Sheer bloody-mindedness: the profound fighting spirit of high-achieving project professionals
“God give me the serenity to accept project scope changes, difficult stakeholders and unforeseen project problems,
The courage to achieve things within my control: how I show up to my projects and the energy and tenacity to get my deliverables out the door.
And the wisdom to know the difference and stay calm and clearheaded no matter how complex my project will be at times.”
- Serenity Prayer for project professionals, Allan Owens
In 1998, business professor Robert E. Kelley sought to identify “star performer” traits and behaviours in business 1. Star performers produce first-rate work, lead others and enjoyed an enviable career trajectory. They are both problem-solvers and solution finders. Kelley’s findings debunked common myths about star performers. It was not about high intelligence, nor being “better problem solvers or being more creative”. Neither was it drive and ambition, being a risk-taker, nor being outgoing and personable. Kelley’s research on Bell Lab employees revealed a startling number of those with these gifts.
Even with these cognitive, personality and social advantages? Yes — many remained an average performer. What if we are not gifted in these areas — can we become star performers? Yes. Kelley identified that it was the way his study participants approached work (and problems) that elevated their performance.
Over time, researchers have identified the importance of emotional intelligence in our career endeavours. This includes project professionals — our working environments often demand entrepreneurial skills. Project professionals and entrepreneurs alike need an ability to cope with ever-changing circumstances and a capacity to quickly pivot.
Kelley’s work touched on facets of emotional intelligence. Peter Salovey and John Mayer coined the term “emotional intelligence” in 1990 2. Emotional intelligence (or EQ) considers our interpersonal intelligence (ie. reading others), intrapersonal intelligence (ie. reading your own emotions). EQ also is about persevering despite adversity. The latter two aspects of EQ are fundamental in how tough and persistent we are — especially on the rollercoaster life of projects.
In a meta-analysis of over 65,000 entrepreneurs, emotional intelligence predicted business success over general mental ability — in a two to one ratio 3. “People smarts” beat intellectual horsepower. It is interesting to consider how “people smarts” applies to influencing others and pushing ourselves over the finish line.
So what does science say about toughness: a considerable determinant of success? Introducing grit and mental toughness. These two psychological constructs are so closely aligned that they may be considered a single psychological trait for the layperson.
Grit — what is it?
Grit is not just … rugged persistence. It is an often invisible display of endurance that lets you stay in an uncomfortable place, work hard to improve upon a given interest, and do it again and again.
Sarah Lewis
Angela Duckworth coined the term “grit” 4. It would be fair to say that Duckworth herself embodies grit. A high achiever, Duckworth became a psychologist, McKinsey consultant and teacher in quick succession. Duckworth’s interest in the psychology of high performance led her to study executives, military trainee leaders at West Point and elite athletes 5. Duckworth eliminated many “probable” variables of success: intelligence, ambition and personality. Instead, one factor remained. Grit. Sheer bloody-mindedness forges the staying power to be the “last one standing”.
For leading project professionals, grit is one defining construct to help us achieve success. Might grit sit alongside mental flexibility and strategic giving as critical success factors for high-performers on projects?
Anyone signing up for life on projects needs high grit levels given the barrage of intellectual, emotional/inter-personal and workload challenges. You can measure your own grit, courtesy of a brief scale 6.
Is the idea of grit (“sticking it out”) a contradiction of the concept of self-care? No. Both grit and self-care can work together 7. Plan out your self-care in advance when working on a project. Take advantage of slower times on your project to refresh.
Mental toughness is a similar concept to grit.
Mental toughness
Mental toughness, like grit, can be measured. In mental toughness, the MTQ-PLUS or MTQ-48 scale can be administered by coaching psychologists 8. The MTQ-PLUS is a 68-item scale that breaks down mental toughness into the “4 C’s” 9:
Control: The extent you are likely to feel in control of your life, circumstances and display of emotions.
Commitment: Your goal orientation and diligence in enduring towards achieving your goals.
Challenge: The extent to how much you will push boundaries, embrace change, accept risk and maintain a stoic mindset.
Confidence: Your self-belief in your abilities and confidence in influencing others, dealing with conflict. Your inner strength to stand your ground and represent your view boldly.
The MTQ-PLUS scale also reflects different dimensions of mental toughness. This includes your perceptions of control — over life and emotions. Your orientation — towards goals, achievement, risk — are also examined. Lastly, your self-confidence in overcoming challenges and influencing others are two dimensions to this bespoke mental toughness scale.
You may not complete any mental toughness or grit surveys or scales. Yet understanding how behavioural scientists conceptualise mental toughness or grit is helpful. The breakdown of mental toughness into “4 C’s” (for example) is theoretical. Yet theoretical models are thought-provoking. We can reflect on our strengths and weaknesses in each dimension. Consider enduring challenges on your projects as the backdrop to your reflection.
Developing your grit and mental toughness
Jeff Haden, the contributing editor of Inc., wrote about seven habits of mentally tough people 10:
1. Always act as if you are in total control. Don’t waste valuable energy worrying about what might happen. Put your effort into making it happen.
2. Put aside things you cannot impact. Place your limited mental strength into things within your control
3. See the past as valuable training and nothing more. Your past failures and mistakes on previous projects are now gone. Learn from it, then detach- as your past does not define you.
4. Celebrate the success of others. Positive psychology interventions recommend gratitude — either writing down what you are grateful for or acknowledging other’s success. Resentment (the flip side of gratitude) uses up a lot of your mental energy.
