Grit

1. Grit: The Combination of Passion and Perseverance

Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you're willing to stay loyal to it.

Defining grit. Grit is the combination of passion (sustained interest) and perseverance (stick-to-it-iveness) for long-term goals. It's not just working hard on something, but staying committed to your goals over time, even in the face of setbacks. Gritty individuals:

• Have a clear top-level goal that organizes and gives meaning to everything they do
• Show consistent interest in and effort toward this goal over years
• Bounce back from failures and setbacks, using them as learning opportunities

Measuring grit. The Grit Scale, developed by Angela Duckworth, measures an individual's grittiness. It assesses factors such as:

• Consistency of interests over time
• Ability to work hard and persevere through challenges
• Tendency to finish what one starts
• Willingness to work towards long-term goals

Higher grit scores correlate with success in various fields, from academics to athletics to business.

2. Talent Is Overrated: Effort Counts Twice

Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another.

The talent myth. Society often overemphasizes natural talent as the key to success. However, research shows that effort is far more important. Duckworth presents two simple equations to explain this:

1. Talent x Effort = Skill
2. Skill x Effort = Achievement

Effort appears twice because it builds skill and makes that skill productive. This means that someone with less talent but more grit can outperform someone more talented but less gritty.

Examples of effort trumping talent:

• The National Spelling Bee: Grittier competitors practiced more and performed better
• West Point Military Academy: Grit predicted who would complete the grueling summer training, not academic or physical fitness scores
• Sales: Grit predicted who would stay in their jobs and outperform their peers

The key takeaway is that sustained effort over time, not innate ability, is the true driver of long-term success and achievement.

3. Develop Your Interests Before Committing to Them

Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.

Interest development is a process. Contrary to popular belief, passions are not simply discovered fully formed. They are developed over time through:

1. Exposure to new things
2. Positive feedback and encouragement
3. Gradual deepening of knowledge and skill

This process often takes years and involves many false starts and dead ends.

Stages of interest development:

1. Early exposure and curiosity
2. Active engagement and learning
3. Making connections and seeing relevance
4. Finding deeper meaning and purpose

Advice for developing interests:

• Try many different activities, especially in youth
• Give new interests time to grow before abandoning them
• Seek out supportive environments and mentors
• Look for ways to connect interests to broader goals and values

Remember that it's normal for interests to evolve and change over time. The key is to remain open to new experiences while also giving yourself the chance to develop depth in areas that truly engage you.

4. Practice Deliberately to Improve Your Skills

There are no shortcuts to excellence. Developing real expertise, figuring out really hard problems, it all takes time—longer than most people imagine.

Deliberate practice. Not all practice is created equal. Deliberate practice is a specific type of practice that leads to exceptional performance. Key elements include:

1. Focused attention on improving specific aspects of performance
2. Immediate feedback on results
3. Repetition with reflection and refinement

Deliberate practice is often challenging and not inherently enjoyable. It requires pushing beyond your comfort zone and confronting your weaknesses.

Implementing deliberate practice:

• Set specific, challenging goals for each practice session
• Seek out expert feedback and coaching
• Focus on technique and quality, not just quantity of practice
• Regularly analyze your performance and identify areas for improvement
• Create a consistent practice routine and stick to it

Examples of deliberate practice in action:

• A swimmer focusing on perfecting their stroke technique rather than just swimming laps
• A musician rehearsing difficult passages slowly and methodically, rather than playing through entire pieces
• A salesperson role-playing challenging customer interactions and analyzing their performance

Remember that deliberate practice is a skill itself that can be developed over time. Start small, be consistent, and gradually increase the challenge and complexity of your practice sessions.

5. Connect Your Work to a Greater Purpose

What ripens passion is the conviction that your work matters.

