The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World by Shannon Huffman PolsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Link: YouTube Review
"Those who are first in their fields, or one of few in their fields, are leaders by virtue of circumstances, and the challenges ahead of them require grit. Their success shows others what is possible. Those who lead and are committed to making a difference either by choice or circumstances need grit, Full stop."-Shannon Huffman Polson, The Grit factor>
The Author of this book Shannon Huffman Polson is from a Military background. And, in this book she has shared stories and experiences from the women who served in the US military. Many of these military women were the first women to join their respective higher positions in the military in their time and faced many hardships.The author says that this book is for women who lead or aspire to lead and men who are in position to integrate women at senior positions in their organization. This book can help you develop your own sense of grit through the stories and the exercises that each chapter has.
All the stories and insights that the author talks about in the book are grouped into three categories : Commit, Learn, and Launch. Each chapter in each category represents a different aspect of Grit hence the book is named as - The Grit Factor.
Grit is a skill that can be developed through dedicated and consistent effort. According to Karen Fine Brasch, one of the military women whose story is discussed in this book by the author says that - “Grit isn’t something that you learn, it’s something that you do. It starts out by something feeling impossible or overwhelming , requires all of your focus and fortitude while you are going through it, and it feels you are going to fail right up to the very point you succeed. And you do it alone.”
The basic requirement to have grit in any person is having the confidence that the task in hand can be done. From where does that kind of confidence come ? This book suggests steps to develop this confidence. Let's take a look at the steps one by one.
Step #1 Craft Your Story
The book suggests that if you reflect back on the events since your childhood and put them on the spectrum of your memory then there will be many instances where you find yourself reacting effectively. This part of the exercise will help one to identify the strengths and weaknesses in self. Once you are aware of your strengths you can utilize them or rely on them if needed. And you can always work on your weakness and get rid of it or minimize the negative impact of it.
Step #2 Unearth your core purpose
Purpose is the bedrock of Grit. If you are out there to do a difficult task with a rock solid purpose then a continuous reminder of that purpose to yourself can keep you on track to complete that task. The author says that the purpose will give you the passion and commitment that you need to successfully navigate those upcoming moments of hardship and funnel your efforts towards achieving your goal.
Step #3 Draw your circle
A leader should have a circle of mentors, a loyal team, colleagues, friends, and acquaintances who support his cause. A leader should be able to draw strength from every person from this circle. Developing a circle prepares you for the circumstances that require grit. Strong and trustworthy relationships can make a person resilient which is an important aspect of Grit. A leader should know two things - one no leader can achieve his goals alone. A leader has to have a team and two you can’t be friends with everyone.
Step #4 Listen like a leader
Listening well helps gather vital information and establish a trusting relationship with both coworkers and superiors. The author talks about three steps to listen like a leader : Ask. Listen. Pause. The author talks in detail about these steps in the book.
Step #5 Build your resilience
The author talks about the Master Resilience Training which is used by the US army to train resilience to it’s soldiers . This program talks about six core competencies of resilience -
- self awareness,
- understanding your and other’s strength,
- connection
- Optimism
- Mental Agility
- self- regulation
The book talks in detail about these competencies. While narrating the story of Major Rhonda Cornum, there is a quote from her which rightly puts the power of mindset, it says that - “One of the most important things you can learn is that what you think and how you perceive events is totally up to you. ... Your enemies can not determine what you think. It is your choice. “. Major Cornum was severely injured and despite that she was able to get the help from her captors because of her positive mindset to keep herself and her fellow prisoners alive in Iraq after her helicopter was shot and she was captured by the Iraqi soldiers.
Step #6 Face the Fear head on
The author says that soldiers know that the way you train for push-ups is by doing push-ups. Gradually increasing the number of push-ups until you reach your goal. The lesson applies to most anything. You train for grit by doing things requiring grit. You train for courage by doing things that require courage. And you do that by taking smaller risks at first. As you do, you build up your tolerance for uncertainty and your confidence. Over time it’s how you conquer fear. The willingness to take risk is important throughout your life and career. Taking risk and seizing opportunity is a powerful way to give yourself and your career more lift.
Step #7 and #8 Authenticity and Adaptability
The author says that both go hand in hand. Being yourself is an important component of grit. And, The courage to stay true to yourself requires many things, including speaking out against something you don’t believe in.
The Greeks have a word describing a broader ethos : arete, a striving for excellence in every area. This concept of arete eschews mediocrity, expecting the best in each area of life and performance. Arete must be part of the leader’s ethos today, too. To have the best chance of success in your field, your performance must be stellar - arete must be your goal. This is not perfection, but it is true excellence.
The heart of this book is the stories of various military women which the author has nicely narrated and intertwined it with various aspects of grit, resilience and leadership that these women have displayed during the course of their job. A hats off to all these women !!! I hope that this book reaches every woman who doubts her ability to do difficult things in life and every man who thinks that women can not handle difficult things.
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