Grit

Angela Duckworth is an American psychologist and popular author. She is best known for her research on grit, which she defines as a “combination of perseverance and passion that drives a person to consistently pursue goals over many years."

Duckworth is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she runs the Duckworth Lab, a research laboratory that studies the psychology of achievement. Her research has been featured in numerous academic journals, as well as in popular media outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and TED Talks.

In addition to her academic work, Duckworth is also the author of the bestselling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. The book explores the concept of grit and provides practical advice for developing it and achieving long-term success.?

Duckworth argues that talent and intelligence matter less to success than grit—having perseverance, resiliency, passion, drive, ambition and the unstoppable, unwavering willpower to achieve an intended goal. It is the ability to cope with and overcome obstacles, hurdles, doors slammed in your face, rudeness, indifference, dead ends, lack of feedback and everything else that the universe throws at you to block your forward momentum.

There are extremely smart people who go to the best Ivy League schools that never make it in the real world. That amazingly talented and gifted person from high school who everyone thought would be a shooting star, but fizzled out early on in their career, likely lacked this important ingredient. Nothing can take the place of persistence in the face of all odds and grit to help you succeed in life and work.

There are periods of time when a candidate can secure multiple job offers with great firms and a significant premium to their current compensation. Other times, the job market is unforgiving and brutal.

Today, the interview process is slow, meandering and riddled with pitfalls. Hiring managers desire an exhaustive list of required qualifications, skills, academic qualifications and intangible qualities that are almost impossible to meet. Employers are afraid to make decisions and request a never-ending parade of interviews with managers, the manager’s manager, the manager’s manager’s manager, peers, underlings, people from other departments, the janitor and the guy that waters the plants. The unspoken secret is that the hiring manager needs a consensus decision so they are not blamed for making a poor hiring decision.

Think of how hard it is to get a group of your six best friends to agree upon a restaurant to dine out at. Now, imagine six to 10 corporate personnel—all with their own agendas—trying to come to a mutual decision on hiring a person that they really don’t care about.

Interview feedback is sparse because, in part, people are afraid of saying something that could be construed as racist, sexist, ageist and getting themselves into trouble. Also, it is not pleasant to tell someone that they are not wanted and it is too easy to not say anything at all.? Additionally, most often, especially with large bureaucratic companies, people have no idea what is happening and, therefore, are at a loss of what to tell a candidate. Sadly, these are only a small sample of examples that you will confront in pursuit of a new position.

This is where grit comes in. Before success happens, there is almost always temporary defeat, discouragement, embarrassment, humiliation and failure. Most people get discouraged, accept defeat and give up trying. To succeed, you must clearly set your sights on the goal and persevere, despite the challenges.

My best interviewing advice to you is to have grit, stay passionate, keep trying and knock on hundreds of doors until the right one opens for you.

Lessons From Angela Duckworth's Grit: The Power of Passion And Perseverance

Grit is a better predictor of success than talent or intelligence alone. Passion is a critical component of grit, but it's not enough on its own.

Grit requires a growth mindset, which means viewing challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Gritty people have a sense of purpose that motivates them to persist through adversity.

Resilience is a key component of grit, and can be developed through intentional or deliberate practice. Mentors and coaches can help to develop grit by providing guidance, feedback and support.?

Cultivating grit is a lifelong process and requires ongoing effort and commitment.