What Grit at Work Really Means

From the person who literally wrote the book, Grit:

For the record, no.

True grit is *not* grinding yourself into a burned out shell of a human being.

True grit is pursuing a goal that is meaningful to you in a way that is sustainable--and while sometimes hard, brings joy and pride.https://t.co/ae0g9QqDWb

— Angela Duckworth (@angeladuckw) November 22, 2022

Every once in a while, a well-meaning concept takes hold in the business world. Grit is one of those concepts. Like many business world concepts, it is unfortunately misinterpreted by most people. Radical candor, for example, is misinterpreted as be an asshole, when it is really about continuous feedback which does not have to be painful. And grit is misunderstood as work nights and weekends.

Despite the deification of toxic leadership in the popular press and imagination, you don’t need to be an asshole or work nights and weekends to run a successful business. I see it first-hand over and over and over again. You just don’t. In fact, both are more likely to decrease business performance rather than increase it.

The Steve Jobses and Elon Musks of the world are the exception, not the rule.