Change Nugget: Applying the Growth Mindset to Your Career

What do Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Bad Bunny have in common?

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Tom Brady was a third-string quarterback at the University of Michigan and was drafted 199 in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Both Jordan and Brady had moments of doubt but neither one gave up. Bad Bunny, the entertainer who just headlined the Super Bowl Halftime show, one of the biggest platforms for an artist to perform at, was bagging groceries at a supermarket ten years ago. This past Sunday he looked into the camera and whispered, “Believe in yourself.” (Cree siempreen ti)

So beyond being extremely talented with incredible work ethics, what do these three have in common? They all embrace a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. Originally coined by psychologist Carol Dweck from Stanford University, the growth mindset has six principles. 

Principles of a Growth Mindset

• Embrace Challenges: View obstacles as opportunities to stretch skills.
• Learn from Criticism: Actively seek and use constructive criticism for self-improvement.
• Persistence and Effort
• View Failures as Opportunities
• Resilience: Bounce back from setbacks and adapt to change.
• Continually Learn and Adapt

In the case of Michael Jordan he turned his career around by believing in himself but also embracing the challenge. He was the first one at practice, and the last one to leave. He started scoring a lot of points every game, yet while his individual career was taking off the Chicago Bulls were still not winning championships. So he tried something different, he began watching a video of the game every night and he realized something that changed the team’s trajectory. Jordan was taking all the shots, rather than passing the ball to his teammates. Once he started passing as much as he was shooting, the Bulls started winning. Soon after, the Bulls had multiple championships under their belt. His resilience and willingness to adapt led to his own personal success, as well as his teams'.
 

Many of us won’t be Michael Jordan, Tom Brady or Bad Bunny, but we can apply the growth mindset to our own lives and our careers. This may look different for each person. The main thing we can do is take responsibility for our own career and learning by utilizing the many resources at our disposal. Maybe that means learning more about Artificial Intelligence or taking a course at the University. It might be embracing a new tool or attending a professional development event. Maybe it's personal: Going to the gym, learning a new language or picking up a new hobby. By applying the growth mindset to work and life you can help yourself feel unstuck. It's a different way to look at challenges in our life. 

How can we apply this at work?

How to apply it at work

• For staff: Take responsibility for your learning, seek new skills, ask for help, and reframe failures as learning moments.
• For leaders:
  • Reward effort: Acknowledge hard work, not just outcomes.
  • Foster learning: Provide coaching and skill development.
  • Encourage experimentation: Create psychological safety to try new ideas.
  • Reframe failure: Treat mistakes as data for growth, not as setbacks.
  • Give growth-focused feedback: Provide input that encourages development. Benefits for the workplace
  • Increased innovation & collaboration: Employees are more likely to share ideas.
  • Higher engagement & satisfaction: Linked to greater job satisfaction and a sense of belonging.
  • Greater adaptability: Helps the organization navigate market changes.
  • Reduced burnout: Fosters resilience and a sustainable approach to careers. 

Learn more about the growth mindset. 

Change Nugget: The Change Curve