By J.T. O’Donnell
Okay, so you weren’t the brightest bulb in school. Perhaps, you spent more time partying then you did in the library? Well, good news! A new study pioneered in part by a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, Angela Duckworth, says one trait is a better predictor of success than intelligence.
So, what could possibly be more important than genius? Well, this trait also begins with a “g” but it represents resilience, stamina, persistence, determination, perseverance and conscientiousness.
Yep, when it comes to predicting who is going to succeed, you gotta ask yourself one question:
“Got GRIT?”
The study shows people who focus on a goal and stick with it long-term seem to achieve more professional success than those who jump around . Duckworth explains this in a recent Boston Globe article as follows:
“Grit is very much about the big picture,” …“It’s about picking a specific goal off in the distant future and not swerving from it.”
In fact, what got Duckworth interested in the whole idea was an observation she made amongst her classmates post-college:
“I first got interested in grit after watching how my friends fared after college,” Duckworth says. She noticed that the most successful people in her Harvard class chose a goal and stuck with it, while others just flitted from pursuit to pursuit. “Those who were less successful were often just as smart and talented,” Duckworth notes, “but they were constantly changing plans and trying something new. They never stuck with anything long enough to get really good at it.”
So, what does that mean for YOU, the job seeker?
Well, if this study grabs the attention of hiring managers (as suggested by my favorite magazine, BusinessWeek, who tipped me off to the study in an article in their August 17th edition), then you can expect a premium being put on a track-record of single-minded commitment to something in your life. BW’s takeaway:
“The straitlaced job applicant who has pursued a hobby for years may be a better hire than the renaissance fellow who has dabbled in martial arts, the cello, and para gliding.”
I find this fascinating! Why? Reality today tells us the rate of change in business is so significant that every job is temporary. (Hence, our site, CAREEREALISM.com’s tagline). Thus, how does a company identify talent with long-term potential when the average job seeker is only spending 18 months on the job before moving on? This could end up making a strong case for assessing an applicant’s ‘grit potential’ as a way to determine how well they’ll fare in the position.
My prediction: Expect more and more questions in interviews around your level of grit.
AND, if you don’t have a great track record of sticking with things, it’s time to ask yourself, “Could this be affecting my career?”
What do you all think? Is grit a major factor in success?
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12 Comments
I couldn't agree more. It's a different world from 20 years ago when few had breadth and most had “stick to it”- Though I'd add that tere are many ways to be really good at what you do and to be invaluable. I just wrote about this in my post: Invest in the bankhttp://workingwithchronicillness.com/2010/04/keep-filling-the-bank/
I couldn't agree more. It's a different world from 20 years ago when few had breadth and most had “stick to it”- Though I'd add that tere are many ways to be really good at what you do and to be invaluable. I just wrote about this in my post: Invest in the bankhttp://workingwithchronicillness.com/2010/04/keep-filling-the-bank/
I couldn't agree more. It's a different world from 20 years ago when few had breadth and most had “stick to it”- Though I'd add that tere are many ways to be really good at what you do and to be invaluable. I just wrote about this in my post: Invest in the bankhttp://workingwithchronicillness.com/2010/04/keep-filling-the-bank/
I agree that “grit” has a lot to do with long term success. I have LOTS of it. However, my experience has been that the companies I've worked for have gone through such hard times that some ultimately went under, got sold or worse, downsized to such a degree that they're hardly recognizable any more. Because of this growing volatility (across industries from semiconductors to telecomm to even electrical construction products), and through no fault of my own, my resume has been ahead of the pack in the number of job changes I've had over the past 10 years. I was recruited into or landed positions of increased responsibility and improved my income 10 -18+% every time I changed jobs. I believe my personal grit, while not as obvious as being able to stay more than 5 years in a company, is apparent in the perseverence it took to navigate each new position I found (or found me) in spite of those market conditions, and also in the relocations I had to go through each time. These included such gut-wrenching challenges as moving from the mid-Atlantic states to New England, then experiencing the culture shock of moving to the Deep South as a single woman with no existing support or connections when I got there. How would you address a background like mine, with experience in Forturne500 companies, with a prospective employer in this most challenging job market of all?
