Sure, True Grit is a great western movie. It is also something that we have at Interstates. Grit is about facing challenges with courage and strength and working through them. It is about leaning into challenges and tough situations, no matter how difficult they are. It is about doing the right thing and getting the job done (and done well).
Grit is about tenacity and having an open mind, which sounds like an oxymoron -- but it is true. That open mind is about having a growth mindset and having a passion to learn and to improve. It is about not being scared or avoiding situations that you might fail. Embracing the situation and potential failure - "I don't have it figured out, YET!!" It is truly one of the best qualities of Interstates' employees and leaders.
I could stop there, but that would not be the Interstates Way. In order to pursue a better way, all of us should think about what the next level of Interstates Grit would look like. For me, and I am guessing for a lot of leaders at Interstates, it is adding the "We" to the grit mentality. It is about asking for help, offering help, leaning into tough IPD issues and giving feedback across business units. It is applying something we are already great at ("GRIT") to "One Interstates, One Service".
As leaders, we have the responsibility to teach and develop grit in our teams and new team members. We have hired a lot of talented people in the last couple of years, and we will be hiring more. If we, as leaders, can model, teach and develop grit in our team members -- that would have huge impact on our employees, teams, and clients. It would be about carrying on the Interstates Way to the next generation.
Your challenge:
- Show your passion to figure challenges out (passion to learn)
- Show your passion to recover from failure (tenacity and perseverance)
- Lead with vulnerability - "I need help"
- Lead with the "We" -- We don't have it figured out, yet.
As leaders, lets leverage our grit. We need to continue to model grit; we need to live with grit; and we need to teach new people grit…that True Grit and is the Interstates Way.
Continue Leading the Interstates Way!
Scott Peterson
** This video was a reference for me as I wrote this article and may provide you with more insight on grit (on.ted.com/psuF).
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