Why is everyone suddenly talking about #Grit?
Grit.
It’s not a new word, and we all use it along with “determination” every day. Then why did I see multiple references to it on a single day from my contacts on LinkedIn recently?
The first indication was in a video by my friend @IeshPratapSingh, in a segment of his excellent series called #GPSForLife. In this segment, Iesh was referencing a book by @AngelaDuckworth called “Grit: The Power of passion and Perseverance”, and the concepts Angela recommends to be successful. I had seen a TED Talk by Angela on this topic back in 2013, but had not read the book. I was making a mental note to look for the book, when I came across an amazing post by my friend @NickKennedy — not referencing Grit directly, but in an adjunct way.
Nick and I had worked together for a startup many moons ago, and remained friends after the exit, as we both live in Dallas. Nick recently sold his aviation company Rise, and is on a journey to understand human psyche. In this post, Nick looked at how the body changes physically with emotions. He gave very personal examples, and even provided a handy chart to monitor the changes. I was intrigued, and started to link what Iesh and Nick were describing.
I see examples of grit on a daily basis in personal life — a person persevering and succeeding in a competitive fashion business with no formal fashion training, or individuals building a multi-million dollar church building with donations from a diverse congregation — but what about corporate life? It was time to pull up the handy search engine to see how experts are defining grit, so I could see how my colleagues and clients are beating the odds everyday.
The simplest, non-pedantic definition I could find was: “Grit means you have the mental maturity to overcome any excuse in almost any situation. It’s the ability to push through, no matter what. Convince yourself you’re going to do something most people won’t, and practice behavior that makes it impossible for you to fold when things get tough”.
Grit is not exclusive to superstars — think about this definition in your personal and professional context, and I’m sure you will come across multiple examples in your life you didn’t even think were “gritty”.
You can do a quick search and see that there are several tests for measuring Grit. People even embed questions in interviews to gauge your level of Grit (I’m sure no one has ever been asked “How have you dealt with failure and bounced back?”) But how do you build the mental state called Grit?
In my opinion, the key ingredient is positive thinking, which can build resilience and perseverance. Mayo Clinic believes there are several benefits of positive thinking, including:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
The same article talks about how to identify negative behavior and some suggestions to correct it, and concludes by stating “When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you’re better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way.”
Professionally, being in sales, which is one of the more stressful occupations, being “generally optimistic” is easier said than done, but what I have found is spiritual reflection and being around positive people works for me, in addition to humor and humility.
I recently read a great HBR article by @BillTaylor, founder of #FastCompany, in which he suggests a great way to stay grounded: “So much of the business culture remains fixated on strategic disruption, digital transformation, and the meteoric rise (and disastrous fall) of venture-backed unicorns. What if we took just a moment to think a little smaller, to act a lot more humbly, to elevate the person-to-person interactions that lead to more meaningful relationships?”
It’s a new decade — think back on all your successes, smile, and go conquer your Kilimanjaro!