I'd say that one probably needs a certain base level of intelligence depending on the kind of industry that you've chosen to be in. Some industries and roles are going to require more than others. So if you have the required base level of intelligence, I'd agree that GRIT (tenacity) is really important. Sticking with something for long enough will mean that you're likely to become an expert in that area and top management are alway keen on having dependable people in mid management roles. Some of my friends who have been entrepreneurs and really stuck with their ideas and invested a good part of their careers in a specific idea have done really well. You can check out more career advice at http://www.mytalentplace.co.uk/blog
If Grit were all, as this yet another career expert article suggests (Where's the research data to support this claim?), then why do so many people hate being at the same job for years get overlooked for promotions with low percentage salary increases ultimately change careers?
The answer is not in trendy anecdotes. Just a few years ago Hiring Managers looked for people who moved around. That was supposed to show initiative and boldness–both desirable traits in the workplace regardless of jobhunting seasons.
Moreover, every job seeker's path is individual. What works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. One trait a jobseeker must posses that doesn't change regardless of the how-to-get-a-job cottage industry books is achievement–What have you done to improve the Company while on the job, whether for one year or 20?
While I think the main point of the article (grit) is definitely true, I started to disagree towards the end. I feel this advice only applies from an employer's perspective and after you know for certain the work is what you want to do. I think finding out what you don't like is just as valuable (for an individual that is, maybe not for the interviewing employer) because you definitely don't want to stay in work you hate just because it “looks good”. This actually reminded me of this funny but true article ( http://www.unmarriedamerica.org/News-About-Us/s… ) where it says that divorced people>singles because they “have experience” of a commitment. I also did this in high school (stuck with a community service club in order to have it look better on my college application) but I did wish at times to branch out and tried other things.
Also, Bob Bowman, coach of Michael Phelps, chose to work for free under the best 4-6 coaches for a couple of years and meshed all the coaching philosophies together to make his unique brand.
This may differ between volunteer and paid positions because having employees is bad for retention and adding to the bottom line(I don't know what all of this means-I just heard it from HR personnel)? For me, I feel much of your past path is less relevant as long as you COMMUNICATE it in a positive light: you can explain away anything, but sometimes you have to connect the dots for them.
I think many of your points are very valid. There is a lot to be said for taking various experiences and then connecting the dots to create something even more valuable. However, I think the importance of this study is to point out that people who at least have experience sticking with something long-term develop the type of grit that it takes to succeed professionally.
Thus, while job jumping may be the norm for many candidates, predicting how well a person does in a job could be reflected in their experience with sticking with a challenging hobby (ie. sport, club, instrument) that taught them what it takes to work through the tough times and move forward.
Your example of Bob Bowman is a good one. While he worked with 4-6 coaches, he was still dedicated to the field of swimming. In short, he had grit and committed himself to the profession, he just moved around to get the experience he needed to launch his career.
At the end of the day, I'm still agreeing with the basic proof that people who don't give up easily are people who will succeed in life. Ask any entrepreneur and they'll tell you it was grit that got them where they are today.
Thank you very much for sharing a really thought-provoking position. I'm glad you stopped by to contribute. It's nice to have readers who are willing to share their opinions – especially when they don't agree!
I think that's why, for many hiring managers, simply having a college degree is more important than the school (non-accredited institutions aside) or the field of study. Obviously this doesn't apply if you have no professional experience, but once you have on-the-job experience, I think a degree shows you can make a commitment to a goal and see it through.
So true. And given how much flack colleges are getting right now about the value of a degree (Did you see the one woman who is suing her school for tuition becuase she can't get a job, post college?), you can argue this is a point more young professionals should stress in interviews. The average college student is actually taking 5+ years to graduate. So, for those of you that did it in 4 years or less, better still, if you worked while doing it, you've got a strong case for having some serious GRIT.
Thanks for sharing Elias!
Very interesting article J.T! I think more and more college applications are requiring students to display some “grit” whether it be in volunteering, sports, an instrument, etc.
Great observation! I can see colleges assessing on this more and more as well. Students aren't being necessarily guided to stick with something in the early years. So, it will be interesting to see what happens down the line.