Angela Duckworth popularized the term, “Grit,” in her best-selling book: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
In this book, she presents a compelling case for a couple of powerful main ideas:
- Grit is a mindset (not an ability)
- Grit matters more than talent.
Naturally, a statement like this leads to two questions:
- What is a gritty mindset?
- How do you develop a gritty mindset?
Interestingly to me, I felt like Angela Duckworth did a good job of defining a gritty mindset. But, I do not think she did a good job of guiding her readers about how to develop a gritty mindset.
I’ll take on both of these questions below.
What is a Gritty Mindset?
Duckworth suggests that a gritty mindset is possessing the passion and perseverance for long-term goals.
Specific items in her measure of grit include, but are not limited to the following:
- Setbacks don’t discourage me
- I am a hard worker
- I finish whatever I begin
- I am diligent
- (reverse-scored) New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones
- (reverse-scored) I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one
And, Duckworth cites a variety of research to suggest that people with a gritty mindset are more capable of achieving key goals and outcomes through sustained effort despite setbacks. Stated differently, people with grit seem to be able to go higher and further than people with less grit.
Thus, it seems we would do well to develop more of a gritty mindset, but…
How Do You Develop a Gritty Mindset?
As mentioned, I do not feel like Duckworth provides much clarity or guidance when it comes to how to develop a gritty mindset.
But, I believe I can provide a couple of perspectives that will improve our clarity and strategy on how to develop a gritty mindset.
Perspective 1 – Developing a Gritty Mindset Requires Vertical Development
There are two sides of ourselves:
- Our Doing Side – Represents our knowledge, skills, and abilities
- Our Being Side – Represents the degree to which our internal operating system is wired for value creation as opposed to self-protection
A key message from Duckworth’s book is that grit is not a talent, knowledge, skill, or ability. Instead, it is a mindset, which is very much connected to our Being Side.
So, if we want to develop more grit, we won’t get very far by focusing on Horizontal Development, which is the traditional form of development that focuses on helping us improve our knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Instead, to develop a gritty mindset, we need to employ Vertical Development, which focuses on upgrading our internal operating system. This means that developing a gritty mindset requires us to engage in different developmental tactics and strategies than the more traditional Horizontal Development strategies that we are used to.
One such strategy is focusing on upgrading our mindsets.
To give you a taste of this, who do you think is going have more of a gritty mindset?
- Someone focused on looking good (fixed mindset) or someone focused on learning and growing (growth mindset)?
- Someone focused on being right (closed mindset) or someone focused on finding truth and thinking optimally (open mindset)?
- Someone focused on avoiding problems (prevention mindset) or someone focused on fulfilling a purpose (promotion mindset)?
- Someone focused on getting ahead (inward mindset) or someone focused on creating value for others (outward mindset)?
It should be clear that a gritty mindset is fueled by growth, open, promotion, and outward mindsets.
If you want to evaluate the quality of your mindsets, take this FREE Personal Mindset Assessment. And then, gain access to resources to upgrade your mindsets.
Perspective 2 – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Duckworth doesn’t discuss ADHD in her book. But, anyone who is familiar with ADHD should be able to recognize that many of the traits associated with a gritty mindset are the opposite of common traits of those with ADHD.
People with ADHD have brain wiring deficiencies that causes them to struggle with inattention and impulsivity.
Thus, it is reasonable to suggest that people with ADHD are prone to possess less grit than those without ADHD.
This has some serious implications, particularly since (1) ADHD is strongly genetically related, and (2) roughly 75% of adults with ADHD do not know that they have ADHD.
Thus, if someone has ADHD, of no fault of their own, does that mean that they cannot develop a gritty mindset?
The answer to this question is “no.” But, what it does mean is that people with ADHD can’t will themselves into a gritty mindset.
Instead, the need to engage in a unique Vertical Development tactic: Neurofeedback.
Neurofeedback is a form of therapy that leverages EEG technology to help people rewire their brain so that it can operate more effectively.
For more on this, check out these articles:
- How Knowing about ADHD Helps Us Understand the Value of Vertical Development
- The Connection Between Leadership, ADHD, and Vertical Development
- Why Leadership Development Needs to Focus on the Brain
Combining these Two Perspectives
When we combine these two perspectives, we should have one primary takeaway: If we want to develop a gritty mindset, we need to engage in Vertical Development efforts that are designed to upgrade our internal operating system (literally our neurology).
If you want to bring vertical development into your efforts to develop your leaders or employees, I would love to help. You can connect with me here.
