What is Grit?

What is Grit?

Grit is the ability to push through and persevere when a whole lot of other pressures are coming at you. It’s that simple, but it’s absolutely key.

There are lots of studies that prove the value of grit. And it’s a deeply-held personal belief of mine that, in the entrepreneurial world, there’s a direct correlation between the amount of grit a person has and how much they will achieve. Angela Duckworth, author of “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”, says “Grit predicts success, even when controlling for talent or IQ. That is, between two people of the same talent level, a grittier person will enjoy more success.” She’s right.

As an entrepreneur you’re alone – it’s actually the loneliest profession in the world. In the earliest stages of a venture, you’re doing everything from filling the orders, to handing out flyers, to trying to pitch your ideas. You’re trying to keep friends and families in line at the same time as you’re trying to find a bank to work with.

I can say that after 34 years of being an entrepreneur, I’ve had my face dragged through enough gravel that I know what it takes. And I know that if you’re not willing to do that, then entrepreneurism is probably not your path. Grit is not only necessary for the top person – it’s not just about the CEO. Everyone needs to have grit.

If you want to disrupt, make change and wake up in the morning feeling good, you’re going to have to get through the ugly stuff. That might not necessarily be business – it might be things going on outside that world. It might be family issues, or social economic issues, or even political issues. All those things are going to hit you and you’re going to have to deal with them.

That plan that you’ve taken time to write out? It’s great but it might not be enough.

Intelligence is great but it’s not enough when real pressure hits. It has a breaking point and that’s when grit is needed. The secret is being able to grind it out and say “Okay…let’s go! Let’s get up and get this done!”

You might have 153,000 things on the to-do list but you only have time to do seven, so you have to grit it out.

Tru Earth is gritting it out right now. We’re one of the fastest growing companies in Canada and arguably one of the fastest growing retail product organizations on the globe. That’s a great thing and it’s a challenge. We’ve got knock-offs coming out. We have growth resources being deployed, and revenue channels being opened up. There are international impacts and currency changes and all of these things are grinding at the team – but we’re rising to the challenges.

We’re now a mid-sized organization so we’ve moved from entrepreneur to mid-market and there are growth killers there too. We just have to grit it out. It’s not about time and not about whether or not you can put in 80 hours. Grit is not about working longer than everyone else. Grit is about being sure that you can hold on and stay positive. Can you refrain from panicking? Can you stay calm and get the work done?

Typically, trouble comes from trying to do too much in the same amount of time and not being willing to put your hand up and ask for help.

There’s a difference between grit and being too busy. Our minds waste a whole lot of time thinking – about yesterday and tomorrow. We focus on reliving moments, but that’s not helpful. Grit is about wiping your nose and getting at it. Stop looking forward and stop looking back. 

Just get at it.

Grit is essential for those in hyper-growth areas, and in leadership roles. On Earth Day when 11,000 orders dropped onto our floor and we had to get them out, we needed grit to get the job done. And we did. Sometimes you just have to push yourself a little harder to get to a goal that might be just a quarter away – just 90 days. Right now, for example, Tru Earth is setting up multiple distribution centers all over the world and we know we have to grit it out. 

It will come. But it won’t come on Monday. In 90 days, we’ll have it set up and we’ll be able to breathe until the next time we have to get gritty, that is. Hyper-growth organizations like ours are in a constant state of pressure. If we hope for tomorrow to be quieter but have a critical cause that has to be moved forward today, that won’t work. We have to accept that this is our norm and we have to get gritty.

How important do you think it is for entrepreneurs to have grit?

To purchase Angela Duckworth's book, click the link below.

https://www.amazon.ca/Grit-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1443442313/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PHPJIPXYCS16&dchild=1&keywords=angela+duckworth&qid=1624216876&sprefix=angela+duckw%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1