Why grit is so important in the workplace

Jane Kennelly explains the importance of GRIT, and how you can identify it during the hiring process.

Why do some people accomplish so much more than others? At some point in our lives, everyone will ask themselves this question. The answers we come up with will vary, from wealth to education to just plain luck. But it turns out that external factors play less of a role in success than we may have given them credit for. 

When examining the differences between those who succeed and those who don’t, it often comes down to a character trait known as grit.

But what is grit? 

Defined as courage and resolve, and a strength of character, grit’s a word most of us probably associate with toughness, the steely determination of pioneers and frontiersmen. And while that connotation is accurate, it turns out that grit can be useful in the modern workplace as well. In fact, by hiring employees and managers who show grit as a character trait, your business’s odds of success are greatly enhanced.  

Dr Paul Stoltz, author of GRIT: The New Science of What it takes to Persevere, Flourish, Succeed says grit can be defined according to this acronym: Growth, Resilience, Instinct, and Tenacity. People who display these traits are in high demand across all industries. In fact, 98% of employers would rather hire an employee with GRIT than one who was otherwise perfectly qualified but lacked these characteristics.

Why is grit so important in the workplace? To understand the answer to this question, we need to zoom in on some of the character traits associated with grit. 

• Courage – Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the acceptance of it as part of a process. A courageous employee will manage their fear of failure and understand that valuable lessons can be taken away from defeat. 

• Achievement-oriented – An achievement-oriented employee will work tirelessly to complete tasks, but will also step out of their comfort zone occasionally in order to succeed in their job. This is in contrast to a dependable employee who shows up every day and performs their job duties, but never takes risks or shows initiative.

• Perseverance – Without long-term goals, very little could be achieved in this world. But setting goals is only part of the process; an employee must be able to follow through. Long-term goals provide a framework and structure that give small everyday tasks meaning, enabling one to look at the bigger picture and work toward success on a larger scale.

• Resilience – Failure is an unavoidable part of life. How a person copes with their failures says a lot about their character and their potential work performance. A resilient employee will take failure in stride, learn from it, and move forward.

• Excellence – An employee with grit strives for excellence rather than perfection. Perfection is an ideal that is by nature almost unattainable. A perfectionist employee will be anxious and unforgiving of failure. In contrast, excellence is an attitude which prioritises progress over perfection.

By utilising several key interview prompts, you can more readily identify a potential employee’s grit. Their answers can give you a good idea of what the new hire would bring to your organisation in terms of their strength of character.

• Tell me about a dream you turned into a reality. This can help an employer find potential leaders who are willing to take calculated risks. You want someone who seeks out growth opportunities and follows through on achieving them. You could expand on this to say it doesn’t have to be confined to work, and could be a pursuit in another part of their life.

• Tell me about a time you failed and how you bounced back. A potentially successful employee will discuss lessons learned rather than deflecting and assigning blame.

• Tell me about an idea you had to improve your workplace, and how you implemented that idea. It’s easy to complain about problems at work, but you want new people with the initiative, problem solving abilities, and communication skills to do something proactive about it.

• Tell me about a long-term project you worked on, and how you stayed engaged throughout. The modern workplace is full of distractions, and staying on task can be difficult. You want employees who have tenacity and strategies for keeping themselves and others focused.

While education and experience are valid and important aspects to cover in any recruitment process, focusing on GRIT will ensure your newest employee possesses the desired characteristics to succeed in your team.

Jane Kennelly is the founder of Frog Recruitment. A media commentator, blogger, conference speaker and writer, Jane is known as an industry expert across a multitude of areas including the latest methodologies, communications and employment branding in the talent sector.