5 reasons successful people need grit in their lives

5 reasons successful people need grit in their lives5 reasons successful people need grit in their livesIm not going to lie to you and pretend that I loved my 4 months at the FBI Academy at the Marine Corps kusine in Quantico, Va. The purpose of the academy was multifold, but the bottom line was to produce successful people who had the grit to confront obstacles in both business and life.Unlike Hollywoods depiction of FBI agents, mental disciplines are far more effective than gadgets or technology when it comes to real life. The training at the Academy is rigorous because the stakes are high. Agents are taught how to prevail in their circumstances rather than hope their circumstances will change.The same mental disciplines I learned in the Academy can be applied to corporate and private life. They produce successful people who can land on their feet when confronted with the unknown.Life is hard. Pain is inevitable. Growth is optional. It takes grit to look at life as a series of prob lems to be solved.Here are five reasons successful people need grit1. Life is not always lived in ur comfort zoneIf the coaches at the FBI Academy didnt push us past ur comfort zone, they didnt do their job. For me, it was physical fitness. For others, it was firearms or the academic tests.The bottom line is this Always push yourself to a level a bit above your current capability. Experts believe that reach should be 4% above your last success. This 4% will push you to perform better than last time and yet it isnt enough to discourage you.This is not for the faint of heart or those in denial about their capabilities. One of the toughest aspects of the FBI Academy was that weaknesses were identified 1) quickly, and 2) publicly. We marched through as a class. Everyone knew I had a hard time with pushups because we tested together. Firearms and academic scores were published so everyone knew where they stood in relation to everyone else in the class.No hand-holding and no excuses. It r ested upon the shoulders of each agent-in-training to buck up and improve their score.How to make it work Successful people put their ego on hold and identify areas where they can improve. It will be scary because, guess what, theyll probably fail at first. But if they keep at it, theyll see improvement over time. The goal is not to turn a weakness into a strength that is a waste of time. The goal is to understand their level of competence in many areas so they can manage their response when confronted with obstacles and roadblocks.2. Setbacks can happenThe academy taught me that obstacles are a part of life so get used to it. The sooner, the better. Stuff gets in our way, and we need to change our plans. Yet we often react as though were surprised, unprepared and frustrated.Seneca was a stoic who suggested that we contemplate events in advance so that nothing ever takes us by surprise. He encouraged us to imagine every conceivable setback so that we can strengthen our mind to cope with them. In other words, develop psychological resilience and grit in the face of adversity.Stoicism suggests that we transsumpt a reverse clause into our plans. A reverse clause is a backup option so you dont crash and burn when things dont always work out for you. It allows you to recognize that you have total control over your reaction, even if you cant control the outcome. When you focus on what you can control, you give yourself a plan of action.When you remind yourself of the worst that can happen, it isnt pessimism. Its being realistic. When you think about the downside, you experience those bad feelings in advance. And guess what? According to research on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, we can decatastrophize the situation and realize it wont be the end of the world.How to make it work Successful people are not thrown off guard when things dont go according to plan. If there is a technical issue, theyve prepared to make their presentation without audio/visual aids. When they re stabbed in the back by a colleague, theyve prepared how to move on and learn from the encounter. Their progress can be impeded or disrupted, but they have the grit to retain the will to redirect their path.3. Goals can changeWhen I first started working counterintelligence and espionage, my goal was to recruit a foreign intelligence officer to work for the US government.Later, though, my goal had shifted. Now it wasnt enough to be working cases. I felt drawn to tell others about how a huge organization like the FBI could be nimble and flexible enough to react to the demands of terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11.My vision had not changed - I mucksmuschenstill wanted to be an FBI agent - but my goal had. I became the spokesperson for the FBI in Northern California. Im glad I made the move because my long-term goals had shifted.Vision is where you see your life heading. Goals are the stepping-stones to get there. Goals should be reviewed and revised on a yearly basis. If you dont, goals can end up obstructing your original vision for yourself.Vision and passion are linchpins of grit. Vision allows us to follow a dream that gives us both value and meaning.How to make it work Successful people never forget why they want to accomplish their goals. Even a slight shift in thinking calls for a realignment of their priorities. As in my case, it may not require them to throw up their hands and quit, but it may suggest that they rethink where they fit into the larger picture.4. Struggles are inevitableQuit is the only four-letter word I never heard while in the FBI. Cases can be complicated and difficult to work. But, there is a difference between knowing when to quit and knowing when to stop the struggle against something that we cannot stop.When we quit, we throw in the towel, admit defeat, and feel like a victim of our circumstances.When we take the time to examine our struggle, however, it often means that we need to look at our situation in a different way. We m ay need to redefine how we plan to move forward. Struggles may actually allow us to detect new possibilities that would not have otherwise revealed themselves.Grit can be counterproductive when the focus is too narrow. For example, if youre determined to move into a new market at all costs, you need to remain open to new information that suggests the market is going in a different direction. Leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs need to step back every so often and look at the big picture. Pivot if need be and move in another direction.How to make it work Successful people do not quit when they feel they can no longer deal with a crisis. Instead, they find ways to adapt to their new circumstances. They have the grit to stay in the game but are flexible in their attempts to correct a situation according to their idea of what is right.5. Failure is a great teacherMost of the successful people I have met over the years got to where they have the grit to do what it takes to succee d. Grit is what sets them apart from the quitters. Vince Lombardi once said, Remember, the man on top of the mountain didnt fall there. People who reach the top arent afraid to climb.People are often so afraid theyll fail at something that they dont even try Entrepreneurs know better than anyone that businesses cannot invent the future without taking risks. The J-curve of return on investment indicates that failures come early and often while success takes time.America has embraced the fail-forward mentality better than Europe. In Europe, bankruptcy can end a career, while in Silicon Valley, its almost a badge of honor.How to make it work Successful people develop a mindset that looks at failure as a source of information. Each failure informs them of what doesnt work and how they need to change their approach to get the results they want next time. To be successful, they need to be willing to fail hard and then bounce back.LaRae Quy was an FBI undercover and counterintelligence age nt for 24 years. She exposed foreign spies and recruited them to work for the U.S. government.Quy is the author of Secrets of a Strong Mind and Mental Toughness for Women Leaders 52 Tips To Recognize and Utilize Your Greatest Strengths. If youd like to find out if you are mentally tough, get her free 45-questionMental Toughness Assessment. Follow her onTwitter.This column was originally published on SmartBrief.com.

