Grit: Is it a measure of Success?

We all know story of spider in a cave. King lost battle, went hiding in a cave, watched a
spider climb and fall again & again, spider succeeded around 9 th time, King got inspired,
fought battle again, won this time. Perseverance won the day with little variables like luck,
ability to wield sword etc.

Let us first start with a query: How can companies predict ability of an employee to perform
on job, with his answer to one simple question? Fast Company came out with an article in its
March 2011 issue (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/153/true-grit.html) where it tries
to answer the above question. A small story on 'Grit' (or perseverance) in action taken from
article:

"In 1990, Sally Herndon became the program manager in North Carolina for Project ASSIST,
an antismoking initiative. Her mandate was to improve the public's health by reducing
smoking. But how could she prevail against one of the world's most powerful lobbies -- on its
home soil of North Carolina? A knockout blow seemed highly unlikely. Rather, Herndon knew
that to succeed she would need to chip away at the problem.

Herndon and her team spent two years planning, but just as their rollout began, they suffered
a terrible setback. In 1993, the tobacco industry persuaded the state legislature to pass a law
mandating that 20% of the space in government buildings be reserved for smoking.
Devilishly, the law limited local governments from passing stricter regulation. Herndon called
it the "dirty air law."

So the team had to chip away where it could. It started by picking a fight it thought it could
win: making schools smoke free. "Even tobacco farmers didn't want their kids to smoke,"
Herndon says. Her team had to go from school board to school board, one at a time, grinding
out tough victories at the local level. By 2000, it had persuaded 10% of the state's districts to
go tobacco free. In 2004, it reached 50%. In 2007, it hit 100%, thanks to a statewide ban on
smoking in schools.

In the meantime, more fronts opened up: private hospitals, where sick patients often had to
walk through secondhand plumes at entry point. Progressive hospitals declared their facilities
smoke free. Then prisons, the state's General Assembly, and, finally, in 2009, restaurants and
bars. Chip, chip, chip.

During Herndon's relentless 20-year campaign in North Carolina, the adult smoking rate had
dropped by almost 25%, and millions of people have been spared the effects of secondhand
smoke. Herndon's willingness to withstand such a slog in a challenging environment is an
undeniable showcase of "grit."
(adapted from Fast Company's article)

What the above lady showed was Grit. Grit is not hard work. It is single-mindedness. Now as
per study quoted in the article if a candidate answers 'I finish whatever I begin' then he is
most probably our candidate for performance. It looks good on paper atleast since researches
have been conducted on it. Research in article says that presence of high Grit did predicted

© Gaurav Kapil, 2011 (email: gaurav.kapil@gmail.com)

presence of a great performance for those test subjects. Further validation of Grit was done
by subsequent research where questions indicative of Grit were validated and predicting
factor was stabilized.
Here are both the studies for reading.
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/Grit%20JPSP.pdf
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/Duckworth%20and%20Quinn.GritS.pdf

Now if we HR ‘pipul’ will try to implement this study, we deserve to be masticated. Why?
1) Limitation of research was that there were unmeasured variables which could actually be
the originator of the Grit. Second limitation was that sample size was too small and narrow.
2nd study expanded its sample size which is still limited, but atleast sample population
became more varied.
2) I believe any test measures one-time response only at the time of test. Test-takers do not
fathom the extent of choices they'll have to live with. That is, it is easy to say 'I will do,
whatever it takes' in 5 seconds than to live it for 2 years on your job.
3) Biggest limitation is that in both studies it is still 'self-assessment questionnaire', where
things usually portray 'ought to do/should do' things as 'I do that every time'. If only being
rationally objective with yourself could be so easy.

Above conclusion that Grit is predictor of success based on self-questionnaire test is almost
similar to a school approach that IQ is the only intelligence. Of so many intelligence models,
Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence tests has surely impressed as one of the first steps
where intelligence was considered more than the IQ. Further the model which has made
sense to me is Triarchic Theory of Intelligence by Dr. Robert Sternberg. He categorizes
intelligence into three parts, which are central in his theory, the triarchic theory of
intelligence:
 Analytical intelligence, the ability to complete academic, problem-solving tasks,
such as those used in traditional intelligence tests. These types of tasks usually present
well-defined problems that have only a single correct answer.
 Creative or synthetic intelligence, the ability to successfully deal with new and
unusual situations by drawing on existing knowledge and skills. Individuals high in creative
intelligence may give 'wrong' answers because they see things from a different
perspective.
 Practical intelligence, the ability to adapt to everyday life by drawing on existing
knowledge and skills. Practical intelligence enables an individual to understand what needs
to be done in a specific setting and then do it.

As one can observe it is this same Practical intelligence aspect which tells you which goals to
make, once made then to pursue, once pursued then whether to persevere for attainment
and most importantly to know when to quit. Difference between Perseverance
and Stubbornness is almost blurred. 

Conclusion:
1) Psychological tests are good for assessment. It may indicate, but it rarely pinpoints
especially en masse.
2) There are good researches (Grit) and bad researches (MBTI: umm...! was there even a
research for it?). Even good researches can be portrayed in bad light when viewed with
coloured glasses.
© Gaurav Kapil, 2011 (email: gaurav.kapil@gmail.com)
3) Chipping away at the problem is also very effective strategic tool. Eg: we can test it
against inward looking tendencies or potential disciplinary issues.
4) Grit/Perseverance is a good trait to observe and depend upon, but it is more important to
choose your goals wisely, which usually comes from experience and practical intelligence
aspect.

Above reading was also inspired by

http://hrtests.blogspot.com/2011/02/grit-example-of-will-do.html

© Gaurav Kapil, 2011 (email: gaurav.kapil@gmail.com)