4 ways leaders can foster a growth mindset within their team

4 ways leaders can foster a growth mindset within their team4 ways leaders can foster a growth mindset within their teamStanford University professor Carol Dweck and colleagues have spent decades studying the distinct ways in which individuals view intelligence and learning, most recently expanding this research tohow students view pursuing a passion. Her research has profound implications for the work environment and how leaders foster a mindset among their teams that drives learning, growth and innovation.In Dwecks research, there are two primary ways in which individuals approach intelligence and learning with a fixed mindset or with a growth mindset. The fixed-mindset perspective is one in which individuals believe that they are born with a certain level of intelligence and talent, and that level will not shift over their lifetime. As a result, they tend to believe that things for which they have skills should come easily to them, with little effort required for success. In fact, failure is deemed as an event which calls into question their true intelligence, resulting in these individuals experiencing significant struggle with setbacks or mistakes.Conversely, those who adopt a growth mindset believe that intelligence, skills and passions can be developed over time. They seek opportunities to be challenged, to stretch beyond their expected capacity, to take risks, to learn and to gain insight from their mistakes. When it comes to learning and skill development, the growth mindset mantra is Bring it onFrom a business perspective, the advantages of a growth mindset culture are evident in Dwecksresearch. She found that in companies with such cultures,leaders viewed their employees asmore innovative, collaborative, and committed to learning and growing.On the whole, these leaders were more likely to view their employees as having management potential than were leaders in fixed-mindset companies. Likewise, employees in growth-mindset companies demonstrated posit ive views of their organization and their work colleagues. According to Dweck, they are also less afraid of failure.Alaina LoveAs leaders, developing a culture of learning and innovation may be the key factor that allows your organization to outdistance the competition. Nurturing a growth mindset among your team is one important way to helfende hand such a culture.Here are four leadership actions you can take to do soPlace a high value on learningAs an HR executive, I noticed time and again that, when budgets were tight, funding for training and education was the first to be cut. True growth-mindset companies view learning as their life blood. Take it seriously by funding your employees development, and view that funding as a contribution to the companys future success.By investing in programs that develop new skills or offer new experiences, you fuel the intellectual curiosity of your team and promote innovation. And, when you cultivate the abilities of those on your team, you fost er engagement, motivation and productivity.Admit when failures occur, and capitalize on themGrowth-mindset leaders view failure as a part of the journey from success to significance. They dont sweep failure under the rug instead they embrace it. Spend time with your employees debriefing what is going well and what isnt during the course of a project, as well as when its finished.Ask people what they learned about the business and what they learned about themselves during the process? Where might they source support and insight next time? What did they learn that they might apply to another objective?And remember, rewarding effort, as well as outcomes, is critical if you want your team to be willing to take prudent risks. As an added bonus, employees behave more ethically in organizations that distribution policy a premium on learning from both successes and failures.Develop as many people as you canEmployees in fixed-mindset companies often describe the opportunities for success and recognition as being limited to a few rising stars. The opposite is true in growth-mindset organizations, where leaders work to develop their entire team, not just a chosen few. What results is deep bench strength across the organization. Leaders who recognize that great ideas come from everywhere work to expand the diversity of talent and thought necessary for solving tough problems. They create teams that are built for success.Stay open to feedbackThe largest roadblock to growth and innovation is a leader who is closed to receiving feedback. A growth mindset begins with you, as does the recognition that you dont have the market cornered on good ideas. Staying open to feedback invites others to be truthful with you about what is going well and especially, what isnt.This mindset allows others to feel free to come forward with ideas as well as questions, and encourages them to readily embrace feedback from others. Perhaps most importantly, when your team feels free to share with you , it positions you to pre-empt failures or mistakes before their impact becomes severe.Leveraging a growth mindset offers you and your organization significant opportunity for innovation and success. Can you really afford to build a culture without one?Alaina Love is chief operating officer and president ofPurpose Linked Consultingand co-author of The Purpose Linked Organization How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results(McGraw-Hill). She is a recovering HR executive, a global speaker and leadership expert, and passionate about everything having to do with, well passion. Her passion archetypes are Builder, Transformer and Healer. You can learn more about how to grow leaders, build passionate teams and leverage passion to create great customer outcomeshere. Follow Love onTwitter,Facebook,YouTubeor herblog.This article first appeared on SmartBrief. If you enjoyed this article, sign up for SmartBriefs free e-mailon leadership and communication, among SmartBriefsmor e than 200 industry-focused newsletters.