I’m excited to share what having a growth mindset means to me. I work in the Project Management Office in Berlin, Germany, supporting Research & Development (R&D) leaders as a process expert for workflows in the Quality Management System (QMS). Over time, I’ve expanded my role to include New Device Solutions (NDS), where I harmonize processes and use Novanta Growth System (NGS) tools like the Problem Solving Process (PSP) and Kaizen to boost productivity in medical device development within the Advanced Surgery (AS) business. As a patent expert, I manage the R&D Intellectual Property (IP) funnel, drafting and defending patents with attorneys. I also serve as vice chair on the Works Council (WC), a shop-floor organization that complements trade unions.
A growth mindset means saying, “I’m not good at this yet, but with practice, I’ll improve.” Everyone is constantly learning and adapting. Inspired by the principles of a growth mindset, I approach challenges as opportunities to grow, persist through setbacks, view effort as a path to mastery, learn from feedback, and draw inspiration from the success of others.
A growth mindset also shapes how I see leadership. Quality risk-taking starts with leadership at the top. Empowerment, trust, and support, especially when failure occurs, are essential for innovation. Bringing in your own solutions and still being supported when you fail requires trust. Leaders need to make it clear that failure, as part of taking calculated risks, is acceptable and valuable.
In the regulated field of medical device development, external rules define the guardrails, but leadership determines how teams collaborate within them. In my own leadership, I focus on learning from mistakes rather than assigning blame. For me, mistakes are opportunities to improve systems, not punish individuals. I often remind others, “Making a mistake isn’t the problem; repeating it is.”
Applying a growth mindset also means embracing risk-taking. You decide to do things you haven’t done before, taking risks by trying new approaches. True growth requires empowerment and the drive to develop your talents. I like to think of it as mountain climbing; both high-risk and low-risk routes can reach the summit, but there’s no path without challenges. A growth mindset isn’t about thrill-seeking; it’s about empowerment, choosing which risks to take, and learning from experience.
Within our Berlin site, the growth mindset sometimes feels less tangible because I’m far from day-to-day teams. Working in an “allowed-to-fail” mode can be challenging, as people often focus on output, take criticism as blame, and aim to show compliance rather than embrace learning. True change requires leading by example. Managers need to mentor teams to practice a growth mindset collectively, identifying opportunities and piloting improvements with relevant stakeholders.
Living out a growth mindset means being creative within my responsibilities and addressing, rather than hiding, organizational shortcomings. Our value to “Be Real” is central to this, guiding us to treat challenges as opportunities to learn, collaborate, and innovate smarter ways of working.