cThat\u2019s not my responsibility.\u201d In contrast, the person with a growth mindset sees the same task and asks, \u201cWhat can I learn by trying?\u201d<\/p>\n Embracing those challenges requires a deep belief in persistence<\/strong> and in seeing effort<\/strong> as the path to mastery. When a project hits a wall, the response is to re-examine the data, interview a different set of customers, or build a smaller prototype to test a new assumption\u2014treating roadblocks as detours, not dead ends.<\/p>\n Finally, the entire system is fueled by a hunger for feedback<\/strong> and the ability to learn from criticism<\/strong>. A growth mindset means believing that input is not a personal attack, but a free lesson. It\u2019s the difference between asking, \u201cHow did I do?\u201d and the far more powerful question, \u201cWhat\u2019s one thing I could do better?\u201d<\/p>\n A growth mindset directly overhauls the entire work culture, shifting it from a \u201cculture of proving\u201d to a \u201cculture of improving.\u201d The former sees employees constantly defending their existing talent. The latter focuses on personal and professional development as a collective, a shift that unlocks powerful and compounding business results.<\/p>\n Innovation depends on taking intelligent risks, an act that is impossible in a culture paralyzed by a fear of failure.<\/p>\n On the flip side, when teams are taught to experiment and learn from what doesn\u2019t work, they discover what does much faster. It\u2019s a process that becomes the true engine for creative problem-solving and breakthrough performance.<\/p>\n Freedom to fail is the bedrock of psychological safety. When mistakes become data points instead of personal indictments, colleagues collaborate with honesty and trust. The result? A resilient team that\u2019s engaged and shows a clear sense of ownership.<\/p>\n Fostering a growth mindset also creates the most prized competitive advantage of all \u2014 true adaptability.<\/p>\n An organization filled with innovative, engaged, and resilient people does not fear market shifts or new technology. It sees change not as a threat to be weathered, but as a new set of problems to be solved.<\/p>\n Employees are highly in tune with a company\u2019s culture. They listen to what leaders say, but they watch what the company actually rewards or punishes. That\u2019s why you cannot declare a culture of growth on Monday and then, on Friday, praise only the safest projects or punish failure.<\/p>\n Fostering a genuine growth mindset requires intentionally changing leadership actions, daily cultural norms, and the formal systems that recognize value.<\/p>\n So how do you foster a growth mindset and the learning culture<\/a><\/strong> that comes with it?<\/p>\n Leaders must become the most visible learners in the room, openly admitting when they are wrong and actively discussing the skills they\u2019re trying to develop. They can use and model constructive criticism to help show how a positive outlook can help them achieve success.<\/p>\n Their public vulnerability gives the entire organization permission to prioritize growth over perfection<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As Neena Newberry says in the TalentLMS podcast episode What most leaders get wrong\u2014and how to do it right<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cSome of the most powerful and influential leaders, I think, are the ones who are willing to say when they don\u2019t know something or when something\u2019s really challenging and or saying that they don\u2019t have the answers and they need to open up the discussion to more people and get more input.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Honest feedback can only exist in a culture of absolute psychological safety.<\/p>\n The impact of this type of psychological safety is hard to overstate. When Google\u2019s Project Aristotle<\/a> studied its highest-performing teams, psychological safety was their most important shared quality.<\/p>\n Leaders can meet this need for safety and capitalize on a ready audience, as 65% of employees<\/a> already say they want more feedback.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n A growth culture dies if only flawless victories get praise. Managers must be trained to use specific language that praises smart work, even in a failure.<\/p>\n For example: \u201cThe outcome wasn\u2019t what we wanted, but your data analysis was groundbreaking. We are using that exact process on the next project.\u201d<\/p>\n Connect that praise to a tangible investment in professional development opportunities.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also good to know that your team is ready for this investment. In the same TalentLMS report on the Growth Mindset, we see that 77% of employees believe their skills can be developed through a company learning process.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n You may argue that a growth mindset cannot be inherently trained. But that\u2019s where you would be wrong. The core of a growth mindset is that anything can be trained. Why not a shift in mindset?<\/p>\n To help break this down you need to understand that a growth mindset is simply a summation of a set of skills. Here are some essential growth mindset skills that you can (and should) train for: Active listening, Adaptability, Creative thinking, Critical thinking, Emotional intelligence, Flexibility, Goal-setting, Persistence, Problem-solving, Resilience, Receptiveness to feedback, and Self-reflection (among many others).<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Create, deliver, and track your org\u2019s training all in one place with TalentLMS.<\/p>Get started free<\/a><\/div> \u200b\u200bIt\u2019s easy to mistake a growth mindset for a personality type.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s not a fixed trait. A growth mindset is something you do<\/em>, not something you are<\/em>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a set of deliberate, observable choices you make every day, and with the proper training and resources, you can build on the relevant skills for your team and your organization as a whole.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Growth-Mindset-Report-Cover.png\")
<\/div><\/div>\nWhat is a growth mindset?<\/h2>\n
What are the five characteristics of a growth mindset?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nHow does a growth mindset benefit the workplace?<\/h2>\n
It fuels performance and innovation<\/h3>\n
It forges resilient and engaged teams<\/h3>\n
It creates true adaptability<\/h3>\n
How to foster a growth mindset in the workplace<\/h2>\n
Model it from the top<\/h3>\n
How to model a growth mindset as a leader<\/h5>\n
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Build a culture of safe feedback<\/h3>\n
How to build a culture of safe feedback<\/h5>\n
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Reward the process, not just the results<\/h3>\n
How to reward the process, not just the results<\/h5>\n
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Train employees for a growth mindset<\/h3>\n
Train employees for a growth mindset<\/h5>\n
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Foster a growth mindset with a platform designed for growth<\/h5>
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<\/div><\/div>\nHow do you demonstrate a growth mindset at work?<\/h2>\n