Thanks again to everyone who responded with their Grit Scores. I really appreciate your replies and it pleases me to know that someone is actually reading!
In response to our earlier email, ‘The Hollywood Effect’, Rob made a very interesting comment that I’d like to share my thoughts on.
He said: “I generally stick at things even though others don’t see it as ‘innovative’.”
Which raises the question: can you be both innovative and gritty?
The short answer is… ‘Yes’.
Edison summed this up in his famous quote: “Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety nine per cent perspiration.”
I think the source of this dilemma is that people often confuse creativity and innovation.
Creativity is based on seeing situations differently and creating alternate ways to move forward. It’s the first and often short step on the long road to innovation.
Innovation includes creativity. And more specifically, innovation is the implementation and development of the idea.
Depending upon your situation and your organisational culture, doing something new and different can be a major challenge.
In a freewheeling startup culture, change is prized.
In contrast, in a typically conservative and slower-moving professional bureaucracy the opposite may be true. As a result, it might take more perspiration and grit to be innovative.
The one trap we always want to avoid is bringing a fixed view to a fresh situation. Knowing when to be innovative and when to stick at things is a crucial question that often doesn’t have a right answer.
In the words of the Kenny Rogers’ classic song The Gambler: “You gotta know when to hold them, you gotta know when to fold them and when to walk away or run”.
Trust your intuition and pay attention to the results. If you’re not getting the results you want, then change.
PS: Play to your strengths at our next breakfast – Wednesday August 8.