However, those who overestimate talent’s value tend to fixate on the extreme limits of their potential in a given area.
Having access to a great coach, mentor, or teacher can help to accelerate skill development.
For example, your opportunities for improvement can also play a key role. It’s worth noting that there are other factors at play. It doesn’t produce any value until we invest effort. Innate ability does not have this advantage. Yet, when we invest the effort to improve, we can simultaneously pursue significant achievements. Consider the implications of the following two equations from the book:ĭeveloping meaningful expertise takes time. Not only does it allow us to apply our abilities towards productive output, but in doing so, we also have the opportunity to develop and improve our overall skills. It’s interesting to note that effort counts twice, often at the very same time. Effort relates to the work we put in to develop and apply our abilities. Talent relates to how fast we can improve a specific skill based on innate strengths. What we achieve in any given area of life depends on two factors: talent and effort. When It Comes To Achievement, Effort Counts Twice Grit relates to how people use and develop their skills. While it’s true that people have innate abilities, that alone doesn’t mean they are effective in productively using those talents. Interestingly, talent was not a predictor of grit. The Grit Scale, a simple questionnaire to measure grit, turned out to be a strong predictor of success in a variety of situations, including West Point’s 7-week bootcamp, retention of salespeople over time, higher GPAs when controlling for SAT scores, the completion of graduate degrees, and even advancement in a spelling bee for kids. Perseverance is about putting in effort, overcoming challenges, and completing what has been started. Passion is measured by the consistency of one’s goals over an extended period of time.
Instead, Angela Duckworth discovered that a better indicator was Grit: a unique blend of passion and perseverance. However, these too fell short in their ability to make accurate predictions. As a result, innate talent alone is not an effective way to predict future success.īeyond talent, other theories that were considered include assessing historical achievements, measuring recent performance, and even accounting for blind luck. However, simply having natural talent isn’t the same thing as being able to apply that talent productively. We have a bias for valuing innate abilities, so it’s tempting to assume that such abilities predict future success. When seeking to predict the potential for success in people, we often focus on assessing natural talent. Grit Predicts Success Better Than Talent Or Luck If you buy something using a link here we may earn an affiliate fee at no cost to you. So, to answer this question, let’s explore three of the most valuable insights from Grit by Angela Duckworth.ĭisclosure: This content is supported by avid readers like you. Not only can it help us improve our odds for success, but it can also help us recruit better team members, identify better business partners, and help others develop and grow.
GRIT ANGELA DUCKWORTH FULL
Why do some people succeed while others fall short of their full potential? The answer to this simple question has broad implications within sports, business, and life.