Why do some people succeed, while others fail? Psychologist Angela Duckworth reveals that it is not all about talent. Sharing findings from her recent research, she shows how “grit” - a special blend of passion and perseverance for a goal - is a distinctive feature of successful people.
From her background as the daughter of a scientist who frequently pointed out her lack of “genius”, she became a well-known and respected researcher and professor, interested in what leads to success. She details her time examining West Point cadets, teachers in some of the toughest schools, and youth finalists in the National Spelling Bee. She reviews both insights from history and what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance. Lastly, she shares what she’s learned from interviews with high achievers such as JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff, and Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll.
In all this research, Duckworth repeatedly found a separation between talent and grit. Those with talent did not always succeed, yet those with grit soared. She talks about how often effort is ignored, outshone by talent, assuming that talent is the accurate predictor of achievement when really it’s effort that brings about achievement. It takes grit to sustain the effort to achieve the goal.
Establishing a Grit Scale to measure this attribute, she states that “grit is mutable, not fixed” and reveals in the book her evidence-based insight to grow it. She shows anyone working to succeed - from parents to students to educators to business people to athletes - how to develop this valuable trait.
Ultimately, the book is about what goes through the mind when you fall down, and how that - not talent or even luck - is what makes all the difference!
