A few days ago a friend referred me to a very interesting and attention getting book entitled ‘GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance’ by Angela Duckworth.  The author makes her convincing case for the role that one’s grit plays in what we are able to truly accomplish.  This is clearly differentiated from ‘natural talent’ or ‘superior intellect’ in any specific area.  Rather it is fueled by our sheer drive and determination to achieve whatever our passion … one that might be aided by, however is not dependent on, any obvious or natural talent.

I was reading this book at the same time the news publicized two very meaningful examples of grit in play … big time.  The first involves Bethany Hamilton.  Perhaps you know of her and that at the age of 13 and while pursuing her passion for surfing, she lost her entire arm to a shark while practicing her sport.  Game over?  No way!  This past weekend, at the age of 26, she placed 3rd in the World Surfing Women’s Pro League competition in Fiji … this as an unseeded ‘walk-on’.  Surfing minus one full arm and placing among the winners goes against the grain of conventional wisdom.  For us maybe, however for Bethany, simply a little obstacle.  Her magic ingredient?  It has got to be grit to the nth degree.

The second example involves Nyle DiMarco.  He is totally deaf and has been since birth 27 years ago into a family of 25 other deaf members.  He just won a dance competition on the TV show … Dancing with the Stars.  That’s right.  He won and he doesn’t hear a solitary sound.  That he actually dared to even enter is admirable and yet he went on to WIN!  From what I’ve read and although total deafness is the only thing he has ever known, it hadn’t stopped him from it graduating a university or traveling the world on his own.  Enter and win a dance competition … why not?  Sheer grit!

Hopefully, you, as I, find ourselves ‘head-scratchingly’ curious.  In working with clients I am often struck by the obstacles that we can place and allow to stand between us and what we might really be capable and desirous of doing.  Maybe we don’t see ourselves as having the natural ability … or … we simply don’t see ourselves as having the skills and knack that one needs to excel … or … competing with those natural talents makes  success seem very unrealistic so we need to pursue something else.  It’s as if we have allowed our passion and avid interest in achieving our dream to be hijacked by self-doubt and insecurity.  It’s as if we have convinced ourselves that we don’t have a realistic chance of achieving our high dream of success as we envision it.

Think about it.  Nyle or Bethany didn’t win a dance or surfing trophy because it made any logical sense … to us. Neither of them have all of the physical attributes to obviously support their skill and drive.  Yet what they did have was their daring grit that fueled their passion and propelled them forward … initially to try and ultimately to win.  They simply refused to be defined by what others would see as obvious limitations.

Of course this can apply to all of us in any aspect of our lives.  The key, as author Duckworth indicates, evidently rests to a large extent in our sense of passion for whatever we are doing … something for the greater good with purpose that has the potential of awakening the ‘grit’ that might reside within us.  If we’re determined enough to find and awaken that flame we too can win our dance or surf trophy equivalent.  No hearing?  Missing a limb?  Only an inconvenience, however, apparently, not an absolute requirement for enabling us to accomplish whatever we truly desire.  I’m not sure about you but … I’m on it!  I’d be interested in your comments.

Mike Dorman

I just enjoyed a wonderful weekend.  I attended a college graduation at UW Madison and that, in and of itself, was exciting.  However it was the keynote address that made it very special.  It was delivered by Russell Wilson, currently the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks and a person who spent his last year of college at the University   of Wisconsin. And his message, although directed at graduates about to embark on their futures, made some very valid and important points that apply to us all as we travel the road of our lives.  It certainly has meaning for all of us as we navigate our career ladders and the reason I pass this along to you.  As you read this, digest it in terms of where you are in your career as related to where you want to be.

Russell Wilson made five key points that I pass onto you.

Point # 1:
Wilson said … You can’t do it alone. You’ve got to surround yourself with good people … family, friends, mentors.

Ask yourself …Who is a part of the support team that you’ve created and how are you using them to help you achieve your vision of success?  Is there someone missing who can help escalate your growth and gain?

Point # 2
Wilson said … All of us leave our schooling with the exact same mission: to make the most of whatever talents we were born with. The question isn’t whether you have something to offer to the world – you definitely have something to offer to the world.  The question is how and whether you’ll do it.

Ask yourself … What talents and capabilities do you feel you have that are not being utilized today?  What can you do to immediately put them on display so that others become aware of them?

