Anton Guinea
Entrepreneur, Speaker, bestselling author, and founder of The Guinea Group of Companies. For over 15 years, Anton has helped leaders move their teams to become psychologically safe, physically safe and overall better versions of themselves.
What if the biggest advantage your business is missing… is a mindset?
I know that sounds fluffy. Like something you’d see on a motivational poster in a lunchroom. But hear me out. Your growth mindset is your business strategy. Ignoring that might be costing you more than you realise.
I’ve worked with enough leaders over the years to see the pattern. The ones who stagnate? They cling to the same playbook. The ones who grow? They adapt. They learn in real time. They make “what can I learn from this?” their default setting. That’s not just feel-good thinking, that’s strategy.
Why fixed mindsets don’t build future-ready businesses
We all know someone who says, “That’s just the way I do things.” It sounds like confidence, but more often? It’s fear in disguise. And I say that with compassion, because I’ve been there too. Growth means risk. And risk means discomfort. But playing it safe is rarely safe.
One client once told me they were “too old to change.” What they meant was, “I’m scared to try.” There’s a big difference. Leaders with fixed mindsets often don’t realise they’re making decisions from a place of protection instead of progression. You can’t lead well from a defensive crouch.
In one of our strategy-based sessions, we looked at how teams with fixed mindsets stall not because they lack skill, but because they stop stretching. Progress isn’t about perfection. It’s about learning out loud.
The link between growth mindset and strategic clarity
Here’s the bit most people miss: A growth mindset doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. It means getting better at saying yes to the right things—because you’re not afraid to question, reassess, or pivot.
Think about what that means for strategic thinking. Leaders who allow for self-awareness, feedback, and even being wrong once in a while? They make better decisions. They don’t confuse being decisive with being rigid.
If your strategy feels like it’s stuck, maybe it’s your mindset that needs a reboot.
Mindset is contagious
One thing I always remind people in sessions is this: Your mindset becomes your team’s permission slip. If you shut down new ideas, they stop bringing them. If you’re open to failing fast and fixing faster, they’ll follow suit.
I’ve seen teams flip from fear-based silence to energised contribution—not because we changed the people, but because we changed what was safe to say. That starts at the top.
And if you’re wondering how to get people speaking up in the first place, we’ve built an entire speak safe program around that exact need. Because a silent team isn’t a calm one. It’s a worried one.
Growth mindset doesn’t mean pretending everything is okay
I hear this misconception a lot. That growth mindset is about staying “positive” no matter what. Nah. That’s just toxic positivity with a nicer label.
Real growth mindset means calling out what’s not working and doing it with the belief that it can change. That’s what makes it productive. That’s what turns feedback into fuel. It’s also what separates resilient leaders from reactive ones.
Real strategy includes self-reflection
You want to make sharper moves? Learn how to reflect before you react. That’s not soft stuff. That’s executive function. I go deeper into that in our work on perspective-shifting in leadership, because what we believe shapes how we lead.
Teams watch their leaders. Not for what they say, but for how they show up. So if you want a team that learns, questions, improves you need to model that, too. Messy progress beats tidy stuckness every day of the week.
This is the mindset that scales
The businesses I see grow sustainably over time? They’re the ones where the leaders stay learners. Not experts on a pedestal. Humans in progress.
I’m not saying mindset replaces strategy. I’m saying it informs it. Because if your people are scared to experiment, scared to fail, or scared to speak up you don’t have a strategy. You have a culture of caution. And caution kills momentum.
If this is hitting close to home, we should talk. You can book a team session here, or just reach out for a chat. I’d love to hear what you’re working through.
Because business doesn’t grow unless people do. And your mindset? That’s where it starts.
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If you would like to learn more about Anton or The Guinea Group, please click here to book into Anton’s calendar, to:
UPGRADE your Mindset
UPSKILL your Leadership
UPLIFT your Teams