3. Recipe for achievement
The truly eminent
have “ability
combined with
zeal and the
capacity for hard
labor.”
-Francis Galton
3
4. Darwin to Galton
“… I have always
maintained that…
men did not differ
much in intellect,
only in zeal and
hard work....”
4
5. And Tiger Mom says…
• “But just because you
love something …
doesn't mean you'll
ever be great. Not if
you don't work. Most
people stink at the
things they love.”
5
7. “It takes about ten years to
make a mature dancer”
“Dancing appears
glamorous, easy,
delightful. But the path to
the paradise of that
achievement is not easier
than any other. There is
fatigue so great that the
body cries even in its
sleep. There are times of
complete frustration.
There are daily small
deaths.” -Martha Graham 7
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/16583/
10. Common traits of 300 geniuses
• Tendency not to abandon tasks from mere
changeability. Not seeking something
fresh because of novelty. Not “looking for
a change”
• Tendency not to abandon tasks in the face
of obstacles. Perseverance, tenacity,
doggedness.
10
24. Searching resumes for grit
• Warning signs
– Multiple industry changes over a short period
– No evidence of sustained commitment to any
activity, sport, or job throughout college
– No objective evidence of advancement (e.g.,
promotion, transfer to better company)
• What to look for
– Multi-year projects in which there is clear
progression over time
24
25. Grit Score! Sample Profile! Explanation!
0! No multi-year involvement in any activities "
"
1! Member of the swim team for three years but did not 1 pt for multi-year activity;
advance or win an award; no other multi-year No other multi-year activities"
activities
"
2! Member of the mock trial team for two years and won 1 pt for multi-year activity +1 pt for moderate
the most improved award; no other multi-year achievement in that activity; No other multi-
activities year activities"
"
3! Member of a fraternity for three years but no 1pt for multi-year activity;
leadership roles; Assistant manager at the local 1 pt for multi-year activity + 1pt for moderate
movie theatre for three years " achievement in that activity"
4! Camp counselor at local summer camp for three 1pt for multi-year activity;
years; Player on the volleyball team for three years 1pt for multi-year activity + 2pts for high
and captain in her senior year achievement in that activity
" "
5! President of the student body for three years; 1pt for multi-year activity + 2pts for high
treasurer for the Kite and Key Club for two years " achievement in that activity;
1 pt for multi-year activity + 1 pt for moderate
achievement in that activity
"
6! Member of the cross-country team for four years and 1pt for multi-year + 2pts for high achievement
voted MVP in senior year; Founder and President for in that activity;
two years of the University’s Habitat for Humanity 1 pt for multi-year and 2 pts for high
chapter " achievement in that activity " 25
28. Teacher effectiveness (d = .42*)
4.3
4.2
4.1
4
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.4
3.3 n = 41 n = 80
3.2
Less effective Effective
28
29. Building grit
• Personality traits, including grit, are stable
but not static…Think of them as habits
– Stability comes largely from genetic factors
– Change comes from experience
• Build a culture of grit
– People respond dramatically to the norms of
behavior established by the people around
them
29
30. First, help employees choose
the path of least resistance
• Choose easy. Work hard.
– “Race your strengths. Train your
weaknesses.”
• Choose based on
– Talents, interests, and personality traits
• Work on
– Specific aspects of your performance which
most need improvement
30
31. Sometimes you have to be gritty
for someone else
• “At eleven, I wanted to bag it
because I was doing very
badly...”
• “My dad at that point did
something that was very
important. He said, ‘If you want
to quit, that’s fine. But I don’t
want you to quit simply
because you’re losing…So, I’m
going to continue to drive you
to workouts and force you to
swim and once you turn 12
and are at the top of your age
group, you’ll start to do well. If
you want to quit then, that’s
fine.” (pp. 207-208)
31
32. Why you’re needed
• A partner (or
manager)
understands the
situation but is
“psychologically
distanced”
32
33. Teach them to be gritty for
themselves
• Your employee is losing motivation – what
do you do?
• First, listen. Second, mirror. Third,
empathize.
• Then, advise “Never quit on a bad day”
– Rather, schedule “should I quit?”
conversations in advance
– Don’t allow for “should I quit?” doubts
between these conversations
– Patterned after worry postponement therapy 33
34. Help your employee understand
why they are losing motivation
• One feeling – burnout – can have different
causes:
– LACK OF IMMEDIATE PLEASURE: Practice/effort
feels tedious or frustrating in the moment
– PESSIMISM/FIXED MINDSET: I don’t think I can do
it, no matter how hard I try. I don’t think it’s possible to
get better, just to show how good I “really” am.
– OPPORTUNITY COST: There is a better, alternative
goal
34
35. Create a culture of coaching
• Coaches provide
– Feedback on
performance
– Suggestions for
improvement
• Specific
• Strategic
• Targeted at a single
component, not the
whole darn thing
35
37. Goal setting and planning*
• Goal setting
– What specific goal do I want to achieve?
– What good thing will happen if I achieve this goal?
– What obstacles stand in the way of my reaching this
goal?
• Planning where, when, and how you will get
around or avoid the obstacles
– “If it is a weekday at 6pm, then I will go to my
bedroom and do my work.”
*work by Oettingen, Gollwitzer, Duckworth, et al. 37
38. Longitudinal study of fifth graders in Harlem
82 3.8
81 3.7
80 3.6
Conduct
79 3.5
GPA
78 3.4
77 3.3
76 3.2
75 3.1
MCII Control MCII Control
44
43.5
Attendance
43
42.5
42
41.5
41 38
MCII Control
39. Will Power
“I consider myself to be
of basically average
talent…”
“The key to life is on a
treadmill…When I say I
am going to run three
miles, I run five. With
that mentality, it is
actually difficult to lose.”
39
40. The last word
"While the other guy's sleeping, I'm
working…
While the other guy's eating, I'm
working…
While the other guy's making love
– I mean, I'm making love, too…
…but I'm working really hard at it!"
40
