Do You Have Grit?

Do you have Grit? How does it differ from resilience?

As applied to humans, resilience is the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like. Today, there are coaches, organizations, and classes dedicated to resilience. Grit is the firmness of character, indomitable spirit, perseverance, and passion toward long-term goals. It describes sustained commitment toward completing a specific endeavor despite episodes of failure, setbacks, and adversity. By definition, resilience is an inherent attribute of Grit.

Why Grit?

There aren't a lot of "grit coaches." I like the word "grit" because it has "character," "indomitable," and "spirit" in the definition. I prefer action over reaction and see most problems as preventable if we strengthen our spirit, mind, and body.

An Example

The men of 3rd Platoon, India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines had Grit. For five months in 2004, they lived in a bombed-out house on the Saudi-Iraq border, a place called Ar Ar. They subsisted mainly on MREs, minimal water for anything but drinking, a generator for battery charging, and no air conditioning. Their mission was to train and assist the Iraqi Border Police Brigade. Most of that training entailed hundreds of hours patrolling the wadis of the southwest border. We had to limit their range because they were on the edge of Medevac coverage. Their Battery HQ was two hours away over dirt roads. These men got up daily to the harsh climate and terrain to train with the Border Police, maintain their weapons and equipment, and be ready for any contingency. There was nothing sexy or exciting about their mission, but they did it like stalwart professionals. They had Grit.

Leaders with Grit

When we pulled them off the border, the Iraqi Commander said he had offered 1stLt. Luke, the platoon commander, marriage to his daughter if he would stay. Lt. Luke demurred, stating he needed to get back to Texas. Lt. Luke and SSgt Upp, the platoon sergeant, had led and trained so well that when they visited the Brigade a few days later, they were operating as trained. Moreover, an officer who had seen all the Iraqi Border Police units in 2009, 5 years later, said Ar Ar was the best of them all. He stated that they had never received any training. I proudly corrected him on behalf of 3rd Platoon, India Battery, 3/11. Leadership is an apprenticed vocation, and apprenticeship builds Grit. What do you think?