Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

In one of our recent classes, we talked a lot about engagement  and motivation of teams. Google and Apple are two common companies that everyone knows have strong engagement at their headquarters, but many think it is because of the luxuries that come with these positions. Free time to explore your own ideas, breaks, lounges with games and food. But really, I do not believe that this is where motivation comes from. In order to make it to these positions, these leaders had to be motivated prior to have these luxuries.

Angela Duckworth discusses the idea of grit in her Ted Talk. This is the idea of not giving up despite obstacles and difficulties we might have in achieving our overall goals. Many of her studies investigated students from diverse backgrounds and determined who accomplished their goals. Through all of her work, she has found that IQ is not directly related to ones ability to finish a degree or achieve their ultimate goals. Students that had this thing called grit were the ones who graduated high school, went to college, and accomplished their dreams despite having lower IQ scores, lower incomes, or lack of family support.

I find it extremely interesting that many who have ended up being successful individuals may not have always been star athletes, honors students, or children that come from money. What matters most in accomplishing our dreams and goals is our own internal motivation.

When looking for new members of our teams in the future, we should focus more on the importance of how motivated one seems from within. Why does this person want this specific position at this facility? How hard have they worked to accomplish their previous goals? This may be the key to having a successful company. IQs are important, but not the deciding factor in how well someone can complete their job, because a straight A student may not be willing to go out of their way or beyond their job description to help the company progress forward.

How can we all get to having facilities with free range such as Google and Apple? Hire internally-motivated individuals who are dedicated and compassionate to the goals of a facility and look beyond their job description.