Page 47 - LIN.NOVWEB

give up” attitude when severely stressed. 6. I FINISH WHATEVER I BEGIN.
To apply the algorithm: Talent multiplied by effort equals skill, and skill Very much like me
Mostly like me
times effort equals achievement for our West Pointers. We can see they all Somewhat like me
had the talent as objectively measured and all applied the effort to have the Not much like me
skill. But about 20 percent ran out of effort and did not achieve the goal Not like me at all
of graduation.
7. MY INTERESTS CHANGE FROM
The incoming cadets who had enough grit to get them over the YEAR TO YEAR.
seemingly unendurable stress achieved graduation. The revelation that grit Very much like me
turns out to be a much better predictor of graduation from West Point Mostly like me
than the Whole Candidate Score may seem astounding, but in reality Somewhat like me
makes sense. Talent matters, of course, but multiplying that talent with Not much like me
effort makes for achievement. Not like me at all

So, how to measure grit becomes the important question. Psychologist 8. I AM DILIGENT. I NEVER GIVE UP.
Duckworth freely shares (at http://angeladuckworth.com/grit-scale/) ten Very much like me
questions with no right or wrong answers. Answer these honestly with just Mostly like me
how you feel about the statement at this moment. Somewhat like me
Not much like me
1. NEW IDEAS AND PROJECTS SOMETIMES Not like me at all
DISTRACT ME FROM PREVIOUS ONES.
Very much like me 9. I HAVE BEEN OBSESSED WITH A CERTAIN IDEA
Mostly like me OR PROJECT FOR A SHORT TIME BUT LATER LOST
Somewhat like me INTEREST.
Not much like me Very much like me
Not like me at all Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
2. SETBACKS DON’T DISCOURAGE ME. Not much like me
I DON’T GIVE UP EASILY. Not like me at all
Very much like me
Mostly like me 10. I HAVE OVERCOME SETBACKS TO
Somewhat like me CONQUER AN IMPORTANT CHALLENGE.
Not much like me Very much like me
Not like me at all Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
3. I OFTEN SET A GOAL BUT LATER CHOOSE Not much like me
TO PURSUE A DIFFERENT ONE. Not like me at all
Very much like me
Mostly like me If you take this assessment online your score is calculated
Somewhat like me automatically. By hand, score the odd numbers with points from
Not much like me 5 to 1 and even numbered questions from 1 to 5, take the sum
Not like me at all and divide by 10.The maximum for extremely grittiness is 5 and
the minimum is 1, not gritty at all. I suggest you take it online
4. I AM A HARD WORKER. which also compares you to a large sample of American adults.
Very much like me
Mostly like me Your Grit score changes over time as your life, attitude, and
Somewhat like me environment change. Grit has two components: passion and
Not much like me perseverance. Both measures typically go together with most
Not like me at all people having a slightly higher perseverance metric.

5. I HAVE DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING MY FOCUS ON PROJECTS The bottom line: Success is predictable and grit is measurable.
THAT TAKE MORE THAN A FEW MONTHS TO COMPLETE. Knowing the components of achievement—the importance
Very much like me of effort for skill development and effort’s importance for talent
Mostly like me advancement—is a valuable insight.
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

Life in Naples | November 2016 47