Grit

I joined the bookclub at work. First book I read with them was "Grit" by Angela Duckworth.

The idea of grit in the workplace is a bit of a buzzword right now. How do I hire for grit? What separates the men from the goats? We need gritty people, etc etc. I consider myself a pretty determined and disciplined person, so I was interested in reading up on the academic interpretation of grit. Are there lessons to be learned? Ways to teach it? Ways to hire for it?

In talking with my colleagues most felt the book was a bit long-winded. Duckworth seemed intent on showing the inner-workings of her conclusions to a point than some people felt was overkill. Example after example. It didn't bother me too much, though. It was a quick and easy read. The first night I read it I drank an espresso and stayed up until 2am getting through the first 100 pages. So for a business book / academic book, you could consider it a page-turner. 

I think grit is important. I'd be interested in hearing what my wife has to say about the book, if she chooses to read it. There's a brief chapter on parenting for grit. I paid particular attention to that as it will come in handy after October 25th. Fortunately for me, my parents were excellent examples of how to instill grit in a child. They just did what came natural to them, so I imagine their parents must have raised them in an equally gritty fashion. Disciplined and supportive. 

I'd recommend this to anyone in business, any parent, or anyone about to embark upon a particularly daunting new chapter or task in their life. Starting a new business? Prepping to run a marathon?

I think it's a pretty good book but I wouldn't rave about it. I'm recommending it cuz it's such a quick read that it's not going to take up too much time. You'll get something out of it.