Supporting growth is not about fixing people. It is about creating conditions where they can stretch, learn, and own their progress. Here is a clear playbook with examples, the difference it can make, and why it works.

Core principles

1. Start with belief
   Assume potential and communicate it plainly. People rise to believable expectations.
2. Coach, do not control
   Ask questions, co-design plans, and let them try. Advice is a map. Autonomy is the engine.
3. Normalize small wins
   Catch progress early, label it, and link it to effort and strategy.
4. Make learning safe
   Treat mistakes as data. Separate the person from the performance.
5. Model your own growth
   Share what you are practicing, where you failed, and how you adjusted.

Good examples

• You say, “I see your pattern recognition improving. What did you change this week?”
• After an error, you ask, “What did the data teach us, and what will we try next?”
• In one-on-ones, you set a single skill goal, define a first step, and book a quick follow-up.
• You give credit for effort and process, not just outcomes.
• You block calendar time for your own learning and let others see it.

Bad examples

• You correct every move and expect mind reading.
• You praise only natural talent or final results.
• You give vague feedback like “be better” without a next step.
• You treat mistakes as character flaws.
• You hide your own learning curve and pretend you have it all figured out.

The difference it could make

• Faster skill growth
• Higher ownership and creativity
• Stronger resilience after setbacks
• A culture where people teach each other
• Better retention and stronger pipelines of leaders

Why it works

• Expectancy effect
  Clear, credible belief changes effort, persistence, and strategy selection.
• Autonomy and competence
  People engage more when they feel choice and see themselves getting better.
• Psychological safety
  Learning requires risk. Safety reduces fear and unlocks experimentation.
• Salience of progress
  Visible small wins fuel motivation and make hard work feel worthwhile.

What to do in the first 30 days

Week 1

• Ask each person for a growth target in one sentence.
• Agree on a measurable first step and a realistic practice loop.

Week 2

• Run a short “after action review” on one task.
  Three questions: What did we try, what happened, what will we change.
• Publicly highlight one small win and the behavior that produced it.

Week 3

• Pair people to teach a micro-skill they have recently learned.
• Remove one blocker that slows practice time.

Week 4

• Share your own month of learning: goal, failure, adjustment, result.
• Revisit each person’s target and either raise the bar or refocus.

How to give growth-oriented feedback

Use four beats:

1. Observation
2. Effect
3. Question
4. Next experiment
   Example: “In yesterday’s demo you rushed the setup, which made questions spike. What cue could help you slow down next time. Want to try a two-breath pause before the key point.”

Simple rituals that compound

• Two minutes of praise per meeting for specific behaviors
• A weekly learn-share where one person demos a micro-skill
• A visible board of experiments tried and lessons learned
• “Office hours” for practice reps, not just Q and A

Measures that matter

• Participation in learning rituals
• Number of experiments attempted per month
• Time from mistake to adjustment
• Skill check on one or two core capabilities
• Self-reported confidence and clarity of next steps

Pitfalls to avoid

• Overhelping that steals ownership
• Generic pep talks without structure
• Moving the goalposts so often that wins never register
• Treating growth like a side project rather than real work

One-page template you can reuse

• Growth target: one sentence
• First step: concrete, small, time-boxed
• Practice loop: when, where, how many reps
• Review cadence: date and questions
• Evidence of progress: what you will track
• Next experiment: the change you will try after the review

Closing thought

Be the person who turns belief into structure. If you model learning, make it safe to try, and shine a light on progress, people around you will grow. And they will remember who helped them become capable, not just comfortable.