Finding purpose. Gritty individuals often connect their work to a purpose beyond themselves. This sense of purpose provides motivation and resilience during difficult times. To cultivate purpose:

1. Reflect on how your work benefits others
2. Look for ways to make your current job more meaningful
3. Seek out inspiring role models and mentors

Three levels of work orientation:

1. Job: Focus on material benefits (paycheck, security)
2. Career: Focus on advancement and prestige
3. Calling: Focus on intrinsic rewards and contribution to society

People who view their work as a calling tend to be grittier and more satisfied with their lives.

Strategies for developing purpose:

• Volunteer or do pro bono work in your field
• Mentor others and share your knowledge
• Look for opportunities to innovate and solve important problems
• Connect your daily tasks to your organization's broader mission
• Reflect on how your work aligns with your personal values

Remember that purpose often develops gradually. Start by looking for small ways to make a positive impact, and let your sense of purpose grow over time.

6. Cultivate a Growth Mindset to Enhance Grit

Whether you think you can, or think you can't—you're right.

Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset. People with a growth mindset believe that abilities can be developed through effort and learning. This contrasts with a fixed mindset, which sees abilities as innate and unchangeable. A growth mindset is crucial for developing grit because it:

• Encourages embracing challenges as opportunities to learn
• Promotes resilience in the face of setbacks
• Fosters a love of learning and self-improvement

Developing a growth mindset:

1. Recognize that struggle and failure are part of the learning process
2. Focus on effort and strategies, not just outcomes
3. Seek out challenges that push you beyond your current abilities
4. View criticism as valuable feedback for improvement
5. Cultivate curiosity and a desire to learn

Examples of growth mindset in action:

• A student who sees a poor test grade as motivation to study differently, not as a sign of limited intelligence
• An athlete who views losses as opportunities to identify weaknesses and improve
• An entrepreneur who sees failed ventures as valuable learning experiences

Remember that mindset itself can be changed. By consciously adopting a growth-oriented perspective, you can increase your grit and potential for success over time.

7. Create a Culture of Grit in Your Environment

If you want to be grittier, find a gritty culture and join it. If you're a leader, and you want the people in your organization to be grittier, create a gritty culture.

Cultural influence on grit. The culture we immerse ourselves in powerfully shapes our behavior and attitudes. To increase grit:

1. Surround yourself with gritty people
2. Join organizations that value perseverance and long-term commitment
3. If you're a leader, actively cultivate a culture of grit

Creating a gritty culture:

• Set and communicate clear, challenging long-term goals
• Celebrate effort and perseverance, not just innate talent
• Share stories of grit and resilience within the organization
• Provide opportunities for deliberate practice and skill development
• Encourage a growth mindset and learning from failures

Examples of gritty cultures:

• The Seattle Seahawks under coach Pete Carroll, with their emphasis on continuous improvement and competition
• The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which instills discipline and perseverance
• Certain companies known for their rigorous hiring and development processes, like McKinsey or Google

Remember that culture is created through consistent actions and messages over time. As a leader or team member, your own gritty behavior sets an example for others to follow.

8. Parents and Mentors: Supportive Yet Demanding

The work of parenting, teaching, mentoring, and coaching is, in many ways, the work of gritting up the next generation.

The parenting paradox. The most effective approach to developing grit in children and mentees is to be both highly supportive and highly demanding. This "wise" parenting style:

• Provides emotional warmth and encouragement
• Sets high standards and expectations
• Offers autonomy and respect

Strategies for wise parenting and mentoring:

1. Model gritty behavior in your own life
2. Encourage exploration of diverse interests
3. Support deliberate practice in chosen areas
4. Help connect activities to larger purposes
5. Teach and model a growth mindset
6. Allow natural consequences for lack of effort
7. Celebrate effort and improvement, not just achievement

Examples of wise parenting in action:

• Encouraging a child to stick with a chosen activity for a full season before quitting
• Providing emotional support during setbacks while also brainstorming ways to improve
• Allowing children to struggle with challenging tasks rather than immediately stepping in to help

Remember that developing grit takes time. Be patient and consistent in your approach, recognizing that small actions and messages accumulate over years to shape a child's character and approach to challenges.

Last updated: January 22, 2025