#122: Why Growth Mindset Isn't Enough: The Five Mindsets You Need to Drive Change

Send us Fan Mail

Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

Growth mindset? Oversold. It’s not the magic bullet schools think it is. Telling teachers and students to “just believe in improvement” without addressing what’s blocking them is like throwing seeds on dry, compacted soil and expecting a lush garden—without loosening the ground, adding nutrients, or ensuring there’s water, those seeds don’t stand a chance.

Becca reveals five Catalyst Mindsets™ —Value, Ownership, Belonging, Success, and Growth—that actually move people from burnout to engagement and from passive compliance to real action.

Value Mindset: If it doesn’t matter to me, I’m not investing energy. Connect initiatives to personal goals, or watch engagement stay surface-level.

Ownership Mindset: Stop waiting for someone else to fix it. Agency, accountability, and integrity drive real change.

Belonging Mindset: If I don’t feel like I belong, I’m not taking risks. Schools must create real psychological safety, not just “niceness.”

Success Mindset: If I don’t believe I can succeed, I won’t even try. Coaching must reinforce small wins and self-efficacy to build real confidence.

Growth Mindset: It’s a continuum, not a checkbox. Where someone falls on that continuum matters more than whether they “have” a growth mindset.

Coaches and Leaders: Your Challenge 

• Identify Resistance—Which mindset is missing?
• Make Change Manageable—Break it down into small wins that build confidence.
• Stop Asking About Growth Mindset—Ask where someone is on the continuum and coach them through the messy middle.

Growth mindset alone won’t move the needle. Change happens when we address the right mindsets, in the right way, at the right time.

Want more info? Check out these resources:

The Five Catalyst Mindsets™: Why Growth Mindset Isn’t Enough [BLOG]

Download the Catalyst Mindsets™ One Pager Here

Human Centered Academy

Ready to diagnose the biggest mindset gap on your team? Take the free Catalyst Mindsets Quiz **HERE**! 

Let's Stay Connected!
Website  |  Instagram |  Twitter |  Linkedin |  Facebook |  Contact Us