I frequently write and speak about the importance of mindset. Over the years, I have discussed research showing that the way we think about stress, challenges, and setbacks can have a significant impact on our well-being and performance. Stanford researcher Alia Crum’s work on stress mindset, along with Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset, suggests that our beliefs shape how we experience the world around us. Lawyers who view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, for example, are often more resilient than those who view every setback as evidence of failure.

But there has been something missing from the discussions about mindset and resilience. We tend to focus almost exclusively on the individual lawyer’s mindset. We tell lawyers to become more resilient by adopting a more positive mindset. We teach them techniques for managing stress and recovering from adversity. All of that is valuable. Yet it overlooks an important question: What role does the law firm itself play in helping lawyers develop resilience?

This is where the work of psychologist Mary Murphy offers an important insight. In her book Cultures of Growth, Murphy argues that organizations develop mindsets just as individuals do. Some organizations operate as what she calls “Cultures of Genius.” Others operate as “Cultures of Growth.” The difference can have a profound impact on employee well-being, learning, engagement, and performance.

A Culture of Genius is built on the idea that some people simply have natural talent and others do not. In these environments, employees often feel pressure to prove themselves. Mistakes are viewed as signs of weakness. Asking questions may be perceived as a lack of competence. Feedback can feel more like judgment than coaching. The focus becomes looking smart rather than getting better.

Unfortunately, many law firms have a Culture of Genius. Associates may conclude that successful lawyers never make mistakes, never struggle, and never need help. When inevitable challenges arise, lawyers in these environments may become reluctant to seek guidance or admit uncertainty. Instead of learning from mistakes, they expend energy trying to hide them.

Murphy argues that a Culture of Growth operates differently. These organizations recognize that skills can be developed through effort, learning, coaching, and experience. Mistakes are not celebrated, but they are viewed as opportunities to improve rather than as evidence of incompetence. Feedback is designed to help people grow rather than simply evaluate them. Employees are encouraged to ask questions, seek assistance, and learn from one another.

Consider a young lawyer who turns in a draft brief to a partner and gets it back covered with red ink. In a Culture of Genius, the lawyer may interpret the revisions as proof that he or she is not cut out for the profession. In a Culture of Growth, the same lawyer is more likely to view the revisions as part of the learning process. The work product is improved in both situations, but the emotional impact is dramatically different.

Murphy identifies several situations that commonly trigger fixed-mindset thinking in organizations: evaluations, difficult challenges, critical feedback, and the success of others. Lawyers encounter all four on a regular basis. Performance reviews, trial losses, redlined documents, and comparisons with more successful colleagues are part of everyday legal practice. The question is whether the firm’s culture encourages lawyers to see these experiences as threats or as opportunities for growth.

Law firm leaders have tremendous influence over this process. They shape culture through the messages they send, the behaviors they reward, and the way they respond to mistakes. A partner who responds to an error with coaching sends a different message than a partner who responds with ridicule. A firm that celebrates learning and improvement creates a different environment than one that only celebrates flawless performance.

The lesson from Murphy’s work is that resilience is not solely an individual responsibility. Certainly, lawyers benefit from adopting healthier mindsets. But organizations also play a critical role in creating conditions where resilience can flourish. A lawyer’s ability to bounce back from adversity is influenced not only by what is happening inside the lawyer’s mind, but also by what is happening in the culture surrounding that lawyer.

For law firms seeking to improve well-being, engagement, and performance, the answer may not be limited to teaching lawyers how to think differently. It may also require leaders to examine whether their firm is creating a Culture of Genius or a Culture of Growth. The distinction matters. One culture asks lawyers to prove themselves every day. The other helps them become better lawyers every day. Over time, that difference can have a profound impact on both performance and well-being.