HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR GRIT
Grittiness can change over a lifetime. As people age, their grittiness increases and it's good news that we're all capable of learning grit.
"Mentally tough people don't have to be more courageous, more talented, or more intelligent — just more consistent" James Clear
Is your goal too big?
Does it feel like it requires too much from you to adapt?
This can especially be the case if you have a prevention motivation mindset (see your Motivation Style in the character section). When you want to move towards a big goal, you may be overwhelmed by seeing all the tiny little steps that are required and lose track of the overall picture. But even doing one tiny little step is better than no step at all. Lots of small steps will eventually add up to create a path towards your goals.
By accomplishing tiny little steps, you slowly but surely build your grit muscle. See your small goals as important milestones to your big goals. Do not simply brush over them but celebrate your successes along the way. If you face a difficult situation, you can then remind yourself of all the small steps you’ve already accomplished.
Social interaction with likeminded people
Join a social activity where you work with peers towards an important goal (e.g. a choir towards a concert, a running group for a marathon, a voluntary group for a fundraiser). Another option is to join a mastermind group of like-minded individuals who want to reach an important goal. This can be at your local business support group or online with people with similar interests.
Most important is to find at least one other person who shares the desire to build the grit muscle, share progress reports and support, hold you accountable, and most importantly, celebrate success too.
Exercise 1 – Grit Team Building
Courtesy of PositivePsychology.com
Leaders can help their teams develop grit in three ways.
- Do hard tasks together. For example, a ropes course or other challenge that requires contributions from every team member.
- Clarify the overall goals and mission, including time for questions, so that team members have a thorough understanding of the ‘why’ of the goals and mission.
- Train and keep the team together throughout a project to develop team cohesiveness and support.
- Conduct a project post mortem or after-action check-in when projects are completed. This allows the team to identify where operations worked or failed. This is a positive, lessons-learned activity with concrete plans to resolve issues that could negatively affect future projects.
Further Reading
Grit, Angela Duckworth (Grit Summary)
Watch this video by Angela Lee Duckworth (TED)
Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success.
Listen to this podcast (by Emerald Works)
Podcast 189 — Grit and Mindset: Emotion at Work Crossover Special
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