By Rob Hines, Managing Director, Accounting & Finance
Why a Growth Mindset Matters in Your Career
Developing a growth mindset is essential for professionals who want to continue advancing without making a career move. In today’s competitive market, candidates in accounting and finance often wonder how they can remain challenged and engaged while excelling in their current roles. Cultivating a growth mindset helps you actively shape your career, develop resilience, and demonstrate leadership, even without a promotion or job change.
A growth mindset isn’t just about learning new skills—it’s about approaching challenges strategically, seeking feedback, and embracing opportunities to stretch beyond your comfort zone.
[Rob Hines, Managing Director at Landing Point, shares three actionable tips for cultivating a growth mindset in your current role]
Key Takeaways
• Set small, consistent learning goals: Focus on incremental skill-building rather than waiting for a major career change. Even dedicating 30 minutes a week to learning can have a lasting impact.
• Seek feedback regularly: Proactively ask for input from managers, peers, and cross-functional colleagues to improve performance and demonstrate coachability.
• Embrace stretch assignments: Volunteer for projects outside your usual responsibilities to grow your skills, confidence, and adaptability.
• Consistency and patience are crucial: Growth is a gradual process—small, deliberate actions accumulate into meaningful professional development.
A growth mindset allows professionals to thrive in dynamic work environments and stay competitive in accounting and finance. Many employees mistakenly believe career growth only comes from big moves like promotions or new roles. In reality, the most impactful growth comes from consistent learning, feedback, and challenging assignments.
Why this advice matters today: Employers are looking for candidates who are proactive, resilient, and adaptable. A professional who demonstrates initiative—even within their current role—signals leadership potential and long-term value to the organization.
Common mistakes professionals make:
• Waiting for formal opportunities or promotions instead of creating their own learning paths.
• Avoiding feedback due to discomfort or fear of criticism.
• Staying within their comfort zone, missing chances to develop new skills or cross-functional expertise.
By integrating small learning goals, soliciting feedback regularly, and taking on stretch assignments, you position yourself to not only excel in your current role but also prepare for future opportunities. Over time, these habits cultivate resilience and adaptability—qualities that employers value highly.
Related reading: Hiring for Potential vs. Experience: Why Focusing on Potential Can Drive Long-Term Success
Ready to Grow in Your Current Role?
Looking to strengthen your career without changing jobs? Landing Point’s recruiters specialize in helping accounting and finance professionals develop the skills, mindset, and opportunities to advance their careers. Contact us to explore how we can help you grow in your current role or prepare for your next opportunity.
Transcript:
Rob Hines:
Oftentimes, candidates will ask me how they can continue growing in their careers without making a move. Many professionals are happy in their current roles but still want to feel challenged, engaged, and that they are taking active steps towards growing in their position. My answer is always: the key is learning how to cultivate a growth mindset right where you are.
What is a growth mindset?
A growth mindset can mean different things to whoever you’re asking. For me, it’s believing your skills and abilities are not fixed—they grow through effort, curiosity, and feedback. It’s not just aiming for a promotion; it’s intentionally approaching learning, problem-solving, and challenges. A growth mindset drives engagement, creates value, and builds resilience for challenges ahead.
How can you develop a growth mindset? In my conversations with candidates over the years, I’ve developed a 3-step approach:
Step 1: Set small, consistent learning goals
One of the biggest misconceptions about professional growth is that it only happens in big leaps. In reality, the most sustainable growth comes from small, consistent steps. Think about what’s happening in your company right now. Has a new technology just been rolled out? These moments are opportunities to position yourself as a resource. Even dedicating 30 minutes a week to learning demonstrates initiative and leadership.
Step 2: Seek feedback
Feedback is one of the clearest paths to growth. Don’t wait for annual reviews—proactively ask for input from managers, peers, or colleagues. Specific questions like, “What’s one thing I could be doing more effectively on this project?” can accelerate development and show coachability.
Step 3: Work on stretch assignments
Step into challenges that push you outside your comfort zone. Volunteer for projects outside your usual responsibilities, cross-department initiatives, or leading presentations. Stretch assignments give space to apply skills in new ways, build confidence, and enhance adaptability.
Cultivating a growth mindset doesn’t require changing jobs or waiting for the perfect opportunity. By setting consistent learning goals, embracing feedback, and leaning into stretch assignments, you’ll grow in your current role and prepare for future success.
About Rob Hines
Rob Hines was one of Landing Point’s first hires in 2016 and has been instrumental in building the firm’s Accounting & Finance practice. Rising from Associate to Managing Director, Rob now co-leads the team, specializing in recruiting top accounting talent for private equity firms, hedge funds, real estate companies, and asset management clients.
With deep experience placing professionals at the associate through manager level—including fund accountants, controllers, and other critical finance roles—Rob is known for helping clients structure high-performing teams while guiding candidates through pivotal career moves.
Before joining Landing Point, Rob worked at Ernst & Young and Madison Realty Capital and graduated with Honors from Iona University. Outside of recruiting, Rob brings his entrepreneurial energy to running his entertainment company and treasures quality time with his wife and son.