How to Multiply the Power of Grit Before You Crash and Burn
I’d rather work with persistent leaders than quitters. But grit crashes and burns if it can’t change direction.
Persistence in a bad thing multiplies disappointment.
What if it’s better to quit?
Angela Duckworth says grit is more important than brains and twice as important as talent. But what if persistence limits your potential?
Two ways to multiply the power of grit:
#1. Multiply the power of grit by exploring options.
Sincerity isn’t a solution for stupidity.
The problem with grit is reluctance to admit something isn’t working.
Hardheaded grit crashes and burns.
Closeminded grit blames others for disappointment.
#2. Multiply the power of grit by acting boldly.
The problem with grit is fear of failure.
The difference between grit and boldness is the willingness to try something new.
Grit persists because trying something new feels like failure.
Persistence is great at responding, but not at taking initiative.
Persistence plods forward waiting for a breakthrough or opportunity.
I’ve seen plodders hope for opportunities and complain when they didn’t get them. Did they speak up? No. They plodded forward hoping someone would notice and give them an opportunity.
Questions that multiply the power of grit:
#1. What’s the boldest thing you can do?
I recently asked a super-gritty leader, “What’s the boldest thing you can do?” His eyes went to the ceiling. (A sign of brain activity.) At that moment, we both realized that persistence and boldness are different things.
Boldness explores new options. Persistence stays the course.
Boldness speaks up. Persistence presses forward.
#2. What’s not working?
Persistence says, “Shut up and keep working.”
Persistence can’t imagine it’s working at something that isn’t working.
Distinguish the difference between long-term goals and daily practices. What are you doing – on a daily basis – that isn’t working?
When has persistence not served you well?
How might leaders multiply the power of grit?
Working in the public safety bureaucracy for several decades, I saw many examples of “persistence run amuck.” Policies and practices followed years beyond their best-by date, reluctance to abandon “proven” methods that were no longer effective in a changing societal / legal / political environment, and myriad other examples of “staying the course” when the need for a hard tack to starboard was evident to everyone -except the decision makers.
Granted, ideas and programs need to be given time to work as intended, but the feedback loop must be active enough (and loud enough) to indicate when it is time to make substantial changes or move on. Nobody wants to prematurely give up on a potential winner, but daily asking the question,” What are we working at that isn’t working?” can help us see past our self-imposed blind spots and gain clarity to evaluate the path forward. Sometimes that may mean tweaking what we have, or it might require that leap of faith into the relatively unknown.
I am reminded of the variously-attributed quotation, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.”
Thanks Jim. I can imagine that any safety focused business or division would be slow to change. After all, change isn’t safe. You’re suggestions about active feedback and recurring conversations make perfect sense.
When has persistence not served you well? When we are on the wrong path and refuse to change, as with anything be open to change and rethink, how and why?
How might leaders multiply the power of grit?
Mixing positive experiences and outcomes to help drive the Grit, sometimes we need the Bull separate from the China closet.
LOL.. thanks Tim. Love the idea of getting the bull out of the china closet.
When has persistence not served you well?
Holding on too long to a “not working pathway” finding the sweet spot of holding on two more cycles vs. letting go and reducing the losses is a very tough balance for me. At times, in the post-mortem discussions, I’ve thought “I should have read the signals and let go.” My observation is that many times the weak signals of letting go are drowned out by the stronger signals of “got to do this.”
(The application step is hard in this one!)
Thanks Ken. You wrote something that speaks to me, “two more cycles.” Set a time when you’ll make change if things don’t improve. Many of us just pedal harder and faster hoping it will magically start working.
The other thing that came to mind is sunk cost. We put too much weight on what we’ve done or spent when making decisions about the future. Sunk costs are not relevant when making decisions about the future.
Part of the problem is that grit only helps you stay the course after you have decided what that course should be. It doesn’t help you decide on the course in the first place or make course adjustments as needed. So grit on its own is not enough.
Wow! You’re first sentence blew me away! Thanks Jennifer.
Thanks for this post. I do find myself limiting the opportunity for people on my team to grow by showing boldness. I handle it for them, which may help in the short term, but limits their growth in the long term. I will ask more questions and empower more.
Thanks Rich. That’s a wonderful insight. We learn to be bold by being bold.
How can I help someone who is stuck in “persistence” to the point of no longer being able to find the daily top priorities or accomplish basic tasks in a timely manner? Every day they start at the top of their list of tasks and plunge their way through it, making mistakes and seeming to have no understanding of how their lack of competency effects the office as a whole. They argue with management about their job, saying they are accomplishing tasks that they aren’t, and then answer with “Okay, whatever you want” but no positive change happens. Even when handed the day’s priorities, they cannot complete them. I can’t take the amount of work away, they don’t respond well to being handed a daily list of priorities by management, and they seem incapable of change despite their words. How can I, as a manager, help facilitate positive change?
I had a similar challenge and started the person on a performance improvement plan. It takes some work to lay out the issues, but then you work together on refining a plan. By reviewing the plan and progress, you have documentation on improvement or you are establishing a case for them to find employment somewhere else. When it was all completed, I was thinking what took me so long, as were the other team members.
One thing we’re learning (and struggling with) in IT project world is the shift from tasks and outputs to outcomes and goals. To often we’re gritty about Working The Plan and wishy-washy about The Goal.
That’s a powerful shift. One thing that comes to mind is a goal focus gives direction without a prescription. We can develop specific solutions that help us meet the goal. The other thing you bring to my mind is that a goal focus might allow us to be a little more people focused.
So glad to read this, Dan! Too many “resources” have been chewed up because of gritty leaders who needed to hear what you said today. “In Sales, trying harder will make you Top Producer. In Engineering, trying harder will increase your speed at impact.” It’s all about the game you are playing. Thanks!
This is a very interesting topic with the discussion of persistence. The traits of persistence in individual’s shows that someone is steady and committed to completing a goal. The negative trait of persistence made me think of the idea of insanity. Insanity has been said to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. There is a fine line between the positive and negative trait with being persistent. The idea of adding boldness with persistence can ensure the positive trait of persistence occurs and does not lead to insanity. You stated, “Boldness explores new options. Persistence stays the course.” I view this thought as boldness plus persistence equals success (B+P=S). So, having both boldness and persistence increase the opportunity with having success. Someone can be bold and creative but lacking persistence; they could fail without being persistent. If someone is persistent, but lacking in boldness can equal insanity with expecting different results. Therefore, having both boldness and persistence increases the potential of achieving success.