In today’s business world, staying ahead requires more than just keeping up with the competition—it demands a relentless commitment to growth and innovation. CEOs and other people leaders share their strategies for fostering a growth mindset within leadership teams. From nurturing curiosity with a Future Trends Forum to learning from failure effectively, these experts provide seventeen actionable pieces of advice to elevate your leadership approach and drive continuous improvement within your organization.
- Nurture Curiosity with Future Trends Forum
- Foster Growth with Structured Book Club
- Set Quarterly Learning Goals
- Share Learning Wins in Slack
- Implement Leader as Learner Sessions
- Embed Deliberate Vulnerability in Culture
- Integrate Reflection and Recalibration Sessions
- Champion Innovation with Emerging Technologies
- Focus on Goal-Aligned Growth Areas
- Create Feedback-Driven Culture
- Open Communication Channels for Growth
- Integrate Personal Goals in Reviews
- Acknowledge and Move On
- Foster Company-Wide Development
- Model Growth Mindset
- Start with Open Communication
- Learn from Failure Effectively
Nurture Curiosity with Future Trends Forum
Part of nurturing a growth mindset in my leadership team as the founder of a digital marketing agency is starting with curiosity being part of our culture. We even developed this concept for “Future Trends Forum,” which has been very successful and engaging. Each quarter, I challenge each leader to study up and prepare for a new emerging trend or tool in our industry (like learning about AI in SEO or taking deep dives into new advertising algorithms). The goal is to keep them interested in learning, but including a fierce debate about how we can move forward as innovators together.
What makes this work is associating the exercise with a real-world context. One thing we do, for example, is after one presentation we tested a new analytics tool that helped us in better tracking client KPIs. When I foster a safe environment for testing, my leaders have become bolder about looking for growth-enabling opportunities and not only for themselves but also their teams. Focus on the challenge, not just the outcome, this way everyone is motivated to try new things.
Darryl Stevens
CEO, Digitech Web Design
Foster Growth with Structured Book Club
A structured book club is an effective tool for fostering a growth mindset within a leadership team, encouraging both personal development and alignment with organizational goals. In this model, leaders collectively choose a book each month, aligning the timeframe based on the book’s complexity and length. This approach engages leaders with new perspectives and stimulates discussion around actionable insights that can directly benefit the organization.
To maximize impact, the book club designates a rotating facilitator for each session. This rotation ensures that each team member has the opportunity to lead discussions, enhancing their ability to present ideas and guide conversations. The facilitator prepares a few key questions in advance, focusing on how the book’s lessons can be applied to specific challenges or objectives within the organization. This practice encourages leaders to think critically about how the material translates into practical strategies for their roles, fostering a deeper connection between learning and implementation.
At the end of each session, participants identify a concrete action item inspired by the discussion, committing to apply a specific insight from the book in their work. In the following session, the group revisits these action items, allowing members to share outcomes, discuss any challenges, and celebrate successes. This accountability loop not only reinforces continuous improvement but also strengthens a culture of shared learning and progress.
Diversity in book selection further enriches this experience, as the team explores a range of topics from leadership and innovation to psychology and communication. Each book broadens perspectives, exposes leaders to new ways of thinking, and equips them with tools for adaptability and resilience. This variety helps cultivate flexible thinking and brings a steady influx of fresh ideas to the organization.
By linking learning to action and integrating accountability, this book club approach becomes more than a reading exercise; it becomes an engine for growth. Leaders learn together, experiment with new ideas, and create a shared framework for continuous improvement that benefits both the individuals and the organization.
Chris Dyer
Keynote Speaker On Culture, Leadership Speaker
Set Quarterly Learning Goals
Encouraging a growth mindset within a leadership team requires creating an environment where learning, adaptability, and constructive feedback are valued. One strategy that has proven effective is establishing a “Learning Goals” program—a structured initiative that sets personal and team development goals focused on continuous improvement rather than just performance outcomes.
Here’s how it works:
- Quarterly Learning Objectives: In addition to standard performance targets, each leader sets one or two personal learning objectives each quarter. These might focus on skills like adaptive leadership, strategic decision-making, or technical upskilling, depending on their role.
- Peer Learning Sessions: Leaders meet once a month to share insights and discuss challenges in their learning areas. This creates a culture of transparency and shared growth. They can discuss books, courses, or experiences, and it reinforces the idea that learning is a shared team priority.
- Celebrating Progress and Iteration: We make it a point to celebrate not just wins but also the process of experimentation. If someone tries a new approach that doesn’t pan out, the team reflects on what was learned and how it can be applied next time. This fosters a safe space for taking smart risks.
