The Power of a Growth Mindset

One of the most important lessons I’ve had to learn repeatedly is that success is often tied to mindset, not just skills. That’s exactly what Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success has helped me see. This book has changed how I look at my own experiences, from my early athletic career to my professional journey.

I’m excited to share three insights from Dweck’s growth mindset principles that can help anyone—leaders, teams, or even kids—see setbacks differently and learn to celebrate growth every step of the way.

​3 Insights from Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success​

1. Ohhh!! That explains a lot: A Framework For Understanding Belief Patterns

I cannot stress how important Dweck’s book has been for narrating experiences in my own journey and development. In short, I went from a very successful high school athlete to an underachiever in college. I’m 45. I still have dreams about my college football experience once a week. I’ve come to understand my lack of college success is rooted in one thing: mindset. Not athletic ability.

I’m basically on the lifetime membership plan for this challenge. Dweck’s book has become my go-to framework for challenging my beliefs about myself and obstacles I face.

A growth mindset is the belief that skills and abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence. People with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities to improve and are open to feedback.

For example, when a nonprofit leader tries a new fundraising strategy that doesn’t work as planned, they might think, “What can I learn from this to make it better next time?” In contrast, a fixed mindset assumes that talents and intelligence are set traits—either you have them, or you don’t.

People with a fixed mindset may avoid challenges to protect their self-image or give up easily when they struggle. For instance, if a leader with a fixed mindset sees a project fail, they might think, “I’m just not good at this” and avoid similar tasks in the future.

Like I said, consider me a seasoned professional in reminding myself not to cower in fear of failure. Here’s my point:

Learn to recognize these mindsets at work. Encourage growth-oriented thinking in yourself and your teams. You love the growth in resilience and adaptability.

2. Embrace “Yet” Thinking to Inspire Teams (and yourself!)

I may or may not be guilty of giving my kids unsolicited TED Talks on growth mindset. 🤓 I think they could tell you what Dad says is the most important three-letter word in their vocabulary: YET!.

A life-changing idea from Dweck’s growth mindset is the power of the word ‘yet’ to reshape how we see setbacks. When leaders or team members say, “I’m not good at this” or “We didn’t hit our goal,” adding “yet” changes the focus: “We haven’t hit our goal yet.” This one word helps us remember that there’s still room to grow and improve, instead of seeing our limits as permanent.

In leadership, using “yet” thinking encourages people to keep trying when things get tough and reminds teams that learning is always a work in progress.

3. Celebrate Effort as Much as Results

One of the NFL’s most successful coaches, Bill Belichick taught us this: Process is more important than outcomes.​

A growth mindset applies this philosophy by emphasizing the importance of effort and persistence—not just the final outcome.

By recognizing and celebrating effort, leaders can encourage team members to take on challenges without fear of failure.

This approach reminds everyone that progress is made through steady work, even when results aren’t immediate.

What could happen if you make an effort to acknowledge hard work and persistence in your team, not just success?

Celebrating effort builds morale and helps create a culture that values growth. This makes team members more willing to try new ideas and tackle tough problems.

I could write so much more. I’m sure I will one day (see TED Talk comment above).

How can a growth mindset help you?