The Growth Mindset in Policy Work: Staying Curious in a Space Built on Expertise

Over the years, I have realised that public policy is both a science and an art of continuous learning. The field demands judgment, institutional awareness, and subject mastery. Yet what often goes unspoken is how quickly the ground shifts beneath us. Policies evolve, governments change, priorities get redefined overnight. In such an environment, being the smartest person in the room matters less than being the most curious one. That, to me, is the essence of a growth mindset in policy work.

I have seen too many policy spaces where hierarchy silently defines who gets to speak and who gets to listen. There is an unspoken belief that once you reach a certain level, you are supposed to have all the answers. But policy is not a destination; it is a moving conversation. The more time I have spent working with ministries, think tanks, and corporate policy teams, the clearer it has become that the best professionals are the ones who never stop learning, even when they are leading the table.

For me, a growth mindset in policy work starts with humility. It is the humility to admit that you don’t always know enough about a new regulation, a state-level notification, or an emerging geopolitical trend. It is also the discipline to read deeply, listen intentionally, and update your mental models regularly. Policy work rewards those who stay informed, but it celebrates those who can connect dots across domains.

I often remind myself that policy is a systems game. Every decision, every clause, and every stakeholder interaction is linked. A growth mindset helps you see those connections more clearly. It helps you approach each issue not with the intent to prove what you know, but to understand what you don’t. When I engage with a new topic say, climate adaptation financing or digital competition law, I treat it as an opportunity to expand my own vocabulary of influence.

This mindset also shapes how I work with teams. I have learned that curiosity travels faster than authority. When I ask my team to challenge assumptions or question data, it signals that learning is valued more than hierarchy. Over time, this creates a culture where people don’t just follow policy processes; they build them. They become not just executors, but co-thinkers. That is what makes a policy unit resilient in a constantly shifting landscape.

A growth mindset also redefines how we deal with failure. In policy work, not every engagement produces visible results. Sometimes your proposal is shelved, or a regulation moves in a direction you didn’t anticipate. Earlier in my career, I would take that personally. Today, I view it as institutional feedback. Every missed opportunity teaches you something about timing, framing, or coalition-building. The key is to extract the learning before moving to the next battle.

What helps me stay grounded is the habit of cross-learning across sectors. Reading a budget speech, studying a state-level consultation, or observing how a startup interprets compliance, each offers clues on how policy is lived, not just written. That perspective keeps me from becoming a specialist trapped in my own lane. Policy is about patterns, and patterns only reveal themselves when you zoom out.

For younger professionals, I would say this: expertise is important, but it should not harden into ego. Learn to unlearn. Make it a point to seek conversations outside your comfort zone. If you work on trade, talk to someone in education. If you focus on taxation, listen to those in sustainability. The world is increasingly intersectional, and policy professionals who adapt will always outlast those who only defend what they know.

Ultimately, the growth mindset is not about optimism; it is about adaptability. It is the quiet confidence that you can figure things out even when the terrain changes. And it is what separates those who observe policy from those who shape it.

I often tell myself that staying relevant in public policy is less about holding on to expertise and more about renewing your curiosity every single day. Because in a world where the rules keep changing, learning is the only power that compounds.

(The opinions expressed in this article are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer or any affiliated organization.)

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