1. Grit: Passion and Persistence
SWACUHO 2018

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

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

4. 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

5. Where do you see grit or lack thereof in action?

6. 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

7. 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

8. Angela Duckworth & Grit

9. 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.”

10. 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”

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. “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

16. Assistant Director; Campus Living & Learning
Thank you
Alycia Pruitt
Assistant Director; Campus Living & Learning

17. 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.