Grit: the power of passion and perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth

Summary

The speaker, a former teacher turned psychologist, discusses the importance of 'grit' over IQ in achieving success. Through various studies, including West Point Military Academy and the National Spelling Bee, the speaker found that grit—a combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals—was the key predictor of success. The speaker emphasizes the need for a better understanding of how to cultivate grit, especially in education, and highlights the concept of a 'growth mindset' as a potential method to foster resilience and hard work in students.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker transitioned from a demanding job in management consulting to teaching, highlighting the challenges of educating seventh graders in New York City.
• 🧠 IQ was found to not be the sole differentiator between the speaker's top and bottom students, suggesting other factors contribute to academic success.
• 🤔 The realization prompted the speaker to pursue psychology to better understand the motivational and psychological aspects of student learning.
• 🎯 The speaker's research across various challenging settings consistently identified 'grit' as a significant predictor of success, beyond IQ or talent.
• 🏆 Grit is defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, requiring stamina and a commitment to work hard over time.
• 🏫 A study in Chicago public schools showed that grittier students were more likely to graduate, even when controlling for other factors.
• 🚀 The importance of grit extends beyond academic settings, being relevant in military training, spelling bees, teaching, and sales roles.
• 🤷‍♀️ The speaker admits the limited understanding of how to build grit in children, despite its clear impact on success.
• 🌱 The concept of a 'growth mindset', developed by Carol Dweck, is suggested as a potential method for fostering grit by emphasizing the changeability of learning abilities.
• 💡 The speaker calls for more ideas and research to effectively cultivate grit in children, emphasizing the need for testing and learning from failures.
• 🔄 The final message encourages embracing a gritty approach to improving educational strategies, acknowledging the iterative process of trial and error.

Q & A

Why did the speaker leave their job in management consulting to become a teacher?

The speaker was driven by a desire to understand the difference between their best and worst students, noticing that IQ was not the sole factor in their success.

What did the speaker conclude about the importance of IQ in relation to success in school and life?

The speaker concluded that success in school and life depends on more than just the ability to learn quickly and easily, suggesting that IQ is not the only determinant of success.

What led the speaker to pursue a career in psychology after leaving the classroom?

The speaker's curiosity about the motivational and psychological aspects of learning led them to graduate school to become a psychologist.

Which institutions did the speaker and their research team visit to study grit and success?

The speaker and their team visited West Point Military Academy, the National Spelling Bee, schools in tough neighborhoods, and private companies to study grit and success.

What is the definition of 'grit' according to the speaker?

Grit is described as passion and perseverance for very long-term goals, having stamina, and sticking with one's future over the long term.

What did the speaker find when they studied grit in the Chicago public schools?

The speaker found that grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate, even when matched on other characteristics like family income and test scores.

Why is the concept of 'grit' considered important for students, especially those at risk for dropping out?

Grit is important because it helps students stick with their education over the long term, which is crucial for those who might otherwise drop out.

What is the 'growth mindset' and how is it related to building grit in kids?

The 'growth mindset' is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed and can change with effort. It helps build grit by encouraging perseverance when faced with failure.

What does the speaker suggest is the best idea they've heard for building grit in kids?

The speaker suggests the 'growth mindset' as the best idea for building grit, as it promotes the belief that failure is not permanent and effort can lead to improvement.

What does the speaker emphasize as a necessary approach to further understand and develop grit?

The speaker emphasizes the need to test ideas and intuitions, measure success, and be willing to fail and learn from mistakes in order to develop grit.

What is the speaker's final call to action regarding the development of grit in children?

The speaker calls for a gritty approach to making children grittier, implying that the process of developing grit in children requires persistence and resilience.