Grit(87)

First and foremost, I want to thank my collaborators. I wrote this book in the first-person singular, using “I” when, in fact, pretty much everything I’ve done as a researcher or writer was accomplished by a plurality. The “we” who deserve credit—in particular coauthors on published research—are named individually in the Notes. On their behalf, I extend a heartfelt thanks to our research teams who, collectively, made this research possible.

As for the book itself, I have three individuals to thank in particular: First and foremost, I am eternally grateful to my editor, Rick Horgan, who improved my writing and thinking more than I thought was possible. If I’m lucky, he’ll let me work with him again (and again). Max Nesterak was my day-to-day editor, research assistant, and conscience. Put simply, were it not for Max, this book would not be in your hands today. And, finally, my fairy godfather and agent, Richard Pine, is the person who originally, and finally, made this book a reality. Eight years ago, Richard wrote me an email asking, “Has anyone ever told you that you ought to write a book?” I demurred. Gritty and gallant, he kept asking, but never pushing, until I was ready. Thank you, Richard, for everything.

The following scholars were kind enough to review drafts of this book, discuss their relevant work, or both—of course, any errors that remain are mine: Elena Bodrova, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, Dan Chambliss, Jean C?té, Sidney D’Mello, Bill Damon, Nancy Darling, Carol Dweck, Bob Eisenberger, Anders Ericsson, Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, Ronald Ferguson, James Flynn, Brian Galla, Margo Gardner, Adam Grant, James Gross, Tim Hatton, Jerry Kagan, Scott Barry Kaufman, Dennis Kelly, Emilia Lahti, Reed Larson, Luc Leger, Deborah Leong, Susan Mackie, Steve Maier, Mike Matthews, Darrin McMahon, Barbara Mellers, Cal Newport, Gabrielle Oettingen, Daeun Park, Pat Quinn, Ann Renninger, Brent Roberts, Todd Rogers, James Rounds, Barry Schwartz, Marty Seligman, Paul Silvia, Larry Steinberg, Rong Su, Phil Tetlock, Chia-Jung Tsay, Eli Tsukayama, Elliot Tucker-Drob, George Vaillant, Rachel White, Dan Willingham, Warren Willingham, Amy Wrzesniewski, and David Yeager.

I was shocked, and so deeply moved, that the following individuals were willing to share their stories for this book; even when I wasn’t able to include details in the book itself, their perspectives deepened my understanding of grit and its development: Hemalatha Annamalai, Kayvon Asemani, Michael Baime, Jo Barsh, Mark Bennett, Jackie Bezos, Juliet Blake, Geoffrey Canada, Pete Carroll, Robert Caslen, Ulrik Christensen, Kerry Close, Roxanne Coady, Kat Cole, Cody Coleman, Daryl Davis, Joe de Sena, Tom Deierlein, Jamie Dimon, Anson Dorrance, Aurora Fonte, Franco Fonte, Bill Fitzsimmons, Rowdy Gaines, Antonio Galloni, Bruce Gemmell, Jeffrey Gettleman, Jane Golden, Temple Grandin, Mike Hopkins, Rhonda Hughes, Michael Joyner, Noa Kageyama, Paige Kimble, Sasha Kosanic, Hester Lacey, Emilia Lahti, Terry Laughlin, Joe Leader, Michael Lomax, David Luong, Tobi Lütke, Warren MacKenzie, Willy MacMullen, Bob Mankoff, Alex Martinez, Francesca Martinez, Tina Martinez, Duff McDonald, Bill McNabb, Bernie Noe, Valerie Rainford, Mads Rasmussen, Anthony Seldon, Will Shortz, Chantel Smith, Are Traasdahl, Marc Vetri, Chris Wink, Grit Young, Sherry Young, Steve Young, Sam Zell, and Kai Zhang.

Many friends and family members helped improve earlier drafts. For their invaluable comments, I thank Steve Arnold, Ben Malcolmson, Erica Dewan, Feroz Dewan, Joe Duckworth, Jordan Ellenberg, Ira Handler, Donald Kamentz, Annette Lee, Susan Lee, Dave Levin, Felicia Lewis, Alyssa Matteucci, David Meketon, Evan Nesterak, Rick Nichols, Rebecca Nyquist, Tanya Schlam, Robert Seyfarth, Naomi Shavin, Paul Solman, Danny Southwick, Sharon Parker, Dominic Randolph, Richard Shell, Paolo Terni, Paul Tough, Amy Wax, and Rich Wilson.

The figures in this book are courtesy of Stephen Few. A world expert on data visualization, Stephen is also the soul of generosity and patience.

I am immensely grateful for the unflagging support of so many outstanding individuals at Simon & Schuster. The only hard thing about writing this book was the writing; everything else, these remarkable folks made easy. In particular, I’d like to thank Nan Graham, whose optimism, energy, and genuine affection for her authors have no parallel. Katie Monaghan and Brian Belfiglio masterfully orchestrated a world-class publicity campaign, ensuring that this book would end up in your hands. For masterful handling of this book’s production, I thank Carla Benton and her team. David Lamb, you’re a total pro; your commitment to excellence at every stage of the editorial process made all the difference. And, finally, for this book’s beautiful cover, I am grateful to Jaya Miceli.

Huge thanks to the world-class team at InkWell Management, including Eliza Rothstein, Lindsey Blessing, and Alexis Hurley. You handle so much so well, and with utter grace and professionalism.

Like the grit paragons profiled in this book, I’ve benefited from especially supportive and demanding teachers. Matthew Carr taught me to write and to love words. Kay Merseth reminded me, at so many critical junctures, that each of us is the author of our own life story. Marty Seligman taught me that the right question is at least as important as the right answer. The late Chris Peterson showed me that a true teacher is one who puts students first. Sigal Barsade showed me, in innumerable ways, what it means to be a professor and how to be a good one. Walter Mischel showed me that at its apogee, science is an art. And Jim Heckman taught me that genuine curiosity is the best companion to true grit.

I am deeply grateful to the institutions and individuals who have supported my research, including the National Institute on Aging, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pinkerton Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the KIPP Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Lone Pine Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Family Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation, Acco Brands, the Michigan Retirement Research Center, the University of Pennsylvania, Melvyn and Carolyn Miller, Ariel Kor, and Amy Abrams.