We’ve all heard and seen the term growth mindset in boardrooms and on LinkedIn posts, where it’s practically become a mantra in the modern workplace. But what does it really mean in the context of work, and is it such a big deal? The term itself was first coined by psychologist Carol Dweck back in the 1980s. In a nutshell, it boils down to believing that your abilities and intelligence aren’t set in stone. Instead of thinking, “I’m just not good at this,” a growth mindset encourages you to believe, “I’m not good at this… yet.”
The building blocks of a growth mindset include a strong commitment to continuous learning, resilience, and a positive outlook that fuels problem-solving and creativity. It also involves courage to step out of your comfort zone, openness to new ideas, and persistence to achieve big goals.
Building a successful organization starts with aligning growth priorities between employees and employers. This idea inspired the new TalentLMS Research* on Growth Mindset in the Workplace, designed to uncover how organizations can truly thrive by empowering their people in a rapidly changing workplace.
The research shows that 80% of executives agree that employees’ growth mindset directly contributes to revenue growth—underscoring the need for companies to invest in this critical skill. As we approach 2025, employers and employees alike are thinking about these important principles.
Growth mindset skills employees want to develop in 2025
Before we go further, it’s important to remember that these qualities don’t magically appear out of thin air. Growth mindset skills are built on a foundation of each employee’s growth goals and well-being. Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that technical skills and industry-specific knowledge will always reign supreme. In fact, the research paints a different picture for 2025.
Stress management (29%)
We all know the feeling: deadlines looming, emails piling up, and the constant buzz of notifications. It’s no wonder stress management tops the list of skills employees want to master. Effective stress management helps tackle challenges head-on, without getting swept away by the tide of anxiety. To do this, employees need coping mechanisms, resilience strategies, and a healthy dose of self-awareness. Employers can help by offering tools and resources that make balancing work and life a little easier.
A few human-centric ideas to try to include:
- Workshops on mindfulness techniques.
- Training sessions on time management strategies.
- An open dialogue about work-life balance.
Creative thinking (28%)
As the demand for innovation grows, 28% of employees prioritized creative thinking as an essential skill for 2025. What’s driving demand even more might be the common realization that AI is not good at critical thinking. None of these tools can compare to the creative and critical solutions that humans can engineer. By developing critical thinking skills, you fuel progress, drive innovation, and lead to market-breaking solutions.
How can employers create a culture where creativity thrives? Start with a ‘Fail forward’ mindset, where calculated risks and setbacks are part of the process. With this methodology, calculated risks are encouraged, and setbacks are seen as learning opportunities. Another way to boost creative thinking is through “Yes, and…” improv games. These exercises encourage spontaneous idea generation and collaborative storytelling.
Goal-setting (23%)
A great way to stay motivated is by setting clear goals, and 23% of employees have recognized its importance for 2025. Setting clear goals involves knowing what you want to achieve, breaking it down into steps, and tracking progress. For employers, goal-setting isn’t just about helping employees stay motivated—it’s about aligning individual ambitions with organizational goals to create a win-win situation. This creates a symbiotic relationship where everyone is pulling in the same direction.
As employees reach their goals and see how their work helps the company succeed, they become more motivated and involved. Which in turn leads to even more enhancements in performance and contributes to a culture of constant progress.
Growth mindset skills employers will prioritize in 2025
TalentLMS research shows that 88% of executives believe a growth mindset is important for organizational success. A massive agreement like this points to the necessity for employee training tools that help them cultivate this in their companies.
But what specific skills will be at the top of their list in 2025? Here’s what the research reveals:
Active listening (39%)
Leading the list, 39% of employers see active listening as an essential skill for 2025. Active listening goes beyond hearing—it’s about fully engaging, understanding, and thoughtfully responding to others. In today’s distraction-filled environment, mastering this skill is more crucial than ever.
