Krush Performance: Grit w/Angela Duckworth

GRIT: The Power of Passion & Perseverance with Angela Duckworth

This week, we are talking GRIT & the intangibles – those invisible traits that exist and play an important roll in making us who we are.

When we are looking to identify & evaluate talent or potential what is the most important piece of the puzzle?

• Experience – the body of work?
• Skill evaluation – things like a combine performance or entrance exam?
• Talent & Skill – in game evaluation / scouting reports or work reviews?

In sport, you can see what an athlete is capable of while playing in the present setting or via player evaluations like a combine or try out. In work or school, you can get references, interview peers, bosses and teachers (we do the same in sport).

In fact, there is now as much work going into background checks (not just the criminal kind) as there is on skill evaluation and there are times when the value of a person’s intangible traits precede their skill level as teams and organizations try to decide if an athlete, student, or employee is right for their organization.

We have a really good idea of developing skill sets and physical ability but the intangibles a person possesses seem set in stone. However, what if I told you that we all have the ability to train, develop, and master the intangibles! What if I told you the intangibles are trainable?

This is where today’s conversation comes in.

The intangibles – those things that exist behind the curtain – the traits that make us who we are.

Some call it Character – but I think it is much more than that.

It’s Aggressiveness, patience, or self-control. It’s compete levels, intelligence, coach ability it’s perseverance, mindset, & GRIT.

We are joined by Angela Duckworth, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Scientific Director of The Character Lab, and Author of the Bestseller, “GRIT: The Power of Passion & Perseverance.”

We’ll discuss:

• What exactly is “character?”
• Is grit the character trait that trumps all others?
• How does grit trump talent and IQ when it comes to success?

I look forward to your comments & if you like what you hear please pass this on to everyone you know. It’s an important conversation.

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