Magic in the Room #49: Growth Mindset with Dr. Bob Schooley

March 30, 2021

People with a growth mindset believe they can change and learn over time. In this episode, Hannah, Chris, Luke, and recurring guest, Dr. Bob Schooley, explore the characteristics of a growth mindset and how leaders can help people believe they can change.

Do you have a growth or a fixed mindset? And what is the difference between the two? If you are the type of person who believes that your skills and talents can be developed over time, you will have a growth mindset. If you think that you were born with strengths and weaknesses and accept that there will be some things that you will never be good at, no matter how much you practice, you have what is traditionally referred to as a fixed mindset.

The stories we tell and the things we believe about ourselves can prevent change from happening or enable new skills to thrive. But what is the link between our beliefs and our behaviors? Whether we have trouble sticking to our goals, creating positive habits, or achieving our objectives, our mindset will play a much bigger part in the outcome than you might think.

In today’s episode, your hosts challenge the perceptions that come with any mindset. Luke shares a theory that our mindset is essentially confirmation bias that leads us only to select data from our environment that confirms what we already. He questions that if we have more of a growth mindset and are interested in learning, we might naturally see more opportunities in our environment.

For example, if you have a growth mindset, you will want to learn and have adventures, you want to be challenged. You wouldn’t see, experience, touch, and smell things if your mindset didn’t drive you to that space. On the flip side, the team discusses how contempt can be one of the hallmarks of a fixed mindset. But how can we level up our growth mindset and move away from a limited outlook and start exploring growth territory?

Luke shared how having the courage to ask himself compelling and honest questions in the presence of other people from his team has been incredibly helpful. He reveals the insights he has unlocked by playing around with the idea of his value proposition. Chris also added how you show up with your team while questioning the value we bring to our own lives and the lives of others is only possible by getting to know ourselves better.

The hosts also discuss what percentage of people they think have a fixed mindset and how it could determine if you have an optimistic or pessimistic outlook in life. Hannah believes she has a growth mindset and that she is also an optimist. But she reflects on how she has moved from a fixed to a growth mindset in her life.

Finally, Chris discusses how we are all forced to change our mindset to adapt to our day and the challenges that we might encounter along the way. The ability to switch our perspective to approach a situation differently can be incredibly powerful.

If you would like to learn more about how modeling new behaviors and mindsets encourages teams to value the needs of others,  Connect with us  to start a conversation about how we can help you achieve its designed purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magic in the Room #199: The Power of Mattering

By Sarah Whitfield • April 7, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke Freeman, Hannah Bratterud, and Chris Province dive into the concept of “mattering,” inspired by Zach Mercurio’s work, and explore why it is a foundational driver of engagement, performance, and culture in organizations. They challenge leaders to move beyond assuming people matter to actively ensuring individuals feel that they matter by being valued and by contributing value to a shared purpose. The conversation highlights how mattering differs from belonging, why it cannot be replaced by perks or efficiency, and how leadership behaviors like attention, recognition, and presence directly shape whether people feel seen, heard, and understood. Through examples ranging from workplace dynamics to broader societal trends like social disconnection, they argue that disengagement, conflict, and even poor performance are symptoms of a mattering deficit. Ultimately, they position mattering not as a soft concept, but as a measurable, actionable leadership responsibility that underpins trust, resilience, and long-term success.

Magic in the Room #198: The GUEST Experience

By Sarah Whitfield • March 3, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke, Hannah, and Chris explore how the concept of mattering transforms customer experience through their practical GUEST framework. Building on the idea that people thrive when they feel noticed, affirmed, and valued, they argue that exceptional service is not just about efficiency or technical competence, but about intentionally designing experiences where guests truly feel significant. They unpack the five elements of the GUEST model: Greet with empathy, Uncover needs, Express gratitude, Share names, and Teach benefits. They show how each step reinforces belonging and loyalty, whether in a 30-second interaction or a 30-year relationship. The conversation highlights the difference between service and hospitality, the power of recovery when mistakes occur, and the leadership responsibility to embed mattering into culture rather than leaving it to chance.
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