What Is GRIT And Why Is It Essential To Your Success?

Today, ‘grit’ is a hot topic in leadership, education, performance, and personal success. So far, the conversation has focused on appreciating and understanding basic grit, or what I call ‘grit 1.0.’ Grit 1.0 is about degree or quantity of perseverance or persistence, as in “How persistent are you?”, or “How much grit does she have?”

The time has come to advance the conversation and upgrade GRIT.

The research my team and I embarked on in the development of my new book reveals that quality may actually trump quantity. Enter GRIT 2.0, or simply, GRIT. GRIT is comprised of four dimensions. Growth, Resilience, Instinct, and Tenacity.

When it comes to upgrading from grit 1.0 to GRIT 2.0, the key is to focus on not just how much, but how. Relentlessly going after your goals in ways that are even unintentionally harmful to others, or beating your head to a bloody pulp rather than re-assessing or re-routing your approach may score high on quantity, not so much on quality. It turns out that growing both quality and quantity – holistic improvement of GRIT – creates the biggest upside. Here are five simple starter tips.

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About the Author

Paul G. Stoltz, Ph.D. is the author of GRIT: The New Science of What it Takes to Persevere • Flourish • Succeed and founder and CEO of PEAK Learning, Inc. He is also the originator of Adversity Quotient® and GRIT™ theories and methods used at the Harvard Business School, MIT, and leading companies worldwide. Dr. Stoltz is considered the world’s leading expert on the integration and application of resilience and grit.

Dr. Stoltz is the author of five international bestsellers, based on his pioneering research and applications, published in 15 languages. He is Founding Director of both the Global Resilience Institute and GRIT Institute. He was selected as One of the Top 10 Most Influential Global Thinkers by HR Magazine and One of the 100 Most Influential Thinkers of Our Time by Executive Excellence. Dr. Stoltz has been featured in such media as Oprah, Today Show, Fox, CNN, CNBC, ABC, NBC, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, Business Week, and more.