From Fear to Focus, Part 2: How to Activate Your Brain’s Growth Mindset

Shaunia Scales
19 hours ago
5 min read

In Part 1, we explored what a growth mindset really is and how leaders can use five simple lenses to understand their reactions to challenges. In Part 2, we get into the practical stuff. The how. The “What do I actually do on Tuesday morning when my team gives me news that makes my stomach drop” part.

The goal is not to become a perfect beacon of optimism. The goal is to notice your patterns, shift your thinking, and show up more grounded, more curious, and more courageous. You are training your mindset the same way you train any other skill: slowly, intentionally, and with patience. Think of this as exercise for your brain, minus the gym membership.

Glowing brain with neural patterns in purple and red on dark background. Text: "Activate Your Growth Mindset" in bold yellow.

Here are five tools you can use to activate a growth mindset in real time.

1. Authenticity: How to Shift From Image Making to Being Real

A growth mindset starts with dropping the pressure to perform perfectly. Leaders feel the need to appear competent at all times, but authenticity actually increases trust, psychological safety, and learning.

The Three Sentence Reset

Before a meeting or conversation, quietly say:

“I do not have to know everything.”
“I can be honest and still be respected.”
“I can learn while I lead.”

This interrupts performance mode and helps your nervous system settle.

Tiny Transparency

Try small statements like:

“I am still figuring this out, but here is what I am thinking.”
“This is new for me too. Let’s explore it together.”
“I made a mistake here, and I am learning from it.”

These micro-moments build your credibility, not diminish it. Your team already knows you are human. You might as well confirm it.

2. Abundance: How to Shift From Scarcity to Possibility

Scarcity is the mindset of fear. Abundance is the mindset of growth. You activate abundance by expanding perspective.

30-Second Gratitude Scan

At the end of each workday, answer: “What is one thing that went well and why?”

When you do this your brain starts scanning for progress instead of problems. Regular practice will create a neural pathway to make seeing the positive more routine.

Name Strengths Out Loud

Tell your team:

“I appreciate the way you handled that conversation.”
“I am grateful for the thought you put into this.”
“You made real progress today.”

Gratitude builds trust, motivation, and collaboration.

Scarcity slams doors shut. Abundance cracks them open.

3. Challenge: How to Reframe Threat Into Learning

You can teach your brain to interpret difficulty as a place to grow rather than a place to panic.

The 10-Second Reframe

When you feel stress rising, ask:

“What is the actual threat here?”
“What is the opportunity I am not seeing yet?”
“What one small step will help me learn from this?”

This tiny pause allows your brain and nervous system to downshift from fear into action.

The 1-10 Reality Check

Ask: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how dangerous is this situation really?”

Most of the time the answer is a 3 or 4. Your nervous system is acting like it is a 9. This reminder helps your brain recalibrate.

Change “I can’t handle this” to “I haven’t handled this yet.”

This simple change rewires your stress response and activates growth pathways in the brain.

4. Oneness: How to Shift From Detachment to Shared Responsibility

Growth-minded leaders resist the urge to emotionally distance themselves when things get hard. Instead, they lean into collaboration and curiosity. Remember, leadership is not a solo sport. If it were, the job description would be shorter.

The Three Question Check In

Before reacting, ask yourself:

“What part of this challenge belongs to me?”
“What part belongs to the team?”
“What can we learn from this together?”

This keeps you grounded in partnership instead of blame.

Use We Language Instead of You Language

Say:

“How can we figure this out together?”
“What do we want this to look like moving forward?”
“What can we learn as a team from this situation?”

“We” language builds connection. “You” language builds defensiveness.

Celebrate Collective Wins

End meetings by naming one thing the team did well. This reinforces collective identity and psychological safety.

5. Mindfulness: How to Shift From Autopilot to Awareness

Autopilot keeps you stuck in old patterns. Mindfulness brings you back into the present moment so you can choose your response instead of reacting on instinct.

The One Breath Reset

Before responding in a tense moment, take one slow breath.

Just one.

Your brain needs about six seconds to move from reactivity to clarity. This pause gives your prefrontal cortex time to reboot.

Use Intentional Pauses in Conversations

Give yourself permission to say: “I want to think for a moment before I respond.”

This models emotional regulation and invites others to slow down too.

Ask the Leadership Question

“What does this moment require from me?” or “What is my end goal here?”

This question interrupts emotional spirals and helps your brain return to your goals and values.

Mindfulness is basically giving your brain a tiny leadership nap so it can rejoin the meeting.

Final Thoughts

Activating a growth mindset isn’t about being calm 24/7 or turning into a perfect personal-development poster. You’re human, not a mindfulness app. The goal is to notice when fear, ego, or autopilot takes the wheel, then gently steer back toward curiosity, courage, and learning.

These shifts start small. One breath. One reframe. One moment of honesty. One choice to respond instead of react. Over time, those small practices can rewire your default settings, allowing you to move from fear to focus with greater steadiness and ease.

Which tool are you going to try first this week?

If your organization wants support building these capabilities, SparkGrowth offers workshops, coaching, and leadership programs that help teams communicate with clarity, build psychological safety, and strengthen resilience. And yes, sometimes learning that even sparkles.

Research (click to expand)

Growth Mindset Activation and Cognitive Reframing

• Burnette, J. L., et al. (2013). A meta-analytic review of mindset interventions. Psychological Bulletin, 139(4), 655–701. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029531

• Crum, A. J., et al. (2013). Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(4), 716–733. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031201

Authenticity in Leadership and Psychological Safety

• Leroy, H., et al. (2015). Authentic leadership, psychological safety, and engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(1), 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038035

• Owens, B. P., & Hekman, D. R. (2012). Modeling how to grow: The role of humble leadership. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 787–818. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0441

Abundance Mindset, Gratitude, and Psychological Safety

• Grant, A. M., & Gino, F. (2010). A little thanks goes a long way. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(6), 946–955. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017935

• Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377

• Cameron, K., et al. (2011). Positive practices and organizational performance. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(3), 266–287. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886310395514

Challenge vs. Threat Neuroscience

• Blascovich, J., & Tomaka, J. (1996). The biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 28, 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60235-X

• Jamieson, J. P., et al. (2016). Reappraising stress arousal improves performance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(8), 1102–1113. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000200

• Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer.

Oneness, Collective Learning, and Shared Responsibility

• DeRue, D. S., & Ashford, S. J. (2010). Who will lead and who will follow. Academy of Management Review, 35(4), 627–647. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.35.4.zok627

• Woolley, A. W., et al. (2010). The collective intelligence factor in groups. Science, 330(6004), 686–688. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1193147

Mindfulness, Emotional Regulation, and Intentional Leadership

• Good, D. J., et al. (2016). Contemplating mindfulness at work. Journal of Management, 42(1), 114–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315617003

• Kudesia, R. S. (2019). Mindfulness and problem solving. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 155, 73–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.01.006

• Boyatzis, R. E., et al. (2013). The neuroscience of leadership coaching. Social Neuroscience, 8(4), 342–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2013.837464

Imposter Syndrome, Humility, and Authentic Leadership

• Vergauwe, J., et al. (2015). Fear of failure and the impostor phenomenon. Personality and Individual Differences, 85, 38–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.04.017