Key takeaways
- Growth mindset concerns the possibility of developing abilities through learning.
- Give feedback on an observable approach and what the employee can try next.
- Provide strategies, practice and help, alongside the effort expected from the learner.
- Keep learning goals and responsibilities clear instead of labelling someone’s mindset.
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities can develop through learning. Carol Dweck's account includes effort, useful strategies and help from others.[1]
At work, connect that idea with practical support: clear expectations, useful feedback and opportunities to learn. Telling someone to try harder gives them little direction when the task or resource is unclear.
Give feedback about the work and approach
Discuss what the employee did, where it helped and what they could try next. Use specific observations rather than describing their whole ability with a fixed label.
Make feedback useful for a next attempt. If an approach did not work, discuss the strategy, information or support that could change the result.
For an illustrative Support Specialist at a fintech infrastructure company, practise explaining a fictional customer question using company-approved material. The first draft describes the feature but leaves out the colleague responsible for the next step. The manager points to that specific gap, provides the current responsibility reference and arranges a colleague review. The employee revises the explanation, then discusses whether the reader can identify the next contact. The fintech infrastructure employee journey gives the wider role context.
- 01
Describe the attempt
Point to the work you observed. For example: the draft answer explained the process but did not identify whom the reader should contact.
- 02
Choose a different approach
Ask the employee to add the contact route using the approved reference. Agree which colleague can check it before the next attempt.
- 03
Review what changed
Return to the revised work and discuss what is clearer, what still needs attention and which support helped.
Review mistakes as part of learning
Give employees room to discuss what went wrong and how they can improve. A team conversation can examine the action and lesson without turning the mistake into a judgment about the person.
Agree where practice can take place and which decisions require approval. Learning from an error includes understanding the circumstances and choosing an appropriate next action; it does not remove responsibilities for live work.
Provide opportunities to develop
Training and project work can give employees opportunities to learn and practise. Discuss the activity with them and explain how it relates to the knowledge or skills they want to develop.
The learning culture guide covers time, resources and manager support. Keep those conditions visible so development has a place in the working day.
Have managers support the process
Managers help set the environment for learning through their feedback and actions. Be willing to discuss a new approach, explain an expectation or arrange help when someone needs it.
Set clear goals and review progress against them. The employee needs a direction and a way to ask questions, alongside the opportunity to try and improve.
Include development in onboarding
Introduce the employee to the organisation's learning opportunities and explain how the manager supports practice and questions. Keep the early learning connected to the responsibilities they are beginning.
Use onboarding goals to agree a starting point and revisit it as the employee learns. A label about mindset should not replace a discussion of the work, resources and support someone needs.
Sources
- Stanford University. (2015, April 29). Perseverance key to children's intellectual growth, Stanford scholar says. Carol Dweck's definition of growth mindset. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2015/04/dweck-kids-potential-042915
Where CapoFine fits
Support ongoing learning in Grow
Grow connects company and role learning through modules, interactive activities, pathways and progress tracking.