5 Tactics to Improve Focus During a Long Work Week

5 Tactics to Improve Focus During a Long Work Week5 Tactics to Improve Focus During a Long Work Week If youve ever had one of those 40-plus hour-long work weeks, you know exactly how draining they can be. After enough time, every task feels like it takes an eternity to complete, and its easy for the mind to wander. Maintaining your focus , however, is critical to doing your job right. The issue then becomes, how best do you improve your focus even when mental fatigue sets in? Here are some strategies that can help you stay focused, even as the work week drags on.Working for 8, 10, or 12 hours straight (or more) can be a grind. While most companies are legally required to offer employees breaks, sometimes those arent enough to keep you feeling mentally refreshed. So make sure you take the initiative to give yourself breaks on a regular basis. Even tiny breaks can make a difference. Spend 5 minutes to take a brief walk. Take a moment to get a breath of fresh air. Eve ry little bit helps. Companies should support these types of breaks as well. In a 2016 Business Advantage Survey from Staples, more than half (52 percent) of respondents said that an employer who encouraged breaks significantly helped them to avoid burnout.Taking breaks is great and all, but what about taking a nap? Of course, this doesnt mean taking a 2-hour siesta, but a brief 15-minute map can do wonders to help you stay focused and improve your productivity. NASA ran experiments on taking short naps at work and found them to be extremely helpful. Many companies soon adopted this strategy. Zappos, for example, has a nap room in their Las Vegas headquarters, complete with recliners, a couch, and more. As one representative explains , It was born from our focus on employee happiness and wellness. We know how much sleep impacts well-being.Its harder to focus if youre unhealthy. Thats why you should make sure to always eat a healthy diet to ensure both good physical conditioning a nd mental clarity. One growing field focused on this idea is nootropics, something that might sound new to you. As the Neurohacker Collective puts it, nootropics consist of supplements and substances which enhance your cognition, in particular when it comes to motivation, creativity, memory, and other executive functions. Drinking energy drinks and caffeine pills may provide a temporary boost, but nootropics looks at long-term benefits for mental and physical health. By following these guidelines and practices, you may be able to improve your focus.One of the most basic ways to stay focused is simply to avoid distractions. You know what distracts you the most. If theres a particular website that you tend to spend a lot of time on, dont visit it while youre on the clock. If you keep getting text messages, turn off your phone. Even unnecessary or long meetings can be a distraction, and many companies have found ways to minimize them so employees can get back to work. In a TED Talk , thought leader Nilofer Merchant suggested adopting walking meetings as a way to shorten meeting times. This involves going for a walk while discussing business. Not only does it help people get to the point, but it helps you stay healthy.Another way for you to keep focused is to create a to-do list and distributionspolitik the most important tasks you need to accomplish first. This can help you concentrate on those items that need the most attention. Checking off items on a to-do list can also serve as a helpful motivating tactic, pushing you forward to get to the next item on the list. Some companies have even adopted policies that involve motivating employees to get stuff done. For example, Cargill Inc., a food producer and distributor, established a new Everyday Performance Management System which involves encouraging workers daily while giving constructive feedback with an emphasis on looking ahead rather than reviewing past actions. With that type of policy, along with th e right incentives, its easy to see how workers will be able to stay focused and prioritize their tasks.

