Grit and purpose are superpowers if...
the environment supports them. Are you doing these six things?
I’m writing this edition of Facing the Wind on the plane on the way back to the west coast incredibly grateful for two absolutely fabulous engagements: one with a client in South Carolina, and another delivering remarks as a part of the Hesselbein Leadership Forum at the University of Pittsburgh in conjunction with the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership and the Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies. the opportunity to talk with the students beginning their careers in national security was so energizing! Their questions were pointed and thoughtful. I left both excited for and proud of them— and feeling very good about the future of our national security with such outstanding leaders working to move us all forward.
What I’m reading right now: Character Education, edited by William Damon; just finished the novella The Dead by James Joyce. I aspire to always share multiple genres with you— leaders read, and should read widely! Meanwhile, though Character Education relates to youth, it challenges our assumptions on how research is presented and how we arrive at our assumptions.
Grit Institute partners I know, use and love.
Monk Manual: this is what I use and I love it. I’ve tried them all (well, a lot of them anyway) and this is the best planner for aesthetics, and the balance of being and doing. Use the discount code SHANNONHPOLSON.
Baronfig: I ordered the Atomic Habits pens for myself and as gifts over the holidays. Beautiful products that inspire you to action, and pair quite well with the Monk Manual! Use the discount code SHANNONHPOLSON.
Big Life Journal: for adults AND for your kids, this gives you work to do on developing growth mindsets and GRIT! We use this in our family, and have for several years. Use the code GRIT15 for a discount.
I’m grateful also for the opportunity to have visited the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory and Warrior Human Performance Research Center at University of Pittsburgh. These scholars and athletes/veterans are studying the best way for warfighters— male and female— to succeed physically in the military, conducting their work with cutting edge technology. I was particularly excited to hear how they are thinking about the connection between mind and body as they look forward into their work to come. I’m excited to learn about what they uncover.
Current contemplations:
I didn’t start out reading Transcend, by Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, expecting anything on grit. I’ve been taken by his exploration of Maslow and his work— ultimately the still relatively unknown aspects of Maslow’s work toward the end of his life which go beyond what is erroneously known as a hierarchy of needs.
Speaking at a client sales meeting this past week
What I hadn’t expected to find was Kaufman’s reminder that grit is a critical part of purpose (and, as The Grit Factor triad reminds us, purpose is foundational to grit and resilience). Kaufman does suggest that grit and purpose work best— and sometimes only work— in an environment that supports them: an environment of enlightened leadership.
Tickets are ON SALE for TEDX San Luis Obispo! You can get yours here!
This reminder is important for a number of reasons, among them that an expectation of grit does not absolve leadership of creating the conditions for people to thrive. The two go hand in hand, and can then be multiples of one another; if either is lacking, both may fail.
Kaufman suggests that there are six specific leadership requirements that permit people to thrive (though looking through them, it might qualify as eight or nine).