By integrating learning goals alongside traditional objectives and fostering regular reflection, leaders not only develop their skills but also model a growth-oriented culture that trickles down through the rest of the organization. This has consistently driven high engagement and a more resilient, adaptable leadership team.
Alexandrea Harrelson
Chief Technical and Marketing Officer, CEO Zones
Share Learning Wins in Slack
Fostering a growth mindset in my team has been key to our success. I know I’m not the most experienced person in the room, but I’ve learned that curiosity and adaptability can beat experience when you lean into them. Plus, it helps being a LinkedIn Creator myself running a LinkedIn Creator Marketing platform and agency.
One strategy that’s been a game-changer for us is our “Learning Wins” Slack channel. It’s where we share lessons from challenges, experiments, and, yes, failures. I set the tone by sharing my own learning moments—like when I underestimated a campaign’s timeline or when a new outreach strategy flopped.
But it’s not just about admitting mistakes—it’s about celebrating growth. For example, one team member pitched a risky idea for bundling micro-influencer campaigns. It didn’t work as planned, but we learned what brands were looking for, refined our approach, and landed a major deal with a SaaS company soon after.
What’s unique about Creator Match is how young and scrappy we are. At this stage, every challenge feels like an opportunity to level up, and every win reminds us why we take risks in the first place. Building a culture that values learning over perfection has helped us land partnerships with brands like HubSpot and Notion, proving that being young is an asset, not a liability.
This isn’t just a team initiative—it’s how I lead every day. In the creator economy, things move fast, and so do we. Embracing a growth mindset is how we stay ahead.
AJ Eckstein
Founder & CEO, Creator Match
Implement Leader as Learner Sessions
To encourage my leadership teams to embrace a growth mindset, I focus on fostering curiosity, continuous learning, and intentional language use. Continuous learning not only keeps leaders updated with the latest industry trends and best practices but also enhances their problem-solving skills and adaptability. One effective strategy is implementing “Leader as Learner” sessions-monthly meetings where leaders share insights from books, courses, or experiences that have shaped their leadership journey.
In these sessions, we emphasize the power of growth-oriented language, using phrases like, “What can we learn from this?” or “How might we approach this differently next time?” to reframe challenges as opportunities. Leaders model vulnerability by discussing their own learning moments, fostering collaboration and psychological safety. These “Leader as Learner” sessions serve as a platform for leaders to connect, share, and learn from each other, fostering a sense of unity and teamwork.
This initiative not only reinforces lifelong learning but also empowers leaders to use language that cultivates optimism and drives improvement. As leaders, your role in shaping the culture of continuous growth and possibility is crucial. By embracing a growth mindset and using growth-oriented language, you can influence and inspire your teams to strive for continuous improvement.
Kristina Holle
Business Consultant and Coach, Holle Consulting
Embed Deliberate Vulnerability in Culture
To develop a growth mindset within our leadership team, I prioritize embedding the principle of “deliberate vulnerability” into our organizational culture. Our leaders are encouraged to role-model continuous learning by openly sharing both their successes and failures, to demonstrate that growth is an iterative process. An effective strategy we’ve implemented is the “Challenge to Change” initiative, where each leader identifies a personal or professional blind-spot during quarterly reviews and works with a cross-functional mentor to fix it. It’s a program that integrates feedback from peers, structures goal setting and progress tracking, it creates accountability and is a tangible route for growth.
We’ve put in place bi-annual “Learning Showcases” where leaders present their lessons learned from stepping out of their comfort zones—from adopting new technologies, exploring disruptive markets or addressing personal challenges. This has not only normalized experimentation and failure as part of the leadership journey but also it has strengthened our team cohesion and innovation. By creating a place to acknowledge weaknesses and champion development, we’re creating a leadership culture that values adaptability, resilience, and relentless pursuit of excellence.
Simon Stapleton
CEO and CTO, Truthsayers Neurotech
Integrate Reflection and Recalibration Sessions
To encourage a leadership team to embrace a growth mindset, I focused on fostering a culture where self-awareness and openness to learning were valued just as highly as results. One effective strategy I used was the integration of regular reflection and recalibration sessions. These sessions created a structured, but agile space where leaders could assess recent challenges, celebrate wins, and identify areas for personal and team growth without the pressure of immediate problem-solving.
In these sessions, each leader was encouraged to share a recent challenge, articulate the lessons learned, and consider any mindset shifts needed to approach future challenges. We then took these insights and turned them into actionable steps for both individual and team development. By normalizing reflection as an essential part of our routine, we reinforced that growth wasn’t an infrequent practice, it was an ongoing journey that strengthened leadership and innovation across the board.
