What You're Getting Wrong About That TED Talk on Grit

What does it mean to have Grit? Is Grit the poorer cousin of Talent? In this age of hypergrowth and unicorns, is there still a need to possess this quality?

If you looked at my career history, it’d be hard to imagine that I was actually on the brink of failing English in school.

In secondary school, I had an English teacher I really liked. An Englishman, his lessons were engaging, and he was entertaining, funny, and spoke to us like we were adults. But my grades, sadly, did not reflect the joy I had derived from his lessons. As much as I wanted to be the student he’d be proud to have, my English was just appalling. 

One day, we were talking after school and the conversation got to his prediction for my English O’ Level paper. “I’m sorry, Debs,” he said, “but you are probably going to get a C6 or a D7. Your grammar is non-existent.”

I was dumbfounded. How could someone so nice be so brutally honest? I was thinking, “I’d rather die than get a C6!"

I had some 3 months left to prepare for the O’ Levels and I was determined to get an A1; just so, I could prove to everyone that I’m not a lost cause. 

He was right: my grammar was non-existent. I had no idea when to use “can and will” and when to use “could and would”. Past and present tenses were okay but past particle and present perfect could hit me in the face and I’d not know who they were. I bet my essays resembled a bloody family drama in which the Tenses tried to assert some form of law and order in the household. 

So, what did I do? It's not glamorous. I hunted down the essays written by the best students in the top performing schools, and I memorised the chunks that could come in useful in my O’ Level essay. 

I got my A1. 

And that gave me the motivation to continue to hone my writing and work on my English. 

IT IS GRIT

For those who think that grit is something less talented people use to say they are as good as the products of Ivy League and Oxbridge, I would have to respectfully ask that you check your privileges. 

I’m not denying the importance of education. 

What I am trying to say here is, for those of us who could have either sunk or swum, grit is the differentiator. 

I’m sure in your life, you have met your fair share of gifted kids who grew up to become mediocre adults. Or, someone who was hot and rising and then inexplicably, crashed and burned.

Talent and intelligence without grit is like steamed milk foam without that espresso base. You end up with something frothy, vacuous, and has no kick. 

And, grit without the necessary experience and smarts just makes you a workhorse. I am not an advocate of hard work for the sake of it. If you are blessed with a tenacious nature, use it to level up. An espresso shot can be enjoyed on its own but it undoubtedly commands a higher price as a latte, a macchiato, or a flat white. 

SO, WHAT IS GRIT?

 Why did I write this article? I was immensely inspired by Angela Lee Duckworth's TED Talk on "Grit: The Power of Passion & Perseverance". In the clip, she says, "In all those very different contexts, one characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success. It wasn't social intelligence. It wasn't good looks, physical health, and it wasn't IQ. It was grit."

She goes on to describe how grit is having stamina, sticking with your future day in, day out ... grit is living life like it's a marathon.

Some people may disagree. They may argue that grit is the poorer cousin of talent. That people like me use "grit" to justify why we are as good as, if not better, than those with talent, with potential, with spark.

Talent is great. I like to think some people see me as talented too! But I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't have the appetite for hard work, the willpower to stand up every time I fall down, and the dogged talent in showing up for every showdown.

SAD TO SAY, GRIT IS UNDERRATED

Is grit underrated in our fast-moving, fast-growing, fast-exiting economy?

In an age where youth is disproportionately celebrated by investors and recruiters, it seems to be so. Increasingly we see disparaging posts on LinkedIn about how "[we] laugh at your 20 years of experience because our tech is only 20 months old", or how they'll "never hire somebody over 50 years old".

Everyone is looking to sprint ahead and to achieve "hyper-growth", everyone wants to hire 20-something millennials for jobs that require 15 years of experience ... how that math works, is still baffling to me.

This isn't to say millennials don't have grit. I know many who would claw their way out of a coffin buried under 6 feet of earth.

BUT grit is especially synonymous with age because:

It requires being tested by time and circumstances.

It emerges only after you've gone the distance.

And, when Youth, Experience, EQ, IQ, Social Connections, Money leave the party ... Grit is the one that will stay, help clean up, and tell you how to throw a better party next time.