by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Mindset is one of the most important drivers of performance, growth and collaboration. It is the story you tell yourself.
Do you believe that your abilities are fixed—that you’re either good at something or you’re not—or do you believe that with effort, practice, and feedback, you can learn and improve?
Psychologist Carol Dweck and others have shown how powerful this distinction is. A fixed mindset sounds like: “This is too hard. I’m not good at this. I’ll never get it.” With this approach, challenges feel like threats, and setbacks lead quickly to giving up.
On the other hand, a growth mindset says: “This is difficult, but I can figure it out. I know how to learn, I know how to ask for help, and I can improve with effort.” People with a growth mindset persevere through the rocky first stage of learning, where nothing feels natural, and emerge stronger on the other side.
Here’s how the two mindsets differ:
- Fixed Mindset
- Believes intelligence and ability are static
- Avoids challenges to protect self-image
- Gives up easily when faced with obstacles
- Sees effort as pointless or a sign of weakness
- Views feedback as criticism
- Feels threatened by others’ success
- Growth Mindset
- Believes skills can be developed through learning and effort
- Embraces challenges as opportunities
- Persists through setbacks and difficulty
- Sees effort as the path to mastery
- Uses feedback as a tool for improvement
- Finds inspiration in the success of others
Leaders and professionals who adopt a growth mindset are more resilient, more innovative, and more collaborative. They see effort as essential and treat challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles.
Adopting a transformation mindset means embracing five essential qualities:
- Flexibility: staying open to change and new ideas
- Imagination: seeing possibilities beyond the current situation
- Resilience: recovering quickly from setbacks and trying again
- Strong Relationships: building trust and learning from others
- Self-Confidence: believing in your ability to grow, without slipping into arrogance or thinking you have nothing left to learn
This mindset doesn’t make challenges easier, but it makes them achievable. When you believe in your capacity to learn, you can push through discomfort, sharpen your skills, and build lasting confidence. That confidence, in turn, becomes contagious—it encourages peers, teams, and organizations to stretch, adapt, and grow together.
In the end, your greatest professional superpower is not how much you know today, but your ability to keep learning and collaborating tomorrow. With a transformation mindset, you position yourself and your team to meet challenges head-on and unlock new levels of growth and success.
© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 1.5 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com