Cultivating a Growth Mindset: Embracing Challenges and Learning Opportunities

March 4, 2025

Growth mindset in business consulting

Hello, team! Mary here, continuing our journey through the I in Team series, where we empower you to find, be, and build your influence. Cultivating a growth mindset is imperative for self-actualizing. It’s a theory created by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, and it’s the belief that we are intelligent with abilities that will help us face and overcome challenges. People with a growth mindset tend to love learning and are resilient. If you don’t already, you can have a growth mindset, too. Here are some of our top tips for embracing challenges.

Embrace Effort

If you want to grow, you need to understand that effort is the only way to mastery. Your hard work and talent will be rewarded if you remain resilient in the face of challenges and treat them as learning opportunities. When you experience failure, reframe it. Instead of viewing it as something negative, have gratitude toward it for teaching you something new. There is always something to learn from failure, thus allowing you to continue to grow. When you do have a win, pause to celebrate your progress. Acknowledging your small wins and improvements helps reinforce the belief that growth is possible through continual effort.

Embrace Challenges

To grow, you need to be challenged. As stated, you need to fail. Without challenges, you don’t give yourself the opportunity to win or fail, so you deny yourself the ability to learn. Actively seek out challenges that push you outside your comfort zone. The more you embrace challenges, the more accustomed your brain becomes to seeing them as opportunities for growth instead of threats. Over the long-term, this will help you develop mental toughness. When setbacks happen, bounce back and remind yourself that it’s just a temporary obstacle. Resilience will help you continue on your developmental path.

Seek Feedback

Many people shy away from actively seeking feedback, however, feedback is extremely valuable. It helps you gain insights on how to improve and grow. Having a mentor or someone in the field who has experience will be excellent sources for reliable feedback. If you’re nervous, consider first cultivating a sense of curiosity. By exploring new ideas, techniques, and approaches, you prime your mind for actively seeking new information. Doing so will help you discover creative solutions to challenges you will inevitably face.

Surround Yourself with Positive Influence

Our entire platform revolves around positive influence, so, as a brand, we are constantly encouraging you to adopt a growth mindset. But it’s not just us! Anyone who pushes you to do your best and who believes in your developmental potential is someone who is a positive influence in your life. These positive, supportive environments foster a growth mindset. Be sure to challenge your negative self-talk (if you have any). Positive self-talk is being a positive influence on yourself. Use phrases like, “I can do this,” and “This is an opportunity to improve.”

Don’t miss out on our positive influence:

Bottom Line

Developing a growth mindset is the only way to progress as an individual. If you have no practice with this, start slowly by embracing your effort and developing positive self-talk. Look for people in your life who encourage you and ask for feedback from trusted mentors. Don’t shy away from facing challenges, but don’t give up when you experience failure. Look at every moment as an opportunity to learn and be sure to pause to celebrate your victories. You can do this!

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Hello, team! Mary here, continuing our journey through the I in Team series, where we challenge and empower you to Find , Be , and Build Your Influence. One of the most common things we’re asked to help our clients with is toxic workplace recovery. This directly connects to the culture of the team, and while rebuilding that culture takes time and intention, it is absolutely possible. In fact, with the guidance of our I in Team approach and S.M.A.R.T. Management system, we’ve successfully helped more than 19,000 teams evolve into high-performing, values-based cultures. If you’re ready to take the lead and breathe life back into your team, we’re here and ready to support you. Practice Emotional Intelligence One of the most impactful steps you can take on your toxic workplace recovery journey is to practice emotional intelligence (the ability to recognize, understand, and manage both your own emotions and the emotions of those around you). Toxic environments are often the result of emotional disconnection, poor communication, unnecessary competition, and a culture that avoids constructive feedback. Begin by shifting your perspective: respond with empathy, ask thoughtful questions, and use “I” statements. These habits model two traits, emotional regulation and empathy, that influence how your team interacts and solves problems. Start small. For example, set a personal goal to give one piece of sincere praise or recognition per day. This is a S.M.A.R.T. goal, and it starts to reinforce positive emotional exchanges. Over time, this contributes to a psychologically safe environment where people feel seen and supported. Foster Open Communication Once emotional intelligence begins to take root, toxic workplace recovery is just around the corner. Open communication becomes more natural because when team members are aware of their own and others’ emotions, communication becomes seamless. The number one rule? Listen. Really listen. Without listening, communication is incomplete. Try implementing monthly influence partnerships—team pairings that rotate so members can get to know each other beyond surface-level roles. This creates connection and, when done with consistency (Timely), fosters trust across your team. Another way to build open communication is by creating a structured feedback loop. Clarify how and when feedback should be given—perhaps during weekly one-on-ones or monthly review meetings—and make sure all team members understand the difference between criticism and constructive feedback. S.M.A.R.T. feedback is Specific and Relevant, and when delivered with respect, it encourages team members to grow without fear. Lead by Example As we say throughout the I in Team series, everyone is a leader regardless of title. Whether you’re in the C-suite or just starting your first job, how you show up directly shapes the culture of your team. To begin, set some respectful boundaries rooted in your values. Let others know what you need to succeed and what behaviors support or disrupt your work. When disagreements arise, demonstrate what respectful disagreement looks like—calm, focused on solutions, and free from personal attacks. If your workplace has leaned into competition, shift the focus to collaboration. Collaborate on micro-goals, like shared tasks or cross-functional projects. Make the results Measurable and celebrate wins together (publicly, if possible). Consider S.M.A.R.T.-based team-building events (like problem-solving challenges or goal-setting workshops) to reinforce collaboration in a meaningful way. Final Thoughts Toxic workplace recovery starts with you. Every interaction, every word, every moment of listening is a chance to model what’s possible. Show up the way you want others to show up. If your team is struggling to rebuild or you need expert guidance, reach out . We’re here to help. Let’s keep influencing responsibly and positively together.