GRIT and Candidates at West Point

Identify the behaviors that truly drive results.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

When you are looking at your organizational chart, job roles, and culture, what consistently demonstrated behaviors truly drive results?  

Leadership Tools: What Behaviors Best Predict Success. Grit by Angela Duckworth.

Angela Duckworth has been studying the differences in achievement and she has boiled it down to a single major differentiating factor - GRIT.  The discipline to stick with something until it is complete without losing motivation.

Her simple 10 question “Grit Scale” was a better predictor of which candidates would make it through West Point’s first phase of training than their complex “Whole Candidate Score” system.

Peak Learning has an “Adversity Quotient” test for applicant screening

Jocko Willink constantly talks about discipline versus motivation as the foundation for achievement.  

Look at your top performers.  

  • How would you rate their grit?  
  • How well do they continue to focus and execute even when things are going poorly?
  • How would you rate your own?
  • What do you do to improve your own grit and that of your team?  

This is a trait that is like a muscle and can be built with disciplined practice and coaching.  




Contractor Profiles in Recession Management
3X your profitability during a recession. Look at how you performed during the last recession then evaluate your current readiness and plan your next steps.
Changing a Good Decision Making Process Based on Results
Construction projects are complex requiring thousands of decisions made across dozens of teams over many months to ultimately result in a good outcome. As a leader in the construction industry the majority of your value-add is.
Perspectives on Development - Focusing on Strengths AND Weaknesses
There are a couple of schools of thought on development. The highest performers tend to embrace both of them. Don’t ever let a weakness of yours or anyone around you become an excuse for not achieving your goals.