Never Give Up!

This summer’s Summer Olympics came and went, but as always, they left us with memories of some outstanding performances and awe-inspiring stories. A great example is 24-year-old Rafaela Silva, who won Brazil’s first gold medal in the Rio Games. Silva’s story made headlines not only because she defeated Mongolia’s Dorjsürengiin Sumiya in the 57 kg division in women’s judo, but also because her story is one of overcoming great odds.

She grew up in the Cidade de Deus favela, a violent slum neighborhood located in Rio de Janeiro made famous by the film “City of God”. She was introduced to judo at a very early age. However, despite a surging career, in 2012, she was disqualified of the London Olympics for an illegal hold during the preliminary round. After the loss, she was highly criticized and was targeted by a stream of vile insults. Her promising career was rapidly turned upside down. Silva became depressed and even thought of quitting the sport. However, in a matter of a year, she was back on her feet. In 2013, she won the World Judo Championship, starting an impressive run that culminated in her gold medal win.

Silva’s resilience is truly admirable. Whenever I come across stories of ordinary people who succeed despite the odds being against them, I cannot help but wonder what truly lies behind success.

I recently finished reading Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by psychologist Angela Duckworth. The book’s premise is that most prominent leaders in every field share one personal quality: grit. Defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, but still, grit is necessary to be successful.

According to Duckworth, gritty people work strenuously toward challenges, maintain effort, and stay on course despite failure and adversity. The latter is a critical element of grit: setting long-term objectives and not being deterred from them —no matter what.

Silva thought at some point about quitting judo. But, at the end, she didn’t. Her determination to not give up and her commitment to the sport — her passion— is what sets her apart. This is exactly what makes all the difference at the end. 

Duckworth also talks about four qualities that are signature of grit and that are key in order to accomplish anything worthwhile. These qualities are: a deep interest in what you do, a capacity to practice, a sense of purpose and hope. In other words, people who love what they do, strive to get better at it every day and do something that is important to them and others have a better chance to achieve their goals. However, hope plays a critical role too as this is what provides each person with the confidence that things will work out for the best and thus they need to keep trying.

So, what is the role of grit in the business world?

First, it is important to understand that grit, as defined by Duckworth, works to the service of high-level and difficult goals. Those are the goals that focus on high-level outcomes and are really meaningful.

Second, grit cannot fully replace talent. People who have critical knowledge skills are essential for today’s business organizations. Therefore, talent is an important component of success and goes hand-in-hand with grit.

Finally, grit should not be confused with stubbornness. Grit evokes the concept of an invincible spirit. These are individuals who always find courage to overcome obstacles and have a fervent desire to succeed, especially at what they love. They constantly push themselves and try harder.

What entrepreneurs and business leaders can learn from people like Silva and Duckworth’s research is that quitting or shifting goals, when faced with difficulty and setbacks, never lead to achievement — neither at a personal nor a corporate level. This is why the combination of talent, passion, and resilience is the best strategy to thrive.

Personally, I think the capacity of adapting to challenges as well as to a changing environment plays an important role in a company or individual’s success. This doesn’t mean that by adapting we are changing course. It only means we are open to the possibilities of finding other ways to attain our high-level goals. Therefore, adaptability should also be considered a signature quality of grit — this is especially true in today’s world, which is constantly changing and evolving.

As research continues into investigating what are the things that lead to success, it is important to find methods that help people —and employees — increase and cultivate some of the traits that lead to grit. Many of these signature qualities must be developed through time. After all, learning how to surmount obstacles and react to stressful situations holds the key to achievement.