Grit: Passion and Persistence SWACUHO 2018

Let’s Check In Who is in the room & why

Today’s Overview What prompted this presentation? Defining Grit Angela Duckworth & The Grit Scale Platforms for Practice & Development Questions & Answers

Why do I care about Grit? Everyday interactions with staff & students Enhancing supervision/advising Recruitment – distracted by talent Transitioning from surviving to thriving Longevity in the field

Where do you see grit or lack thereof in action?

We speak of servant leadership in our department, but servant leadership takes grit, and it is costly. If I’m not willing to pay the cost, then I won’t ever see change in those who need it most. By seeing my frustrations as something I willingly endure, or perhaps as payment I am willing to pay, in order to achieve growth in my students, then it allows me to be persistent, which I see resulting in grit in my life. JD Newman, Martin Hall RHD

What is Grit? Defining Grit Why Does it Matter? How do you define grit? Webster- “firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger” Angela Duckworth -“grit” Determination & Direction Resilient effort Passion and perseverance/persistence Showing up Distracted by talent Effort counts twice Grit Grows  growth mindset Sustainability in our field

Angela Duckworth & Grit

The Grit Scale Set to compare talent as a predictor to success Your “grit score” reflects how you see yourself Grit can change based on experience/interactions Attempts to measure Passion & Perseverance Passion- intense emotion/enthusiasm Perseverance- endurance towards a goal “Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.”

Components of Grit Nature vs Nurture Passion Deliberate practice Part life, part shaped experience Passion Foster passion Discovery  development  deepening Deliberate practice Purpose- sense of calling, connected to greater good Hope – growth mindset vs fixed mindset Ex: “I’m just not good at math” vs. “math is challenging, but I am getting more right than wrong”

Forbes Leadership on Grit 5 Characteristics of Grit Courage Amazon search "fear of failure” yields 28,879 results Conscientiousness: Achievement Oriented vs Dependable Long-term goals and endurance: follow through 20 hours a week over 10 years = 10,000 hours Resilience: Optimism, Confidence, & Creativity “the ability of people, communities, and systems to maintain their core purpose and integrity among unforeseen shocks and surprises”- Zolli, Resilience, Why Things Bounce Back Excellence vs Perfection “perfection is someone else’s perception of an ideal” Excellence is an attitude

Does Grit Grow? From the Inside Out: From the Outside In: Interest; leads to investment Practice – deliberate & focused A clearly defined stretch goal Full concertation and effort Immediate and informative feedback Repetition with reflection & refinement Purpose – what we do matters! Hope - reflective self-talk Parenting for grit Creating a culture of grit Imitation vs emulation Embracing self-desire to belong Development vs attrition mindset “social multiplier” effect

Platforms for Practice Acknowledge intersectionality of identities Check your language – are you nurturing a fixed or growth mindset? Challenge & Support - lean in to discomfort  relentless challenge to improve “wise feedback” Processes & Procedures Communicate & represent follow through Lead from the front

What are some ways you can facilitate a culture of Grit?

“Talent is common; what you invest to develop that talent is the critical final measure of greatness” Anson Dorrance, UNC Chapel Hill Women’s Soccer Coach

Assistant Director; Campus Living & Learning Thank you Alycia Pruitt Assistant Director; Campus Living & Learning alycia_pruitt@baylor.edu

Works Cited Duckworth, Angela ( 2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. New York: Scribner Perlis, Margaret (2013). 5 Characteristics of Grit – How Many Do You Have? . Forbes, online.