Kevin Thallemer
Executive Coach & Founding Partner, Leadership Reinvented, LLC
Champion Innovation with Emerging Technologies
We encourage our leadership team to embrace a growth mindset and continuously seek improvement by fostering a culture that champions innovation and the strategic use of emerging technologies. One specific and highly effective strategy has been our initiative to integrate Robotic Process Automation (RPA) into our service delivery and client operations teams.
By embracing RPA, we demonstrate firsthand the value of adapting to new technologies and drive home the importance of staying ahead in the industry. Our leadership team actively participates in workshops and training sessions focused on understanding how RPA can streamline processes, reduce manual work, and enhance efficiency. These sessions not only equip leaders with practical knowledge but also empower them to identify additional areas where automation can be applied to elevate both internal processes and client solutions.
This approach has encouraged a mindset of continuous improvement and sparked collaborative brainstorming sessions, where leaders propose and pilot new automation ideas. The impact has been substantial—RPA has significantly reduced task repetition, increased team productivity, and allowed our staff to focus more on strategic, high-value activities. This commitment to leveraging automation as a tool for growth has reinforced a culture where improvement is constant, ensuring our leadership remains forward-thinking and proactive in driving innovation.
Mark London
President/CEO, Verity IT
Focus on Goal-Aligned Growth Areas
Growth mindset is often misunderstood as a constant search for flaws to fix. Yet, if we focus only on what’s wrong, our minds will find endless issues, ultimately eroding confidence, introducing imposter syndrome, and making our egos more fragile. Remember, our minds can’t distinguish between reality and imagination-what we tell it, it believes and filters for. Similarly, our egos exist solely to protect us from pain, resisting growth, self-awareness, and feedback, as these processes can feel uncomfortable.
This is why a growth mindset must be approached with care. Instead of compiling a laundry list of improvements, focus on what aligns with your goals and reveals patterns of resistance. Identify areas that block your progress or hinder your team’s success. Once you acknowledge these challenges, you can set aside ego-driven resistance and allow yourself to experience the discomfort necessary for growth.
For instance, while I’ve accepted that math isn’t my strength, I don’t waste energy forcing myself into roles requiring advanced financial skills. Instead, I delegate to my finance lead, who thrives in this area, freeing me to focus on my strengths: fostering leads, nurturing relationships, and being the face of my business. By prioritizing growth in areas aligned with my goals, I ensure both personal and organizational progress.
As leaders, it’s crucial to ask: Am I seeking growth for my ego, or for the impact and vision of my work? Be honest about where your time and energy are best spent. If delegating is a challenge, the issue might be tied to a subconscious need for control. Building trust—in yourself and others—is a skill that grows through small, actionable steps. Break goals into manageable pieces to avoid overwhelm and focus on meaningful improvement.
Leadership isn’t about being good at everything; it’s about aligning strengths, fostering trust, and growing in ways that support your mission. By reframing growth as a strategic, goal-oriented process, you can create lasting impact without losing confidence or clarity.
Payal Beri
Global Empathy Speaker and CEO, RK Empathy Inc
Create Feedback-Driven Culture
A practical strategy we’ve found effective is fostering a feedback-driven culture at all levels of leadership. We encourage leaders to regularly seek and give feedback—not just from their peers but also from their teams. This helps them stay connected to the realities of day-to-day operations and uncover areas where they can improve or try new approaches. By embedding feedback as a core component of our leadership development, leaders naturally adopt a growth mindset, focusing on what they can learn and improve upon continuously. This approach has created a culture where growth is a shared responsibility and leaders actively look for ways to enhance their skills and the team’s performance.
Jonathan Melmed
Founding Partner, Melmed Law Group
Open Communication Channels for Growth
Mindset drives behaviors and changes culture leading to improved outcomes in recruitment, morale, retention, and results.
You and your leadership team need to create a mindset focused on your employees—how you can support, encourage, and champion them.
When you take this approach, it often results in growth and improvement of the leadership team.
As the chief executive, I initiated open communication channels from employees to leadership. While I think that chain of command leadership has its place, it can hinder the flow of information in both directions. When there is an open communication style, this encourages the leadership team to develop transparency in their communication and actions with their colleagues. This is very important for leaders who are new to organization or to leadership because they feel like they can learn and grow. And it can also help experienced leaders become more comfortable as the organization and culture changes.
As a result, the leadership team works and acts like a team which not only enhances the organization and its people but can result in more opportunities for these leaders. Three people from my executive leadership team were selected into senior leader positions at other organizations. Our team served as one of the top leadership groups for new leaders to intern with. These candidates also became successful leaders, and one is now the chief executive of his organization.
