“Setbacks don’t discourage me” is the best single sentence I’ve read in a long time to describe why people succeed. This quote comes from an article about Angela Duckworth, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania who is studying grit. It comes from extensive research exploring traits other than intelligence that are good predictors of future success. Despite much evidence to the contrary, we are culturally stuck on the idea that intelligence is critical to success (it’s not really that important!).
I don’t know about you, but I associate the word grit with John Wayne, and the movie True Grit. Grit, according to the University of Pennsylvania “grit study” is defined as passion and perseverance for long term goals. Gritty individuals have consistent interests over time and pursue goals even in the face of failure. I guess the long term goal in the movie was justice, but John Wayne is surely the epitome of “set backs don’t discourage me.”
The popular persona of grit
Grit isn’t about stubborn perseverance – it’s also about finding a goal that can sustain our interest for years at a time. According to the UPenn study, grittier people are more satisfied with their lives. The article mentioned above goes on to connect grit with the work of Carol Dweck describing the importance of a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset as it relates to one’s own talent.
After many, many years fumbling around in the vicinity of leadership development, learning & development, organization development, and early childhood development, I can say that I’m pretty comfortable with the idea that development is key to successful outcomes. Growth is not magic, it’s a process that takes time and energy.
But focus on the process is a red herring. Sure we can improve the process (always), but success is an outcome of a person making it through to the other side. To facilitate more success in the world, we should be paying more attention to helping people get grit, than forever tweaking our processes.
Keys to Grit:
- Commitment to clear, long-term goals/vision/future state.
- Constant connection with other people for ideas/input (to overcome setbacks). Did I hear you say, “What, feedback again?!”
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