While Hermann Ebbinghaus’s research showed a steep decline in recall after just 20 minutes, modern distractions like constant notifications likely exacerbate this challenge. By bridging this gap, active listening fosters better communication, stronger trust among teams, and more meaningful engagement. And when practiced consistently, it can reduce miscommunication, boost team trust and make employees feel genuinely valued. So, how can employers help their employees put active listening into action?
One way is by creating a judgment-free atmosphere. For example, using tools to give feedback anonymously or setting up areas in meetings where everyone can talk without being interrupted are great ways to practice this skill. Plus, organizing structured group discussions, where team members take turns summarizing others’ ideas before responding, are also powerful. These techniques work particularly well for remote teams where thoughtful listening can sometimes take a backseat.
Creative thinking (35%)
We’ve already established that creative thinking is a skill in demand for employees, and it turns out employers feel the same. But what else can employers do to actively cultivate this crucial skill within their organizations?
To help put creative thinking into action, employers can implement regular brainstorming sessions where teams explore all possibilities. This strategy closely aligns with the fail-forward methodology we previously discussed, and both complement each other quite well. Beyond that, you can inject some fresh energy into these sessions with “reverse brainstorming”. With reverse brainstorming, the goal is to come up with ways to cause the problem, which can bring about some innovative ideas.
Another effective strategy for employers is hosting creative lunch-and-learns. Here, employees can learn techniques like mind mapping or lateral thinking over a casual meal. These sessions blend education with fun and give employees valuable skills that’ll help them approach challenges with fresh ideas.
Ability to learn (32%)
Learning (especially continuously) is the ultimate innovation hack, the cheat code to level up your employee skills and stay ahead of the curve. To make continuous learning a part of the company culture, businesses can introduce skill assessments to identify employees’ strengths and weaknesses. They can then use that information to build upon their strengths and to close their weaknesses.
Another practical way is to create learning paths. These paths give employees a clear path to master skills that are important to their jobs. For example, an IT employee might start with foundational courses in cybersecurity, progress through certifications, and eventually lead internal training sessions.
Addressing the skills gap
With all this said and done, we need to address the elephant in the room—skills gaps. A skills gap is a mismatch between the skills your workforce has and the skills they need to thrive. To make matters worse, the modern skills gap is a moving target, constantly shifting and evolving.
In fact, according to IBM, the half-life of skills is shrinking rapidly. Just five years ago, you could expect a skill to remain relevant for a decade or more. Today, that number has been slashed by more than half, with some estimates it will half again in less than two years. Addressing this problem requires careful planning and investing in learning.
Bridging skills gaps requires a clear understanding of both current strengths and future needs—a principle that consistently proves effective in workplace training and development. A skills gap analysis is a critical first step, that allows organizations to align their training efforts with their goals. And, it empowers employees to grow into their roles. Once these gaps have been identified, it’s time to create targeted training programs. These are customized to fit different learning styles and to tackle specific skills. And then, lastly, bring it all back home to that powerful growth mindset skill: continuous learning.
To encourage your employees to keep learning new things, give them things they need to learn. Beyond that, help them believe that they can learn and grow, and reward them when they learn new skills.
Thrive with the growth mindset
There is no secret recipe to a growth mindset. Instead, it takes time, practice, and direction to develop. It’s also not a sprint—it’s a marathon. And like any marathon runner will tell you, the key is consistency, perseverance, and a willingness to stumble along the way. It’s about cultivating a relentless curiosity, a thirst for knowledge that can’t be quenched. It’s about having people who inspire your employees, who challenge their ideas, and who make them better. If you can do that, you can push your team to not just survive, but thrive in 2025 and beyond.
*Research methodology:
The survey was conducted online between August 7 and August 14, 2024, with two sample groups:
- Group 1: 1,000 employees in the U.S. across different industries.
- Group 2: 300 executives in the U.S. across different industries, occupying the following roles:
- President/CEO/Chairperson, C-level executive, Chief
- Financial Officer CFO, Chief Technical Officer (CTO),
- Senior Management, Director, Owner or partner
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