When talents are equal, the world champion is the one who has had, during all games of the final round, and especially the last game, not only the most luck, but also the most mental strength and the ability to stay focused, precise, demanding; resisting fatigue, discouragement, resignation, blunders of his own teammates and the domination of others.
This is precisely how each of the two remaining teams, Croatia and France, made it to the final: not necessarily because they had more talent than each of their successive opponents, but because of their mental strength.
This attitude, which is made up of very different qualities, is sometimes summarized in French by a popular expression: “la niaque”; and in English by a more scientific expression, “the grit,” a concept defined by American psychologists, most notably Professor Angela Duckworth.
The “grit” refers to the ability to want, not to resign oneself, to persevere, to act, to have the tenacity to overcome obstacles. It is often associated with resilience, ambition, willingness, and especially with the ability to stick to a long-term project, despite the difficulties; for example, long studies or long preparation for a sports competition or a concert performance.
Research shows that this “grit” is an unstoppable predictor of success in many areas. In this sense, it completes or supplements the weaknesses of other dimensions of personality such as the IQ.
But then, how does one acquire it? Is this something as innate as, according to some, the IQ? Is it a dimension of IQ? Can it be its substitute? Should we resign ourselves to not having it? Or, on the contrary, can we (as I think we can for IQ) develop it through adapted exercises?
For me, (I do not think that IQ summarizes human intelligence, nor is it totally innate), grit is not innate, nor is it a type of grace that has fallen from the sky, which would benefit or not some people, through the mysteries of divine will or the mysteries of genetics.
In my opinion, grit, like IQ, is cultivated, developed and created. Continuously demonstrating a positive attitude to the difficulties, being tenacious, feeding on small pleasures linked to effort, and subsequently longer efforts. And above all, especially, having a project that goes beyond just survival or narcissistic success. I am even convinced that grit develops IQ, which in turn, develops grit.
And if grit is not innate, it is because it can be acquired through others: An entourage may help its expansion. Grit is contagious. To put it simply, living in the midst of people who “want,” who have a life project, helps acquiring grit. This is the case, in general, of a sports team, where the grit of some helps reinforce that of others.
Similarly, in a family, the mental strength of children comes in part from that of the parents; and sometimes, reciprocally. In class, the teacher must set an example, and be positive with each student, to find all the positive dimensions of their characters. And lastly in a nation, it is up to the political power to incite this desire for each person to mobilize for himself and for others, to build a long-term project and to be positive. And just like a team can win a world cup with grit, a nation can, because of it, find her happiness.
As such, we discover a revolutionary idea: if the innate comes from oneself; the acquired comes from others. And the more a team, a family, a company, a nation, is united in solidarity and aware of the interest of shining the light on other members of the team, the more it has a chance of having the necessary strength to succeed in carrying out a project that surpasses all.
j@attali.com