GRIT and Candidates at West Point

Identify the behaviors that truly drive results.

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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.  




Winston Churchill - Success, Failure and Enthusiasm
When there are no clear answers, it is critical to experiment, learn, and rapidly scale up those things that work. "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
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It is impossible for any of us to know what we don’t know. This is the stage where we all start when learning a new skill. Understanding all four stages is invaluable for self-development and especially so for the training and development of others.
Discipline Vs. Motivation
Leadership requires a balance between motivation and discipline. These are two very different things and if you are relying on motivation to keep you going it is likely that you will come up short on long-term goals.