I’ve Learned I Like Gritty People
If you own your own business, then you have likely been asked, “who do you serve?” It’s impossible for people to understand if you are right for them if you don’t know who you serve and how you serve them. It’s no wonder then, that how to define your target audience is one of the things you learn in business school.
One thing I try to hammer home with my clients is that the definition doesn’t have to be based solely on classic demographics. Yes, it is true that I have decided that I want to serve women entrepreneurs and women in career transition but the demographics basically stop at that point. From there, I like to use characteristics like:
- Women tired of struggling and ready to grow their business
- Women who are old enough or have had enough life experiences to understand what their goals and desires are
- Women ready to be challenged to exceed what they were able to do yesterday
- Women who don’t have a plan B – meaning someone “all in” and ready to do what it takes to make their dream a reality
This last one, I have learned recently, is called grit.
According to Angela Duckworth, Ph.D. and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, grit is defined as just that – passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit isn’t talent or luck. Grit is, instead, “about what some researchers call an “ultimate concern” – a goal you care about so much that it organizes and gives meaning to almost everything you do. And grit is holding steadfast to that goal. Even when you fall down. Even when you screw up. Even when progress toward that goal is halting or slow.”
While talent often grabs headlines, Duckworth’s research shows that grit is a better predictor of success, in any environment. Why? Well, gritty people have a very high level of resilience, the willingness to engage in deliberate practice, passion, and a sense of purpose toward achieving a top-level goal. There is no coincidence that these four things also describe successful entrepreneurs.
Are you gritty enough?
Women are starting their own businesses at a frantic pace right now. I always ask those who have recently started, or are thinking of starting a business, to articulate their “why”. I ask this for a couple of reasons.
- If your why is strong and compelling enough, you will always find the how.
- Being an entrepreneur is full of ups and downs. The ups are really high and the downs are really low. Without a compelling why, it will be very difficult to persevere through the lows.
And without grit, it may be really difficult to survive the lows. “People who really are gritty often can, in a sentence of 10 words or fewer, articulate what everything they are doing is all about.” (Costco Connection, pg. 47, September 2018). It’s about having a guiding North Star that keeps you from being easily discouraged by setbacks.
If you are gritty – then you were built to be successful, including as an entrepreneur. If you aren’t gritty, the good news is that Duckworth’s research shows that it can be cultivated. One method that Duckworth suggests is by mentoring others to be persistent and to hang in there during challenging times. This can be done in a family environment with your partner/spouse, children, siblings, etc., as well as within a work environment or even with your friends. Duckworth believes that cultivating grit in others strengthens our own grittiness by reminding us of lessons we may have otherwise forgotten. When we are given the opportunity to advise and encourage others, we draw our attention back to what we can do ourselves.
If you would like to find out how gritty you are, visit Angela Duckworth’s website and take her quiz. You might be surprised at just how gritty you are!
And, if you are a gritty, woman entrepreneur that shares characteristics with my current clients, then reach out to let me know how I can help support you in realizing your “ultimate concern.”
Your Empowering Entrepreneurs Coach,
Stacy
STACY OLDFIELD
After nearly 25 years in Corporate America, Stacy launched Minerva Management Partners as a way to combine those years of business experience with her life coaching certification and love for coaching women. Minerva Management Partners is a business coaching practice designed to support women entrepreneurs committed to launching and growing their business. Also, as a Results Coach with Robbins Research International, Stacy helps business women to focus their ideas and efforts and holds them accountable for achieving their goals. Whether it’s helping women discover creative solutions to their business challenges, coaching them to be clear and decisive, or helping them see and take action on new opportunities, Stacy guides them to achieve the business and career results they are seeking. Stacy is also the creator of the Minerva 3-Day Networking Challenge and the Network Like a Boss Lady On-Demand training program. Stacy has been invited to speak to many audiences within South Carolina including the Center for Women, Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston, the Women of the Workforce program of the Naval Information Warfare Center (SPAWAR), Charleston Women in Business, Association of Fundraising Professionals, SCANPO, graduate classes at both The Citadel and the College of Charleston (CofC), and Leadership CofC. She currently serves as a mentor through the Women of Excellence Program at Xavier University and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Beautiful Gate Center and on the advisory board of the SC Women’s Business Center.
