Barbara's Book Corner - Grit

With “Barbara’s book corner - other people's words of wisdom” , I bring together two of my passions: reading and talent development.?Every month, I will be highlighting a book I found interesting and share my personal take-aways, thoughts and reflections. My first book is from a few years ago – but as relevant today as it was then - and called “Grit”. The author is Angela Duckworth, an American academic, psychologist and author. She is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania where she studies grit and self-control. She is also the Founder and CEO of Character Lab, a not-for-profit whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development.

We all have heard about “the war on talent”. The big struggle to attract and retain the most talented people. But in identifying talent, have we been focusing on the right things? In “Grit”, Angela uses years and years of research to conclude that commonly used indicators like high academic grades or scores on intelligent tests, are actually not that accurate in predicting success. Instead, when looking at people who are successful versus those who are not, there is one common factor that keeps coming up, grit - the determination to latch on to a goal and keep going even when the going gets tough.

There are two reasons the concept of grit resonated with me and why I was drawn to this book in the first place. First of all, at Capgemini, one central dimension in our leadership model for more than a decade has been “La Niaque”. Originating from French Rugby, it loosely translates into something like: determination, fire in the belly, or…. grit. So, naturally I was intrigued. Secondly, my husband and I often describe ourselves as grafters, rather than people who are natural gifted. Sure there is some talent there but as we joke, we have to work hard for any success we have – jokes that are of course tinged with a slight envy of those to whom things seem to come more easily... ?

But as Angela points out, it might actually be the people who are slightly less gifted, who have the upper hand. Not being able to rely on things coming easy to them, they have had to be more grittier in life and therefore have become so. Where what she calls the “Fragile Perfects”, who have never had to deal with setbacks, have only ever learned how to succeed, not to fail. When failure does happen, it can feel devastating, so much so that people stop seeking out anything that might carry a risk of failure.

This talks to the most important insight for me in the book: Grit is not fixed, but can be grown, from the inside out, and from the outside in.

Starting with the inside out, it all starts with finding a purpose, a goal. Finding something you truly believe in and want to do. Something that ideally is bigger than yourself. Once this purpose is clear, it is about defining stretch goals, something that is hard to achieve, but not impossible. And finally putting in lots of practice. There are no short cuts. Even successful people, no especially successful people, put in the hard work. Grittier people practice more, and they practice more deliberately. They show a persistent desire to do better and they have a positive state of mind. They don’t look backwards with dissatisfaction, but they look forward. They identify what it is they want to improve, ask for feedback and keep chipping away at it. They “learn to love the burn”.

Underneath all of this is of course one central believe: that of a growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset about ability lean towards pessimistic explanations when things go wrong and that leads to giving up, or even avoiding challenges altogether. Whenever you are disappointed, whenever you hit a bump (as you undoubtedly will in life), it will feel like the end of the world, there is no point in even trying.?A growth mindset on the other hand suggests change is possible, which leads to perseverance and seeking out new challenges.

You may think you have a growth mindset, but it may be worth looking a bit closer to the language you use with yourself and others. Some examples Angela mentions in the book are: Do you praise people for being “a natural” or do you praise them for being a “learner”? Do you say “great job, you are so talented” or do you say, great job, what’s the one thing that could have made it even better? Do you say: this is hard, don’t worry if you can’t do it, or don’t worry if you can’t do it yet? Do you say: this is not your strength, it’s ok, or “I have high standards, I know we can reach them together?

How we help others, the circumstances we create, can have a big impact in the ability to grow grit, as she calls it “from the outside in”. Parents (or leaders or mentors if you like) who are supportive AND demanding have the biggest positive impact on the growth of others. They signal: hey I believe in you, enough to want to push you and I will help you be the best you can be.

One great tip I took from the book is this. Each year, she, her husband and children, choose something they find hard to do and they have to stick with it for a decent chunk of time. No quitting allowed. Once signed up, they have to see it through, not forever, but at least until a natural break point. This will allow them to experience the ups and downs, deal with set-backs and prove to themselves they can overcome these and grow. This increases confidence in their own ability which in turn grows grit. As she says, “with practice, industriousness can be learned”.

So, what does this mean for the talent profession? For me it means that the name talent director is not about only nurturing talented people. It is about helping to create a culture and the best circumstances for the talent that is within all of us to come out. To help people who want it, to grow, learn, push themselves and develop grit. ?Promote a culture where it is ok to ask for help. Where we believe in people and are behind them every step of the way. Where we focus more on the possibilities and what could be, rather than only on past performance.

I will leave you with the Seattle Seahawks' motto she mentions in the book which sums it up nicely and which I might just use as a personal mantra on a daily basis (my son is getting slightly annoyed with me repeating the first three whilst he is practicing for the dreaded 11+ exams...):

• We don’t whine
• No complaining
• No excuses
• ?Always protect the team
• Finish strong. Not just start strong, but showing the consistent focus and doing your absolute best at every moment, from start to finish.

I wish you all a very gritty day!