Growth Mindset
If you are a nonprofit leader or board member, you know how important it is to have a growth mindset. It is the difference between seeing challenges as threats that signal failure and scarcity, versus seeing them as opportunities to learn, innovate, and expand impact. A growth mindset doesn’t remove risks, but it changes how your organization responds to them—turning uncertainty into a pathway for sustained learning and greater mission impact.
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities, intelligence, and skills can be developed through effort, effective strategies, and input from others. It contrasts with a fixed mindset, which assumes talents and traits are innate and unchangeable.
A growth mindset allows leaders to diagnose problems by asking what the situation is teaching you about structure, strategy, or capacity instead of assigning blame. It encourages you to experiment with solutions, pilot small changes, measure outcomes, and iterate, while accepting that some experiments will fail but yield learning. It motivates you to seek candid feedback and diverse viewpoints to surface issues early and address them constructively, fostering psychological safety. As a result, you build adaptive systems and create governance, staffing, and financial practices that allow your organization to adjust quickly to external changes. You also invest in people and prioritize staff and board development, so their skills and perspectives evolve with needs.
How do you know if you or a teammember has a growth mindset? Look for the following behaviors:
Embracing challenges instead of avoiding them
Persisting when faced with setbacks and analyzing what can be changed
Seeking and acting on feedback
Valuing effort and deliberate practice as paths to improvement
Learning from others’ successes rather than feeling threatened
A growth mindset is practical and actionable. When leaders intentionally shape language, incentives, and routines to value learning and adaptation, organizations become more agile, innovative, and resilient in the face of change.
There are practical steps you can use to cultivate a growth mindset in your organization.
Make learning explicit. Set aside regular time in board and staff meetings to review what’s working, what isn’t, and what was learned from recent efforts. After setbacks, hold structured, blame-free reviews that capture causes, consequences, and corrective actions.
Define hypotheses for initiatives. Treat new programs as experiments with clear metrics and timelines for review.
Embed reflection into funding and planning cycles. Include learning goals in grant proposals and annual plans, not just inputs and outcomes.
Avoid superficial praise or empty encouragement: Focus on specific actions and strategies. Show your team that you notice them and value their contributions. Replace praise focused on innate traits with process-focused feedback; rather than saying, “You’re so smart,” say “Your strategy and persistence paid off in our meeting today.” Be specific and show your team how they add value.
Set learning goals alongside performance targets: Define specific skills to develop and steps to practice them, along with specific outcomes. Mindset shifts require ongoing reinforcement during everyday practices, not a single workshop.
Strengthen onboarding and ongoing development. Ensure every board and staff member understands the organization’s adaptive priorities and has opportunities to build relevant skills. Offer coaching, training, stretch assignments, and access to mentors.
Model curiosity and vulnerability: Share your personal learning goals, learning journeys, and lessons learned. Ask for input.
To improve your growth mindset as a leader, practice positive self-talk and focus on your strengths. A growth mindset helps us see obstacles as part of the learning process and motivates us to persist. Incorporate activities into your routine, like exercise and hobbies, to relieve and manage stress. Increase opportunities for reflection, and don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Whether you turn to friends, family, or a professional, having a support system can provide the encouragement, accountability, and advice we need.
