Grit

Angela Duckworth

Who should read: Anyone who needs some motivation and skills to persist. Anyone desiring the perseverance of a corgi who lost a kibble under the couch. 

Favorite quotes: 

–“if you want to stay engaged for more than a few years in any endeavor, you’ll need to find a way to enjoy the nuances that only a true aficionado can appreciate.” 

–“How you see your work is more important than your job title.”  

–“it isn’t suffering that leads to hopelessness. It’s suffering you think you can’t control.” 

–“If you want to be grittier, find a gritty culture and join it.” 

If you’re in the vet field, there is no doubt you have perseverance and moxie after the journey it takes to get here. But is that the same quality that is the key to staying in the vet field?! If you had asked me to define the word grit before reading this book, I would have said it was the characteristic of tenaciously bearing down and getting things done, no matter how painful and distasteful. Reading Dr. Duckworth’s work and description gives a much more hopeful and pleasant definition. Grit is comprised of perseverance AND passion. Another bit of misinformation I had regarding grit is that you have it, or you don’t. Dr. Duckworth designed a grit scale that allows individuals to derive a grit score. And from her studies and work, she believes grit scores can be increased with work and attention.

Why, if you’ve made it this far, would you need more grit? When the cream of the crop of humans is faced with the greatest challenges thrown at them, grit is a greater predictor of grappling and overcoming the challenges than either talent or performance. Highly successful people are indeed lucky and talented, but also satisfied in being unsatisfied. Of greatest importance is their level of grit. It turns out that achievement and talent are distinctly separate traits. Talent can contribute to achievement, but effort is required for the transition to achievement. 

Grit requires holding a top-level goal for a very long time. It’s not uncommon to hit fatigue and lose direction when your goal of becoming a member of the veterinary profession is achieved. It takes purposeful attention to maintain that engagement and perseverance for a fulfilling career. Interest, practice, purpose and hope are all components that can be areas of focus for improving your grit score. 

Interest

Performance corresponds to level of interest in the task. High interest, a component of passion, is a journey of discovery, development and then a lifelong deepening. Early development of any skillset  involves a wide variety of novelty, and interest tends to be effortless. As a person begins to advance in a skillset, interest does not disappear in those with high grit scores or longevity in an activity, but rather, they maintain interest in the nuances of the activity, as they find a deeper skill developing. 

Practice

It seems to be generally accepted that to get better at something, you practice. But if you want to be an expert, top of the field individual, it’s not only about quantity. Those that stand out are very intentional about the quality of practice as much as the doing of the practice. They practice differently. They engage in deliberate practice. They specifically find a very narrow aspect of practice to focus on setting a goal, set about working towards that goal, and seeking feedback along the way. They find a niche where challenge exceeds skill, and improve that small component. (Shameless plug for surgical coaching, friends!)

Purpose

The contribution to the well-being of others is another component of passion. The grittiest people find purpose in what they are dedicated to work on. I think it’s easy to see the purpose of our job, but it is very easy to lose sight of that purpose. Consistent, conscious recognition of that purpose appears like it would be very beneficial to our profession, and our grit score. 

Hope

Dr. Duckworth points out that this isn’t a naïve, passive hope. This hope depends on realizing the contributions of our own efforts to the hoped outcome. This hope is something that can be within your control. One psychologist coined the term learned optimism, to describe the trait of individuals who develop an ability to remain hopefully resilient in the face of challenges. Along a similar vein, a growth mindset contributes to grittiness. Rather than pessimistically interpreting challenges in your career or practice, developing the trait of growth mindset, or learned optimism can contribute to your continued dedication and passion for the profession. 

I certainly don’t see easy solutions or resolutions in the pages of this book for those of us that have already hit the wall of burnout. However, I see hope (yup- I’m a blue-blooded optimist!) in learning these skills early in our career, as one tool to avoid burnout or a loss of passion for our profession. I see practical value in finding the interesting and cultivating our curiosity as a means to remain engaged and interested.

If this topic interests you, the book is an excellent, but very dense read! A good appetizer is Dr. Duckworth’s Ted talk, but I do give the book five stars! 

Practical Exercises
1. Where did you fall on the grit scale?

2. What component of grittiness do you think would have the greatest impact for you if you chose to deliberately practice?   

3. Can you envision a habit or strategy to remind you and your team of your purpose on a consistent basis?

Additional Resources:

Angela Duckworth’s TED talk: Grit: The power of passion and perseverance.

Dr. Duckworth’s Grit Scale

Book Rounds: Burnout

Veterinary Surgical Coaching