I recently had the opportunity to conduct a Growth Mindset workshop for managers across functions and organizations, hosted by Pragati Leadership. While my work typically focuses on marketing strategy and growth planning, this was the first time I shared insights from my experience on how mindsets influence growth. I designed the Growth Mindset workshop drawing my observation in the course of my work as a business growth consultant: strategy alone doesn’t deliver growth. Even the most carefully crafted growth planning can stall if the team’s mindset is holding them back.
From Growth Planning to Growth Reality
In business growth consulting engagements, I work with founders and leadership teams to map out external opportunities — identifying markets, creating a brand, and defining competitive positioning. Together, we design the growth plan and the founder feels upbeat, filled with clarity and ambition.
But then comes the harder part: execution. This is where I often see plans derailed, because teams have just not bought into the vision, or are filled with apprehensions that they may fail. Instead of energy and ownership, you see hesitation, objections raised at every step, a lack of enthusiasm, and slow progress.
Fixed vs. Growth Mindset: The Difference That Decides Outcomes
This gap between strategy and execution is best explained through the lens of mindset. One of the most powerful ideas I’ve found for situations where teams hesitate, resist, or lack confidence in their ability to adapt is the concept of the Growth Mindset. When people believe their abilities are fixed, they avoid new challenges, fearing they will fail or be exposed. But when they believe they can learn and improve through effort, feedback, and persistence, they approach the same challenges with energy and ownership.
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A fixed mindset assumes that abilities are static. People in this mindset avoid risk because they fear mistakes will expose them as incompetent. They resist feedback, reject new ideas, and prefer the comfort of familiar routines.
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A growth mindset, by contrast, assumes that abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and feedback. People in this mindset take on challenges, see failures as data points, and persist in the face of setbacks.
None of us operates with a purely fixed or purely growth mindset. We all carry elements of both, and at any given moment, we fall somewhere along the continuum. The real difference lies in how aware we are of our mindset, and whether we choose to respond with a fixed view that keeps us stuck, or a growth view that moves us forward. A fixed mindset leads to stalled execution; a growth mindset fuels persistence, experimentation, and innovation.
Why Strategy Alone Isn’t Enough
In one client organization, for example, younger engineers suggested design improvements to accelerate growth, but senior staff dismissed them with “we’ve always done it this way.” This resistance didn’t stem from a flawed strategy — it stemmed from a fixed mindset. Once we introduced growth mindset practices, the shift was striking: failures were reframed as feedback, experiments were encouraged, and ownership spread across the team. That’s when the growth plan finally came alive.
When more people in an organization operate with a growth mindset, something powerful happens: execution speeds up, collaboration improves, and innovation increases. Leaders don’t have to push every initiative — teams start pulling in the same direction. That’s the multiplier effect of mindset on business growth.
Growth Planning for Success
Growth planning will give you the roadmap, but it’s your team’s mindset that determines whether you actually reach the destination. If people lack ownership, fear mistakes, or keep raising objections, even the sharpest strategy will stall. But if they approach challenges as opportunities to learn and improve, momentum builds.
For founders and leadership teams, the takeaway is clear: sustainable business growth comes from combining sharp strategy with a growth mindset that fuels execution. One without the other isn’t enough, but together, they create a powerful engine for lasting growth.
See our work on business growth planning, and drop us a line at sales@marketaxisconsulting.com to discuss your growth objectives.
