Grace with Grit

Daina Middleton takes female leadership to the next level in her famous
book, “Grace Meets Grit,” where she explains how it takes both “grace”
and “grit” to become a leader and lead successfully.
 Why do women drop out of leadership roles?

It’s complex…
Women experience feelings of
inadequacy, disillusionment,
isolation, loneliness, and
discouragement as they rise
to the top

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 14. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 2
 Reality Check
The reality is…

Women are surrounded by men, many

report to men, and women don’t fit the
mold… created by men.

The consequence is…

Some women apply grit, some apply

grace, and some swing wildly between
the two.

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 16. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 3
 It takes grace and grit

Grit-
Based on “getting it
done”

Grace-
Based on
relationships
Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 30-31. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 4
 Grit Behaviors and Motivations

● Directive and commanding language to reinforce hierarchy

● Solutions and actions first

● Challenges others’ points of views to gain understanding

● Prefers to work independently to maintain control of outcomes

● Motivated by establishing authority

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 31. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 5
 Grace Behaviors and Motivations
● Shares personal details and feelings to maintain relationships

● Shares speaking time to demonstrate respect

● Asks questions as an approach to leading and influencing

● Creates atmosphere of teamwork and de-emphasizes

hierarchy

● Prefers to work with others to maintain relationships

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 30. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 6
My Approach &
Lessons Learned

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 Transformational Leadership
“Transformational leadership is correlated to
● Inspiring more positive organizational outcomes than
● Driven any other leadership style. Women leaders
typically outscore males on applying the
● Decisive measures of transformational leadership,
● Confident and research has shown that women who
adopt this style tend to have better success
● Resilient in progressing in leadership positions.”
● Powerful (Middleton, 2016, p. 47)

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 47. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 8
 Inspiring
“Inspiring others is very much
about building relationships, thus
leaders with Grace tendencies tend
to have inspiring characteristics.

A leader who is trusted and

collaborates across the enterprise
can cause more positive change
than a leader doing just one or the
other.” (Middleton, 2016, p.76)

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 76. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 9
 Driven
Focus on Goals and People

“‘Results focused,’ ‘goal directed,’ and

‘achievement oriented’ are all ways to describe the
driven leader… Achieving results requires a
combination of strong analytical skills and an
intense motivation to move forward and solve
problems. It is not enough, however to just be
individually driven; a driven leader must inspire
others to take action toward specific goals.”
(Middleton, 2016, p.84-84)
Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 84-85. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, 10
Inc.
 Decisive
“Transformational leaders
have been found to apply a
more inclusive, rational
approach to decision
making. This is because
they separate their own
emotions more effectively
from the situation.”
(Middleton, 2016, p. 108)

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 108. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, 11

Inc.
 Confident
Women focus on competence over
confidence

“...women value competence as the key

criterion in career advancement and tend
to base their decisions on whether to
pursue a leadership position on whether
they believe they possess all the
competencies before they consider
applying for a role.” (Middleton, 2016, p.
118)
Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 118. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 12
 Resilient
“Resilience is a superpower that
comes from within, and it seems
women have an advantage in
possessing resilience from the
moment they take their first breath.
For years, doctors have marveled
over the fact that girls born
prematurely have better odds of
thriving than boys.” (Middleton,
2016, p. 159)

Middleton, D. (2016). Grace Meets Grit, p. 159. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc. 13
 Power over
Powerful others vs.
“...power is influence potential --the power on
resource that enables a leader to gain behalf of others
commitment from others.”

“Leaders must be able to influence

their followers to achieve greater
performance, their superiors and
peers to make important decisions,
and stakeholders to ensure the
strength of the organization.”
(Middleton, 2016, p. 131)

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Your Turn

● What are you doing to blend grace with grit?

● What items resonated with you that will make a difference

in your leadership behavior moving forward?

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