Grit

March 21, 2016
What makes high achievers successful, MacArthur Fellow Duckworth writes, is grit—a “combination of passion and perseverance”—coupled to their raw talent. Talent is important, she acknowledges, but talent multiplied by grit is what builds skill, and skill multiplied by grit equals achievement. Duckworth believes that talent or genius is innate, but “grit grows.” In three sections, she defines grit, then shows how it can develop “from the outside in” and “from the inside out.” She mixes descriptions of her own experience with notable success stories, such as that of quarterback Steve Young, and discoveries in psychology, creating a highly readable guide to achievement. “This book has been my way of taking you out for a coffee and telling you what I know,” Duckworth concludes. She includes a self-assessment quiz, advice from Warren Buffet on identifying personal goals, and a chapter devoted to the ideal parenting style—a combination of supportive and demanding—for those who want to encourage the development of grit in their children. This is an informative and inspiring contribution to the literature of success.

April 1, 2016
Gumption: it's not just for readers of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as this debut book, blending anecdote and science, statistic and yarn, capably illustrates. If you're so smart, why aren't you rich? It could be, to trust MacArthur fellow Duckworth, that you're just not working hard enough--which is to say, you just don't have enough grit. That old-fashioned term, appropriated by a newfangled scholar, is meant to combine the notions of passion, persistence, and hard work in more or less equal measure. That passion, Duckworth argues, "begins with intrinsically enjoying what you do." Self-confidence figures into the equation, the assuredness that you have the ability to do what you do with at least some measure of success; but then, the ability to cope with failure, dust yourself off, and try again comes into play as well. Duckworth makes great effort to downplay any idea of innate talent in favor of improvement and mastery that come from digging in and doing it. "If we overemphasize talent," she urges, "we underemphasize everything else." In the nature vs. nurture controversy, the author sides with nurture, and there's more than a little of the tiger mom in the prescriptions she dispenses for education. But on that note, she writes, teachers who are demanding may "produce measurable year-to-year gains in the academic skills of their students." But throw a little love, supportiveness, and respect into the mix, and you build better people. For Duckworth, there should be no trophies for just showing up. When she writes of hard work in building the "gritty person," she means hard work, as evidenced by her close study of West Pointers during their first and worst year, when 20 percent of the students drop out in a cohort carefully selected for their ability to stay on task until the task is done. Not your grandpa's self-help book, but Duckworth's text is oddly encouraging, exhorting us to do better by trying harder, and a pleasure to read.

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May 15, 2016
Psychology professor Duckworth's previous work with the competitive global management firm, McKinsey & Company, and a prestigious MacArthur fellowship attest to her own grittiness as she presents a solid foundation for an engaging investigation into grit that is, how the combination of determination and desire affects chances of reaching a chosen goal. With research on activities ranging from sports to spelling bees and contestants from children to adults, Duckworth presents data, charts, and notes connected to real people who showed exceptional achievement in various areas as she assesses proof of a person's grit factor in predicting success. Discussions about the daily commitment required to sustain high degrees of excellence and the consistency of key insights across disciplines further illustrate the author's conclusions. Unlike innate talent, grit is a quality that can be increased by individuals and also encouraged to grow in others. With strong appeal for readers of Daniel H. Pink, Malcolm Gladwell, and Susan Cain, this is a must-have.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)