When a Company has Grit

There has been much written recently about the importance of resiliency or grit in achieving anything significant.  Angela Duckworth cites it as the most important determinant of success in her now famous TEDtalk.( http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit). She says... "In education the one thing we know how to measure best is IQ, but what if success in school and in life depends on much more than your ability to learn quickly?"

In her research on West Point cadets, sales people, school children and school teachers, Duckworth states that "there was one characteristic that emerged as a significant predictor of success - and it wasn't social intelligence, it wasn't good looks, it wasn't physical health and it wasn't IQ.  It was grit." She goes on to define grit as "passion and perseverance for very long term goals."

And while one can think of many examples where that statement is certainly true for individuals - Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs all immediately come to mind for me; I think grit is equally important for companies.  Companies have a "life" cycle just like people do.  And they rarely progress in an even, predictable trajectory.  There are ups and there are downs.  Highs and lows, Successes and failures.  Good years and bad.  And just like the response of individuals to setbacks and hurdles will help determine their ultimate success; the response of companies to a product failure, a customer loss, a major vendor or partner dispute funding challenges; will ultimately determine its fate.  

At MDeverywhere, 2012 was one of those years when we learned what we were made as a company by how we handled the challenges that inevitably came following years of tremendous growth and progress.  We had our fair share of challenges that year but we also proved our mettle and fortitude by exiting the year stronger and more prepared for the opportunities and new challenges ahead.

What we had set out to do was hard.  As is anything worthwhile.  There had been set backs along the way.  There always are.  Truly successful companies  learn from those setbacks, are better ultimately for them and never lose sight of the goal.  Determination, resiliency, grit - call it by whatever name you prefer - it matters.  We  had struggled in the wave of system transitions driven by the incentives to drive EMR implementations in the government's HITECH act; we had lost a friend and colleague too soon to a sudden heart attack; and, we had to do some painful restructuring that had us saying goodbye to others as we prepared for the future. The struggles were real and the resulting changes difficult.   But we knew that we were a part of something special.  That we had that unique magic that happens when a set of individuals melds into a team to build something special – to build something lasting.  

Sometimes when you are working your way through a tough transition, it is easy to lose sight of the accomplishments and the progress.   It is often during these times of struggle that the most significant leaps forward are made.  Such was the case with 2012 for MDe.  Our team made some significant leaps that year that helped us meet our challenges head on and got us back solidly on a posture of growth and expansion.  Although the year was hard and there were many sleepless nights, the company was better off for having gone through it - coming out stronger and more confident of in our staying power.  And I was a better leader for all the same reasons.