A Peek Inside Microsoft’s Growth-Mindset Evolution

Doing the work to inspire growth
Microsoft partnered with NLI to strengthen its initial interest in growth mindset. In addition to creating a new leadership framework, Microsoft adopted a number of strategies to make growth-mindset efforts stick. For instance, leadership worked with NLI to develop conversation guides to help people reframe their language in terms of growth and possibility. The company has also started publicly celebrating demonstrated efforts to use growth mindset. Leadership also created games, quizzes, and libraries to help people gain a fuller understanding of the concept.
“If we want the growth mindset to happen in real life,” said one Senior Director of Organizational Development, “we have to create the conditions for it and modify them as we learn what works and what doesn’t.”
In that way, Microsoft’s smartest move may have been taking a growth mindset during the rollout itself. Inevitably, some people will see the value immediately, while others may need more convincing. By taking a growth mindset along the way, Microsoft has been able to turn small wins into major successes.
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Author: Chris Weller