The grit question

University of Pennsylvania professor Angela Duckworth has spent years studying what sets high achievers apart. Her research identified grit: a combination of passion and perseverance that allows people to thrive.

Situation matters more

Duckworth's new research shows that achievers' ability to succeed with grit is meaningfully affected by the situations in which they find themselves. Many of those factors are within our power to change.

External circumstances shape us

Internal passion and perseverance are more affected by external circumstances than people imagine. Our intentions, attitudes, feelings and behavior are triggered by who we're with and what we're around.

Start with your situation

Changing your situation is more effective than trying to change your mindset or behavior alone. When you put yourself in a situation that helps you have the thoughts you want, that's a better starting point.

The fundamental attribution error

Leaders often blame lack of motivation or willpower when the real problem is the work situation. We tend to focus on a person's attributes rather than their circumstances, a bias documented across decades of research.

Burnout signals a bad situation

Burnout, defined by Berkeley professor Christina Maslach as exhaustion, detachment and powerlessness, often comes from trying hard but not making progress.The bias is to fix the person, but usually you need to fix the situation.

Control the controllables

While many situational realities cannot be changed, individuals can control aspects like which teams to volunteer for or whether to reach out to an admired colleague for conversation.

Four levers to improve situations

Duckworth identifies four levers for improving any situation: space, relationships, culture and mentorship. Space is the best first step because almost everyone can change their physical environment.

Edit your physical space

High achievers are intentional about their personal space. They remove distractions like apps from phones and add things like favorite quotes engraved in wood or cast in pewter to support their thinking.

Brad Stevens removes distractions

Celtics general manager Brad Stevens has deleted certain apps from his phone. He cannot control social media's existence but can control what he sees and pays attention to.

Peers and mentors outside work

Toby Cosgrove became one of the world's greatest heart surgeons despite undiagnosed dyslexia. When he became CEO of Cleveland Clinic, he reached out to Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter and other experienced CEOs to…

Culture shapes individual agency

Leaders have disproportionate power to shape culture, but anyone can shape their team's microculture through humor, warmth or other contributions. Choosing the right culture is as important as building grit.

“Sometimes fit looks a lot like grit.”

Cosgrove transforms Cleveland Clinic

Cosgrove rearranged parking so patient spaces were closer to the front door.He reorganized offices so interdisciplinary teams worked together and set up what is believed to be the longest standing mentoring program in academic medicine.

Empathy exercise at Cleveland Clinic

When patient experience fell behind medical outcomes, Cosgrove recruited physician Jim Merlino, whose father had died at the hospital. Merlino asked for a half-day empathy exercise costing eleven million dollars. Cosgrove said yes.

Leaders must ask four questions

Leaders should ask: Have I set up their personal space?Have I picked their peers?Have I made mentorship the norm?And have I championed the culture carriers?These actions create situations where people bring out their best.