Do Your Leaders Have GRIT?

If your leadership team is fixated on short term results, then they probably need more “Grit”. While you may look for traits such as IQ and other specific talents to achieve long term goals, researchers in recent years have discovered an independent trait called Grit that is a good predictor of success and goal achievement over the longer term.

Grit is defined by the researchers as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” When your team sets long term goals, do they follow up on them in a gritty fashion? Do they demonstrate passion for long term goal achievement, or do they fall back to the achievement of short term goals at the expense of the longer term?

Here are a few questions to test your team’s GRIT quotient:

1. How often does your team discuss long range vision and plans?
2. When short term results are pursued at the expense of long term, do your team members challenge this direction?
3. When barriers and obstacles appear that affect longer term goals, does your team step up to the plate, or is it just business as usual?
4. Is your team’s definition of long term 1-3 years, as opposed to 5-10 years?
5. On a scale of 1 – 10, with ten being high, how would you rate yourself on GRIT (perseverance and passion for long term goals)? How would you rate your team?

GRIT may just be, in addition to IQ and Talent, your biggest driver of success.

For more on GRIT, see this research