Not talent. Not luck. Grit. Have you ever thought about what brings out the best in your people?—not just at the beginning, but for the long run?
When I ask managers whether they’d rather hire a “natural talent” or someone who knows how to work hard, most say: “Give me the team player, no question.”
But when it comes down to it? They often go with the talent.
And that makes sense—talent is easy to spot and immediately impressive.
But here’s the truth: talent gives you a head start. What gets you to the finish line—is grit.
Grit is what keeps people focused.
It’s the fuel that drives perseverance through failure, through routine, through frustration.
But grit isn’t just about working hard. It’s about determination that’s powered by meaning—by passion, by purpose, by something bigger that keeps pulling you forward, even when you feel like giving up.
So how can you spot grit in a candidate?
Look for the two defining traits of gritty people: perseverance and hope.
You’ll see it in their life story—the urge to improve, to learn, to refine.
And that hope? It’s not naive optimism like “everything will work out.” It’s active hope—a deep belief:
“If I focus on what I can control, keep going, keep growing—the results will come.”
Now take that mindset—and imagine an entire team that lives and breathes it.
🧭 So how do you build a culture of grit?
✅ Normalize trial and error—it’s not failure, it’s progress.
✅ Give feedback on effort, not just outcomes.
✅ Show practical optimism—“Here’s how we’ll get better.”
✅ And most of all—be the example yourself.
Want to learn more about building grit in your team? Reach out here or privately: yael@blat-lapidot.co.il
So who needs luck? Start building grit 😉 Dr. Yael Lapidot
