When you're introducing new systems or smarter tools, the biggest shifts aren’t technical - they’re human. This playbook explores one of the most powerful mindset shifts you can nurture across your organisation: turning feedback into fuel.

Why This Matters

Digital transformation isn’t just about software. It’s about people working differently - collaborating, adapting, and continuously improving. But that only happens when your team feels safe enough to experiment and confident enough to grow.

In many organisations, feedback still carries stigma. It’s seen as correction rather than opportunity. That’s where mindset comes in.

Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset

Psychologist Carol Dweck introduced the idea of the Growth Mindset - the belief that abilities can be developed. The opposite is a Fixed Mindset which assumes that people are either good at something or not, which means that trying harder won’t do much to change the outcome.

These mindsets shape how people respond to feedback:

A culture of digital transformation thrives on feedback - but only if people are equipped to receive (and give) it constructively.

How to Build That Culture

Here are steps you can take across your organisation to encourage a growth mindset and create a healthier feedback culture:

1. Talk About Mindset Explicitly

Start meetings, onboarding, and team discussions with examples of growth mindset thinking. Acknowledge that we all carry a mix of mindsets depending on the context and that it’s something we can shift over time.

“We’re not just here to get things right. We’re here to keep getting better.”

2. Normalise Feedback as Two-Way

Managers often give feedback, but what about receiving it? When leaders model vulnerability, it changes the power dynamic and signals that feedback is part of a shared journey.

You can even try simple prompts like:

• “How could I have supported you better in that project?”
• “What’s one thing we could improve next time?”

3. Separate Identity from Performance

Help your team distinguish between what they do and who they are. Feedback about a task isn’t an attack on their character - it’s information to support their growth. Reinforce this by praising effort, learning, and adaptation - not just outcomes.

4. Use Storytelling to Build Buy-In

Share your own learning journeys. When I was ten, I struggled with maths. My dad told me I could reach 80% in the tests I took but I failed again and again. Eventually, after several rounds of getting it wrong, trying to understand how to do it better and trying again; I finally made it. That lesson stuck with me: improvement is possible if you're willing to learn.

These kinds of story can humanise leadership and build the psychological safety that's the foundation of a learning culture.

What You Can Do Next

Here’s a quick-start set of actions you can apply in your team or organisation:

• Reflect: Where do fixed mindsets show up in your culture? Where is feedback avoided or sugar-coated?
• Model: Share a personal story about something you learned through feedback or failure.
• Invite: Actively ask for feedback from someone junior to you. Show them it’s safe.
• Reinforce: Celebrate progress, not just perfection. Praise resilience and reflection.

Final Thought

Change demands experimentation. And experimentation demands learning. When you build a feedback culture rooted in growth mindset, you create the conditions for real transformation - not just better tools, but better teams.

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