Last Friday, I presented my synopsis of How Children Succeed:  Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough.  I have already written on this blog about the value of this book.  It is, in my opinion, a “must read” for parents (grandparents), educators/teachers, and HR Directors… & coaches and mentors and supervisors.  Anybody in the business of “building people.”

Here was a simple and brilliant insight, one of those “well, of course, I just didn’t know how to express it this clearly” insights.  There are two “categories” of character.

• “Moral character” — ethical values like fairness, generosity, and integrity

• “Performance character” — values like effort, diligence, and perseverance

And here are my 5 takeaways — actually, 4 takeaways and one implication:

1)  Most people need one-on-one help to get “better” – to be “successful”
2)  Those helping others to be successful need to be specific, and attentive, in their help
3)  People need “stress removers,” and “challengers” – and those roles may have to filled by different people (at 
different times)
4)  Grit (the ability to “bounce back” – the ability to stick with a challenge) is probably more important than 
cognitive skills. (In most circumstances, discipline trumps smarts).

 5)  And, the implication – In the adult corporate/work life, we probably need the same attention, with the same practices — to help people be successful (as are needed in the formative years). — Thus: coaching; mentoring; good supervision – these are simply adult extensions of the education process. 

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You can purchase my synopsis of this book, with the audio recording of my live presentation + the multi-page comprehensive handout, at our companion web site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.  Check out our full catalogue of book synopsis presentations.