Whether you’re applying for a job, attempting to get admitted into the school, or trying out for a team, in most cases, it isn’t about what you can do, but rather what you could do. Colleges weren't satisfied with your record of past achievement, so they created a new system of assessment - the SAT. Standardized testing was created in order to understand what your aptitude or potential was. It isn’t that bad of an idea; after all, our skills are rarely translated 1:1 between multiple settings. In theory, it makes sense to identify how successful someone could be in any setting rather than just seeing how good someone is at one particular thing. What isn’t as clear, however, is how to accurately measure aptitude or potential for success.
The SAT, for example, has not been found to be very predictive of long-term success. Recent statistics show that the test outcomes are correlated so strongly towards those of higher economic status (probably because they are in a better position to pay for prep courses), that you might as well just use SES rather than have people take the SAT. In other words, it really doesn’t tell you much. Among aptitude tests and Socio-Economic Status, there are many other factors that could be related to successful outcomes, including IQ, geographic location, what your parents do for a living, or even sheer luck and circumstance! Out of all these, what if I told you that a metric called “Grit” might be the single most predictive quality?
On Being “Gritty”
The term “Grit”, coined by Angela Duckworth in 2013, is the “quality of being able to sustain your passions, and also work really hard at them, over really disappointingly long periods of time.” Grit is about more than just being a hardworking person; it's about being able to move forward to finish that 100 question math test when you’re only halfway through with less than 10 minutes left on the clock, because to you this failure is a step towards achievement. Gritty individuals don’t abandon projects halfway, in fact, they work tirelessly for goals that they set for themselves at very early stages of their lives. They understand that their expectations may not translate to realities, and through that misalignment, they continue to keep their eye on the prize and move forward. Grit differs from resilience in that the latter relates more to your ability to brush yourself off after a failure with an optimism for the future, whereas Grit refers to the motivational drivers behind your actions to keep going.
Are Grit Assessments the Future of Employment Testing?
Grit as a path to achievement makes sense if we look at it through the lens of the old adage “practice makes perfect.” Gritty individuals stay focused and committed to long-term goals, which provides the space for them to repeatedly master key tasks and have their actions all aligned towards one unified goal; this increases their chances of achieving conventional success. Even the most talented individuals run into problems when their focus is constantly shifting, or they are simply unequipped to manage the hardships that varied environments present. Duckworth used Grit to predict successful outcomes for performance on the spelling bee, and also among cadets in the US Military Academy showing that Grit played a higher role in success than intelligence, physical fitness or even leadership ability.
Duckworth and her colleagues developed the “Grit Scale” which measure areas anywhere from “determination” to “curiosity to resolve”. Although the test is entirely based on self-reported data, the findings are fairly accurate in predicting long-term outcomes. This begs the question of whether it makes sense to measure grit over IQ and intellectual aptitude when determining a future employee or student’s success likelihood.
However, it may require more research to see if Grit is more relevant in certain industries or settings. For example, Duckworth found that Grit is much more relevant in attaining an associates degree than attaining a bachelor's degree. While this may seem surprising at first given that a bachelor's degree requires twice as long to complete, the data shows that those pursuing associates degrees are typically first-generation college students who are juggling a lot more than just school, and therefore tend to be more gritty individuals. In the workplace, Grit may be particularly relevant, as a lot of the skills that we focus on in an academic setting are rarely used in our day to day jobs. Working is a lot more about learning how to navigate the daily grind among the many competing responsibilities and priorities we have such as our families, our health, and our personal interests and hobbies.
Developing Grit Within Yourself and Your Employees
The good news is, while there is a large genetic foundation for grit, there is a lot that we can do to nurture and grow the trait both within ourselves and also within our employees. First, it is helpful to set piecemeal goals that enable you to stay on track with your final vision and purpose while also giving you the ability to track progress and celebrate small wins. This also ties into reflection and being able to think about each step of your process, identify what works and what doesn't, and remember the importance of the learning that occurs throughout your journey. While gritty individuals certainly maintain their focus, don’t forget to be flexible every now and then. It important not to lose sight of being strategic and adapting your problem solving for an ever-changing landscape.
When managing other people, think about providing feedback that supports and celebrates gritty qualities. Rather than solely complimenting someone on a good job, consider showing support of their perseverance and focus to ultimately get the job done. Growing a culture of Grit within your organization through the feedback you provide, the people you hire, and the values you preach may ultimately be what leads to an extremely results-driven, conscientious team.