Creating a safe learning environment through a learning & growth approach is essential to creating a positive diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) climate.

Without creating safety for learning and making mistakes, DEI initiatives run the risk of backfiring and making things worse. Working with people who are different from us can be challenging. For many people, it is more than difficult – it feels threatening. Having a growth & learning (vs. performance) mindset has been shown to reduce threat and all the negative things that happen when people feel threatened.

 

Recommended Reading*
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, Ballantine Books; (December 26, 2007)

In Other Words: Phrases for Growth Mindset

In Other Words: Phrases for Growth Mindset: A Teacher’s Guide to Empowering Students through Effective Praise and Feedback by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley, Ulysses Press; Teachers Guide edition (May 1, 2018)