Cheryl L. Mason
Author of “Dare to Relate: Leading With a Fierce Heart”, CEO, Catalyst Leadership Management
Integrate Personal Goals in Reviews
To cultivate a growth mindset within a leadership team, integrate personal and professional development goals into their annual performance reviews that are tied to organizational initiatives. If improving group process and versatility is a goal, train and develop your leadership team to lead learning circles where employees are also developed to resolve important group process activities such as decision-making, problem-problem solving and planning that resolves gaps between strategy and effective execution. This helps you to also identify your next generation of leaders.
Encourage your leaders to engage in monthly learning activities. Examples include: Public speaking and reading industry-relevant books, attending conferences, or participating in workshops. Then track learning transference on improved skills and attitudes. Do this by setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives that benefit both the individual and the organization’s growth and scalability.
This structured, professional development approach not only enhances individual capabilities but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability throughout the organization. The TIGERS 6 Principles views leadership growth and improvement as a risk resolution activity. The other five principles are trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy and success.
Dianne Crampton
President, TIGERS Success Series, Inc.
Acknowledge and Move On
In my company, we believe that the journey towards growth takes a lot of ups and downs. Our strategy is acknowledging and moving on, which we call “the messy middle.” We recognize that it’s a temporary place, and we can choose to improve our condition over time. This approach encourages our leadership team to embrace a growth mindset by framing challenges as opportunities for learning and development.
To implement this strategy effectively, we foster a culture of continuous learning through regular debriefing sessions after major projects, where we focus on improvements rather than dwelling on failures. We also encourage our leaders to pursue personal and professional development opportunities. By celebrating growth efforts alongside outcomes, we reinforce the idea that the process of improvement is just as important as the end result, ultimately leading to a more adaptive and successful organization.
Yemisi Iyilade
Avp Leadership Development Consulting, Pivotal Growth Inc.
Foster Company-Wide Development
We try to foster a company-wide culture of development. There are various initiatives that contribute to this. First, we offer training and workshops on a company level. For instance, we’ve just recently had an online workshop on leadership, delegation, and team dynamic improvement. But we also encourage our teams and team leads to seek new skills in a form of external educational or training programs that we cover as long as those are related to their roles.
Secondly, we hold quarterly reflection and feedback sessions for the whole leadership team. This is where leaders get to present what they’ve achieved in the past quarter, what challenges they faced and how they overcame them. After this, everyone else can provide them with feedback. Third, instead of focusing on criticism, we try to highlight the achievements of our team. This way we show that we see their development and the effort it takes. Doing this motivates our team to keep improving.
Dima Eremin
CEO, BluedotHQ
Model Growth Mindset
Encouraging a growth mindset requires more than words. The company culture, mission and values should support expansive thinking and not reward limiting beliefs.
If you’ve set up the organization to positively reinforce ideation, risk taking and innovation, then the first step for you is to model a growth mindset with those you seek to influence. Show and tell them that you are exploring possibilities, looking at “what could be” and not just what has been, and walk the talk in aligning your values with your actions. Even failures (and the learning that comes from them) can be opportunities to strengthen the firm’s (and your) commitment to growth.
Next, cultivate an open-minded and inclusive environment where your team feels safe and supported in sharing new ideas and perspectives. Psychological safety is paramount to ensure your leadership team will trust you (and the process) to allow themselves to explore uncharted waters. The good news about a practice and culture of growth mindset is that it replicates! The more you positively reward growth thinking, the more people at all levels of the organization will think big (and not small) and strive to always be better.
Lida Citroën
CEO, LIDA360
Start with Open Communication
For me, it all starts with open communication. I meet with my leadership team regularly to establish goals and let them discuss among themselves what they think is best. I think it’s really important to give them space to share their perspectives, which often leads to some great ideas and helps build a sense of ownership. After they’ve had a chance to talk it through, I step in with my thoughts and tweak the goals where necessary to make sure we’re all aligned and moving in the same direction.
One of the most effective parts of this approach is that everyone feels heard, and we’re able to make adjustments that make sense for the team and the business. It also fosters a growth mindset because we’re always looking for ways to improve and adjust as we go. It’s a team effort, and we all get to learn and grow together.
Taylor Kovar
Chief Executive Officer, 11 Financial
Learn from Failure Effectively
One of the most important strategies I have found to be effective, is learning from failure. Now, it is a misconception to say that failure in and of itself will produce growth. We have to learn from failure, and we have a specific approach to doing that that ensures we’ve identified what went wrong, and how we can best learn from the situation. Additionally, I would say that the worst thing a CEO could do is talk about this strategy and not live it out in his or her own life. If I’m not being vulnerable with my team and sharing what I’ve learned from my failures, how can I expect them to do so?
Drew Yancey PhD
Founder & CEO, Teleios Strategy