Our language—inside our heads and in our organizations—has incredible power. It can hold us back or help us lean into growth.
Recently, in a group I facilitated, we embraced an exercise of reframing our challenges. Rather than remaining stuck in a fixed mindset, we used words that reflected a growth mindset, embracing resilience and momentum in both our self-talk and how we communicated with one another.
Some of the growth-minded phrases that stood out:
- “We’re getting there.” — A reminder that steady progress matters more than perfection.
- “We’ve done this before!” — Drawing on past experience as a foundation of confidence.
- “We are making progress.” — Noticing momentum and celebrating the steps forward.
- “Let’s measure to see if it’s getting better” — An emphasis on learning from data and adjusting accordingly.
- “There’s a reason to do it and a reason why not, and we have to move past that” — Acknowledging both sides, then choosing action over hesitation.
- “We build it, we break it, we fix to get better” — Resilience in action that emphasizes learning through experimentation and iteration.
- “Yet” — Possibility lives in this one word. We may not know now, but we can learn.
- “I’m looking forward to…” — Future-oriented vision that pulls us toward growth.
These phrases are more than just words. When we choose language like this, we remind ourselves and our teams that progress is happening, growth is possible, and the future is something we can shape.
So here’s the challenge:
Where can you shift limiting language to applying a growth-minded phrase? Do you acknowledge when you hear a growth-minded phrase? How can you adopt a greater growth mindset in your self-talk and how you interact with those in your organization?
Embrace a Growth Mindset
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