The One Thing You Need To Get Hired, Promoted, and Ahead

Every employee or job applicant banks on a personal set of traits or qualities that they feel would help their chances of getting hired, promoted, and ahead. But what if, according to research, there was a single trait that could get you what you want in your career? It’s all about having grit: Paul G. Stoltz, PhD, has been researching success for more than 35 years, and he surveyed and evaluated thousands of entrepreneurs and executives. By an overwhelming margin, he says, one personality trait makes the difference between success and failure: toughness, or grit. “Grit is tremendously predictive of entrepreneurial success,” he says. “It determines both the magnitude of goals one sets and the likelihood of completing them.” Grit isn’t just for entrepreneurs either: Grit also increases your odds of getting promotions and job offers. In one study, Stoltz asked corporate executives, “If you were hiring someone and had to choose between a person with perfect skills but weak grit and a person with exceptional grit but missing some skills, which would you pick?” The vast majority picked the second option. Not only that, in a follow-up question, they said they would willingly trade eight or more normal employees for a single person with highly developed grit. And if you feel that your grit levels are in short supply, you can skill up on the four elements that make up the acronym GRIT: Growth, Resilience, Instinct, and Tenacity — or what he calls Grit 2.0.