Carry something they don’t have

There are a lot, I mean a lot, of really inept people at the heads of organizations. Not everyone, of course, but there are plenty of CEO’s or managers or members of the Board that don’t have 30 years of experience. They have one year of experience repeated 30 times.

Now, they’re making 10 or 20 or 100 times more per hour than the person on the bottom.

You might not have the resources they have (access to capital, resume with a prestigious title or a degree from a famous college), and yet, despite all the advantages, you can still carry something they don’t have…

Grit.

Here is the thing, no one is saying you can’t pick the really difficult projects that people are afraid to touch. No one is saying don’t put in the time and effort to solve nearly impossible problems. You can choose to delay gratification and say no to the marshmallow.

The door is wide open. The light is green. These are skills that you can practice and learn. If it is a skill it can be taught, it can be learned, it can be fostered.