1. Improving
our Grit at
Work

2. Improving our grit at work
Definition
Grit is the quality that makes us
willing to commit to long-term goals
and see them through despite
adversity.
It is tenacity and a meld of other
qualities like optimism, discipline
and self-motivation.
It is a positive trait and feeling, based
on an individual’s passion for a
particular long-term goal.

3. Improving our grit at work
Important - Grit and Success
• Researchers at the
University of Pennsylvania,
who have extensively
studied successful people,
say that GRIT is even more
important than intelligence
or talent when it comes to
succeeding in school, work,
and many other tasks.
Victory
Grit

4. Improving our grit at work
Important questions
Does a good educational
background matter?
Does DNA
matter?
Does a good physical
condition matter?
Does
IQ matter?
Does
money matter?
GRIT plus all these
characteristics help spell
success

5. Improving our grit at work
“The True Grit”
• “True Grit” was a famous movie with
John Wayne. It teaches the necessity of
persevering what you want regardless of
the obstacles.
• Another example is demonstrated each
summer, when the Army puts recruits
through a brutal training program.
• They know that many recruits will quit
when facing a set of terrible physical,
emotional and psychological tests.
• But, some of them will overcome all the
challenges and tasks.
• But why some and not others…GRIT!

6. Improving our grit at work
Tip 01 – Pursue your passion
• It is important to pursue
our passions with
activities that are essential
to our professional and
personal achievements.
• Our passions give us
elements that can inspire
us and drive us to
success.
• Passion stimulates us to
persevere and carry on.

7. Improving our grit at work
Tip 02 – Build in practice time
• We must remember that
sometimes when we want to
accomplish certain things that we
must be prepared to practice
besides making a lot of effort and
work hard.
• Sometimes practice is enjoyable
but sometimes it can be
challenging and tedious.
• People who have the necessary grit
can always succeed and the result
is extremely satisfying.

8. Improving our grit at work
Tip 03 – Stick to it
• In order to achieve our goals in life
we need to persist and persevere or
stick to our objectives.
• There will always be days when we
want to quit, but, by pushing on,
even when we feel like throwing in
the towel, we will become stronger.
• When facing any adversities we
always need to dig a little deeper in
order to realize our goals and stay
inspired so as to maintain the
necessary energy to keep us going.

9. Improving our grit at work
Tip 04 – Find support
• When you have a difficult or
challenging task or goal, try not to
get discouraged or confused.
• Find a trusted friend whom you can
talk to and who can give you support.
• Their support can help you to rethink
and analyse professional and
personal thoughts.
• Ultimately, this can also help us to
improve our grit-building behaviors,
having more energy to carry out our
plans.

10. Improving our grit at work
Tip 04 – Develop a constructive mindset
• People who have constructive /
flexible mindsets (instead of fixed-
mindsets) tend to have more grit
because they believe that their
success is based on their effort and
their own talents, not just luck or
fate.
• So, when “gritty” people find
something challenging or difficult,
they believe that they can and will
improve through their hard work
and persistent effort.

11. Improving our grit at work
Tip 05 – Take action
• Identify an area of your life
where you tend to quit in the
face of difficulty and prepare
an action plan to deal with it.
• Research shows that if we are
prepared to take action and
even practice something,
especially if we have good
strategies to direct our efforts,
our performance will improve.

12. Improving our grit at work
Our History - Gritty people try harder
• A classic example of grit is
summed up in Thomas
Edison's reply to critics who
asked him what it was like to
fail so many times:
– "I didn't fail,"
… he said…
– "I learned 100 ways not to
make a light bulb."

13. Improving our grit at work
Our History - Gritty people try harder
• The arts are also full of stories
of grittiness.
• Among his many
accomplishments,
Michelangelo laboured on The
Pope's Tomb for 40 years!
• It took him four years to paint
the “Frescos” in the Sistine
Chapel.

14. Improving our grit at work
Our History - Gritty people try harder
• J.K. Rowling toiled at The
Philosopher's Stone between
1990 to 1996, in spite of job
changes, moving, marriage, a
baby and difficult bouts of self-
doubting.
• But, she persisted with her
writing because of her passion
and belief in “Harry Potter”,
thus, she wrote whenever she
could find a few free moments.
• The rest is history!

15. Improving our grit at work
Conclusion
• We can develop our own
levels of GRIT and apply it
to creating results that
really matter for both our
private and professional
life.
• However, we need to learn
the art of perseverance and
make a commitment to
ourselves, away across
depression, low results and
performance.

16. • The following are referenced in this
presentation:
– Polly Campbell
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/polly-
campbell/perserverance-and-
grit_b_2638698.html
– Dan Reiner
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/blog/po
sts/2013-07-15/The-Real-Secret-to-Success-
Building-Personal-Grit-in-Students.aspx
– Michael Horn
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/201
3/01/10/building-motivation-instilling-grit-
the-necessity-of-mastery-based-digital-
learning/
– Christine Carter
http://www.christinecarter.com/community/bl
og/2013/02/happiness-tip-develop-grit
Improving our grit at work
Our References

17. Improving our grit at work
Our Business Contacts
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