5. Never allow yourself to whine. (Or complain. Or criticise.). Bitching to your colleagues is like having junk food. Satisfying at the time, yet laden with a considerable downside — including fixing your attention on what is going wrong.
6. Focus only on impressing yourself. Don’t waste valuable time nor energy on anything else.
7. Count your blessings. Place your attention on what has gone well — on your project today and in your life.
Take these habits a step further. Acknowledge potential detractors to your mental toughness:
Adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise first. Ensure you have the pillars of good physical and mental health in place before anything else. How can you tap into your inner strength if you have no reserves to draw upon?
Look at your world in ratios. What is your complaining: doing ratio? I use this ratio when assessing how likely other project professionals are to succeed on my projects…. and in myself. It’s a crude and ruthless measure — but is effective nonetheless.
Perfectionism. Both comparison and perfectionism are thieves of joy. Your drive for “perfect” (whatever that is) can also be a cure for longevity on projects. Aim to tolerate (and become happy about) a ‘seven out of ten’, rather than a ‘nine or ten out of ten’. Also, are you comfortable with failure? Or do you put undue pressure on yourself instead?
Reward yourself for building your levels of grit. Positive reinforcement (ie. Rewarding good behaviour) is a crucial part of shaping behaviours 11,12. Celebrate progress in the form of every occasion where you have persevered and pushed through pain barriers.
Make a decision — and get on with it. The higher you go in your career, the more distress tolerance you will need. You will likely see less traction and personal accomplishment, as your team may do the work. You will experience far more ambiguity. You have less reliable “hands-on” exposure to reliable information and feedback. The problems you grapple with are less clearer yet may have a far-reaching impact.
Drop loose ends. Loose ends could be small tasks that take a few minutes to complete or delegate. Or you could write down all your loose ends. These two options release these loose ends from your mind. This effect (known as the Zeigarnik effect) is a powerful stress-eliminator 13.
Forget feedback. Do you expect constant feedback on your work? Do you wither under criticism? Rid your mind of attraction to “reward” or aversion to criticism.
Expect CRAP. The higher you go in projects, the more criticism you attract. And when things are going right, act like your victory didn’t happen. Richard St. John speaks about dealing with CRAP- criticism, assholes, rejection and pressure 14. As Robert Greene puts it, consider your work a form of warfare — and spiritualise this warfare.
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger — something better, pushing right back.”
― Albert Camus
Find meaning in your suffering. Dr Viktor Frankl was a Holocaust survivor who wrote a book called The Search for Meaning. His book is a brilliant text for finding meaning in difficult times 15. Dr Frankl found that he could sustain his motivation in very dark and challenging times by linking to his core values. Draw from the things you value as a project professional. Attach your work to your values. These values become your “why” — sustaining you over the long run.
Why do you work on projects? What draws you to your line of work? What kick do you get from being a Project Manager, Business Analyst, Tester, User Experience Professional, Enterprise Architect or Change professional?
To draw from Albert Camus, what is your “invincible summer”?
Our book — The Change Manager’s Companion — is available now. You can also check out our online course on Change Management.
References
1. Kelley RE. How to Be a Star at Work — Nine Breakthrough Strategies You Need to Succeed. New York: Random House; 1998.
2. Salovey P, Mayer JD. Emotional Intelligence: http://dx.doi.org/102190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG. 2016;58(3):14–18. doi:10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG
3. Allen JS, Stevenson RM, O’Boyle EH, Seibert S. What matters more for entrepreneurship success? A meta-analysis comparing general mental ability and emotional intelligence in entrepreneurial settings. Strateg Entrep J. 2020. doi:10.1002/SEJ.1377
4. Duckworth AL. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Scribner/Simon & Schuster; 2016.
5. Duckworth AL, Peterson C, Matthews M., Kelly D. Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2007;92(6):1087–1101. doi:10.1037/0022–3514.92.6.1087
6. Duckworth AL, Quinn P. Development and validation of the Short Grit Scale (GRIT–S). J Pers Assess. 2009;91(2):166–174.
7. Grit: A Complete Guide on How to Be More Mentally Tough. https://jamesclear.com/grit. Accessed August 22, 2021.
8. About MTQ. https://www.mentaltoughness.partners/mtq48/. Accessed August 22, 2021.
9. Mental Toughness Explanatory Note Mental Toughness and the Mental Toughness Questionnaire-MTQ48. www.aqr.co.uk. Accessed August 22, 2021.
10. 7 Habits of People With Remarkable Mental Toughness | Inc.com. https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/7-habits-of-people-with-remarkable-mental-toughness.html. Accessed August 22, 2021.
11. Cherry K. Positive Reinforcement and Operant Conditioning. Verywellmind.com. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-positive-reinforcement-2795412. Published 2019. Accessed December 20, 2020.
12. Ackerman C. Positive Reinforcement in Psychology (Definition + 5 Examples). PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/positive-reinforcement-psychology/. Published 2020. Accessed October 31, 2020.
13. Syrek C, Weigelt O, Peifer C, Antoni C. Zeigarnik’s Sleepless Nights: How Unfinished Tasks at the End of the Week Impair Employee Sleep on the Weekend Through Rumination. J Occup Health Psychol. 2016;22. doi:10.1037/ocp0000031
14. Richard St. John: 8 secrets of success | TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_8_secrets_of_success/transcript. Accessed August 22, 2021.
15. Frankl VE. Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press; 1959.