The dictionary describes grit as small loose particles of sand, or alternatively, courage and resolve. Quite different meanings. Effective leadership does not require ‘loose particles of sand’ which are likely to ruin the smooth-running and efficiency of machinery or organisation. Effective leadership, however, does require grit in the form of courage and resolve, which come from inner strength and character. There is an acronym for GRIT which stands for Guts, Resilience, Initiative, and Tenacity. Grit also means perseverance.

All these traits are essential hallmarks of good leaders, because good leaders are growing people who are intent on moving forward. They do not abandon ship in a storm. They trim the sails, change tack, face the wind from a different angle, and keep going. In business terms, these people are problem solvers who do not easily become discouraged, and who find ways to overcome setbacks. They know there is no smooth passage to any worthwhile destination and are prepared to change direction, learn and grow during the journey. A setback or failure is just another step closer to a solution. They find a way.

What’s their secret? Their attitude.
They do not view failure as a reflection of their ability or of their identity. They do not take failure personally, but they nonetheless take responsibility. They are able to keep the bigger picture in plain view, both for themselves and for the members of their team. Although they acknowledge the difficulty, they take what lessons are to be learned from it and move on. They do not dwell on the issue or point fingers. They remain aware of the circumstances but rise above them. This automatically gives them a better view and a better perspective.

Leaders who have tenacity have learned that going beyond the problem at hand requires them going through the problem. They don’t go around the problem or ignore it, pretending it does not exist. They remain realistic and optimistic. They understand that this will mean being stretched beyond where they are but are nevertheless prepared to take a bold step out of their comfort zone. They are curious about their own capacity and about where the solution could take them. They view failures as temporary and as learning opportunities. They have understood that fear is the biggest reason for stagnation. I have written several articles about fear which are available right here on this website, so I will not dwell on the subject except to say that leadership always requires dealing with fear.
John McDonnell says: “Every problem introduces a person to himself.”

It is often when times seem desperate that we come up with great ideas and solutions. It is also then that we are prepared to take action that we would not otherwise have taken, and that we perhaps could have taken earlier. It is then that we discover the courage to take the appropriate action despite the fear because we realise that a lack of action will be worse than the potential positive outcome of the action plan.

Grit enables us to not stop trying because of one or more failures. I am reminded of what Charles Edison, the inventor, said: “I did not find a way to make the electric globe, I found a thousand ways of how not to make them.” Grit is a close friend of commitment which makes us capable of failing until we reach our goal. Failure is a call for change and is an essential component of success as well as leadership. If we resist change, we are really resisting success. We need to learn to live with our failures, and even more importantly, to learn from them. As a coach I train and teach people to focus on the future and help them to unlock their potential. We don’t ignore the past, but we learn what we can from it, and use it to our advantage.

Grit is not dull, like hitting our head against a wall. Grit must be blended with imagination and creativity to be worthwhile. Possessing grit does not mean behaving like a robot and repeating the same action over and over. Grit must also be blended with and added to talent. Just as relying on talent alone, or hard work alone, or even a combination of the two without adding the desire to grow as a person, will lead to eventual obscurity, so it is with grit. It needs to be blended with other components to achieve maximum value. Unfortunately for some very talented people, the greater the talent, the more they rely on it and avoid the hard day-to-day work of improving it. I can speak and write about this with conviction because I have had personal experience of it. The thinking that gifts, talent and charm alone would move me forward, was a trap which prevented my personal and career growth for many years.

It falls in the same category as the question: What is more important, the destination or the journey? The answer is obvious now, with the passage of time. For years I focussed on the destination without paying attention to the journey of internal growth necessary to get there, and as a result many of my great ideas went unrewarded. By the grace of God, I never fell into the trap of self-pity, and eventually my ongoing introspection paid dividends. My many dead-ends and the lessons I have learned from them, although retrospectively, have created a solid foundation which allow me to coach, teach and train with conviction and confidence.

My hope is that you will not fall into the many traps which you will no doubt face on your life and leadership journey. They come in many disguises. The Accelerated Growth website is created as a resource for the visitor to be forewarned and prepared for the ups and downs, to have a broader perspective, and to better understand that sometimes we win, and sometimes we learn (JM).
Biblical proverb: ‘A righteous (gritty) man may fall seven times and still rise again.’
Let us live like that and rise quickly after a fall.

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