FBI instructor on how you can help prevent workplace violence

FBI instructor on how you can help prevent workplace violenceFBI instructor on how you can help prevent workplace violenceFor the past 30 years, Laurence Barton, the highest-rated instructor at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy and a consultant for Fortune 500 companies, has studied what turns our co-workers into threats. Unfortunately, his knowledge is in increasing demand. There have already beenseven workplace shootingsin the U.S. in the belastung 28 months. To save lives, preparation needs to start before a disgruntled employee enters your building with a gun.Barton talked with Ladders about how employees can identify and stop unstable, at-risk employees before its too lateWatch out for grievance collectorsWe first need to understand that unhappy employees are bedrngnis necessarily at-risk employees. Many grievances - whether they are about race, pay scale, or whatever - are legitimate, Barton told Ladders. But when co-workers cannot stop talking about their grievance , and they keep blowing it out of proportion to the actual grievance, they become grievance collectors, and this personality type is the kind of employee on the path to self-harm or harm to others.Grievance collectors track minor slights against them obsessively. They call CEOs out in alarming social media posts. Barton said they are likely to keep a timeline of who did them wrong when in a diary or journal. Complaints leave the everyday world of bad bosses and terrible coworkers and into the nefarious world of conspiracy. They become convinced that their company is out to get them. They become dangerously determined to settle the score without a lawyer.Anyone can have a bad day, but when they become repeated bad days, we need to get them counseling or separate them from the firm, Barton said.Address the grievance seriouslyYou are an employee, not a cop or a psychiatrist, but you can still help people by treating grievance collectors with the dignity and respect you would want to re ceive if you were in distress.Building your situational awareness means not looking the other way when people are clearly troubled.When people send up a signal that somethings wrong, we need to be listening, Barton said. Instead of bypassing the co-worker who is crying uncontrollably or making wild claims, address them.Im a big believer in just asking, are you okay? he added. Most people can be talked off the ledge.Of course, use your judgment to see if you are the right person to be having this conversation. If the employee is volatile and argumentative, extricate yourself from the situation and escalate conversations to human resources.Barton said he has asked his clients, Have you thought about the employees tried giving them a week off with pay, and explaining that their comments are inaccurate, irresponsible, that they are causing alarm for other people?Words matter. Barton suggests using the word separate over fire. Instead of playing into the grievance and saying, I agree, te ll your aggrieved colleague that you understand. These words may not matter to you, but they may make all the difference to an at-risk employee feeling isolated.The person needs to be validated that you, at least, are listening to them, Barton said. He advises not taking notes in these conversations, particularly if you are HR. They make the conversation seem mora like an interrogation. If you want me to tell you how I feel inside, and youre sitting there like a transcriber, it feels like a setup.Dont humiliate employees during their exitBe careful when and how you terminate someones employment if the situation escalates to that point.Humiliation is often the tripwire for when the person who has risk factors may act on those grievances, Barton said, citing incidents where an embarrassing exit was the final trigger.In 2010, for example, Omar Thornton fatally shot eight of his coworkers after being confronted with video of him stealing beer. After being told he could resign or be fire d, he chose the former and let himself be escorted from the building. Then he returned back toHartford Distributors with a gun.Firing does not even mean you are freed from the persons endangering influence.You may exhale more easily, but having the person out of sight does not necessarily mean the company is no longer on aggrieved persons mind. Sometimes firing is the worst thing people can do, Barton said. Once you separate a person, you lose the ability to have accurate surveillance.Once the aggrieved person is physically gone, you do not know what he or she is doing.Ultimately, safety comes with building your instincts and thinking through how you would react to volatile situations. Pay attention to your intuition, Barton cautioned. At work, we turn it way down. Im not saying be paranoid, but be situationally aware.