Point # 3
Wilson said … Most of us have potential.  Yet not everyone does what it takes to reach theirs.  The difference isn’t the way the way that we handle ourselves when things go well. When you land the job you want, get the advancement you seek, or you achieve something maybe a little bit earlier than you expected, go ahead and celebrate it, be happy. Enjoy it. But remember that the moments when life tells you yes aren’t the ones that define you. The moments that really matter are the moments when life tells you no. What do you do when life tells you no?  When that happens ask yourself honestly: What am I capable of? And once you know the answer, don’t be afraid to let everyone else know it too.

Ask yourself … What potential do you know that you have that have not been displayed for others to see.  Who needs to know about it thus enabling them to even consider you for jobs requiring these previously unrealized skills?

Point # 4
Wilson said … When life tells you no, stay ready. Always be ready.

Ask yourself … What skills should I be learning on my own that will make me job ready and able to move into the new role with little effort?  Where can I go to learn them?  We never know when suddenly and unexpectedly the door we are waiting to enter opens up and we’re called upon to take that step.  Being ready and focused, we’re totally prepared to grab the opportunity when it appears.

Point # 5
Wilson said … When life tells you no, find a way to keep things in perspective. That doesn’t make the painful moments any less painful. But it does mean you don’t have to live forever in the pain. You don’t have to live forever in that no. Because if you know what you’re capable of, if you’re always prepared, and you keep things in perspective, then life has a way of turning a no into yes.

Ask yourself … What previously heard ‘no’ can you use as a positive to motivate yourself to keep the faith and the focus?

Russel Wilson was only addressing a graduating class.  That’s certain.  And yet, his words seem relevant for all of us wherever we are on our paths.  As he said … “it’s a commitment to work hard and surround yourself with good people. To never stop improving and to make the world just a little bit better every day.”

As his father often said … if we can see our own potential, it means that we haven’t done it yet.  Well spoken.  All we need to do is realize and apply it!

Mike Dorman

Here we are less than five months until, once again, we spend our evenings and weekends glued to the television as spectators of the Summer Olympics taking place in Rio De Janeiro.  The athletes we will watch will have spent years of training, years of envisioning crossing their respective ‘finish lines’ and years of dreaming of earning a medal.  Regardless of their respective outcomes, they will have earned the right to see themselves and be seen as ‘Olympians’.  They will be members of a very exclusive club.

I know that one aspect that gets me hooked is the fascination with trying to imagine what getting into the games has really meant for all of those participating?  How have they maintained this focus for the time required to have these games be their 1^st or their 6^th time as an Olympian?  And finally, how can they speak enthusiastically and openly about building on this experience and returning to the next Olympic games?  Are they serious?  Come on!

But wait a second.  We have blogged about the challenges related to achieving what we resolved to achieve in terms of our business plans be them individual or organizational.  And now, as we enter the second quarter of the year how are we doing?  Maybe our building anticipation related to the Olympics this summer can serve us well in our own pursuits around our personal business goals?

Just imagine and compare.

• Imagine … what each Olympics participant has had to do that enables them to dare to dream of being an Olympian. It has been driven by a true passion and belief in what’s possible for them … and this is needed and first step.
  √ Check.   You resolved to achieve the envisioned goal you set for 2016 because you want it, deserve it and know it’s possible for you to reach it.
• Imagine … what Olympians have obviously done next is create the plan that will assure them of achieving that dream as participant and hopefully, a medal winner.
  √  Check (Partial).  You have your plan and are now entering the second quarter of the year executing and working hard to resist the magnetic pull to distractions that can take you off track as you learn and apply the skills that your success requires. You’re very determined to stay your course because your envisioned goal for this year is very
  
• Imagine … how aspiring 2016 Olympians tirelessly execute their plan and seek and accept the help from others capable of guiding them on their chosen path.
  √  Check (Maybe?). Sure … you’re executing your plan alright, yet, how are you doing in seeking help from others who can provide assistance … assistance that will serve as cement to keep you on track to accomplish all that you envision?  No heroics here.  Just calling into play every tool that can spell your success.

It sounds like a straight forward and simple approach … right?  And that’s not to be confused with easy.  Do you see the similarities?  In brief, the overall plan looks like this whether in the workplace or athletic field:

1. The VISION: We establish a well defined goal of where we want to go that will spell ‘success’ and give us a chance to medal.
2. The PLAN: What is it that we need … the learning, training and the actions that are required for us to achieve that goal?
3. The HELP: to strengthen the skills needed and to learn to recognize the things that can interrupt our climb  and thus, be obstacles to staying the course of that plan as we learn how to get control of them.

And there it is.  Just dream, plan and execute … using whatever help you know you need to stay your course.  Keep eyes on the ultimate win and the medal will come!  Are you going for it? I’m headed for the podium.  Join me!

Mike Dorman