Ever find yourself thinking, “I want to lead with a Growth Mindset…but what do I actually say in the moment?” That’s exactly why I created a new 1-page Leaders’ Growth-Mindset Question Card.

What It Is

A practical, one-page tip sheet with the top five evidence-based questions leaders can use in one-on-one meetings, team discussions, and project reviews to:

  • Shift people out of fear, defensiveness, and “we’ve tried everything.”
  • Focus conversations on learning, experimentation, and forward motion
  • Expand thinking and open up new possibilities for growth

What it’s based on

This card distills a meta-analysis of the latest Growth Mindset thought leadership (Dweck and beyond), plus work in solution-focused coaching, psychological safety, and high-performance teams. In plain language: it’s the brief list of questions that consistently help people shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset in real leadership conversations.

Purpose & Desired Outcomes

  • Turn tough moments (missed targets, conflict, change) into learning moments
  • Unlock better options when teams feel stuck
  • Anchor people in a clear, positive future, not just today’s constraints
  • Normalize experimentation: “not working yet” instead of “we failed.”
  • Co-create Conditions for Success instead of simply pushing harder

Benefits for Leaders and Organizations

If ‘growth mindset’ is new to you, I recommend reading my article, Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset. This can help you develop a growth mindset, significantly enhance your personal productivity, and strengthen your team culture to better manage adversity and changing environments.

If you want to foster a growth mindset in your team, you need to shift people’s thinking. The first step is to model the behaviour by adopting a growth mindset yourself and then asking good questions.

Leaders who consistently use these questions tend to see

  • More ownership and problem-solving from their teams
  • Stronger psychological safety and willingness to speak up
  • Better quality decisions, because more perspectives and possibilities are surfaced
  • A tangible shift from “performance-only” to a learning + performance culture

If you’d like a copy of the Leaders’ Growth-Mindset Question Card – Top 5 Questions for Expanding Possibilities, then…click here and provide your email address to download.

It’s a small tool that can quietly transform the quality of your leadership conversations.

 

More posts by Dave

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  • Hard Knock Lessons on Cost Effective Hiring

  • Managing the Impact of Change

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