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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Grit to Great summary
Linda Kaplan Thaler & Robin Koval
How Perseverance, Passion, and Pluck Take You from Ordinary to Extraordinary
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4.4 (107 ratings)
13 mins
5 key ideas
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What is Grit to Great about?
Many people have talent, but few become stars in their chosen profession. In Grit to Great (2015), two women at the top of the advertising business offer their guide to developing the resilience and hard graft that will help you succeed.
About the Author
Linda Kaplan Thaler is an Advertising Hall of Fame icon and the mind behind some of the most well-known advertising campaigns of our time. She is the chairman of Publicis Kaplan Thaler and was the CEO as well as co-founder of the Kaplan Thaler Group.
Robin Koval, president and CEO of the Truth Initiative, is the other co-founder of the Kaplan Thaler Group. She’s also a faculty member of New York University’s Steinhardt School.
Table of Contents
Key idea 1 of 5
Talent won’t get you as far as hard work and passion.
Have you ever had the feeling that others excelled without trying, seemingly coasting on their talent? In schools the world over, some kids never study yet get great grades while others are bent over their books all the time just to keep up. But the truth is that those who rely on talent won’t get far in life.
In fact, talent is totally overrated. That’s because plenty of talented people have the potential for greatness, but realize from a young age that they can get by on their talent without hard work. On the other hand, less-talented people strive for success and self-improvement. They seek out subjects and jobs they care about, not just ones they are naturally good at.
So, while it might seem as though talented people are the winners of the world, it’s actually those that have to work harder who end up being the most successful. That’s because while talented people dream, others achieve.
Take a look at a study conducted in New York by the psychology professor Gabriele Oettingen comparing the study habits and later careers of graduate students. The analysis found that the students who spent more time daydreaming about their aspirations than actually knuckling down to work ended up with fewer job offers and smaller paychecks following graduation than those who put in long hours!
Hard work will help get you the job you want. For instance, the authors run an advertising agency, and a few years ago they were desperate to land a big new client – the restaurant giant Wendy’s.
Their strategy?
They pulled 70- and 80-hour weeks for months, even going as far as to work at Wendy’s themselves to learn the inside scoop on their operations. Not a waking minute went by that they weren’t preparing for their presentation. Well, they landed the contract and Wendy’s said they chose the firm because they worked the hardest – and therefore would be the best.
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Who should read Grit to Great
- Anyone who wants to improve themselves and reach their goals
- People interested in the psychology of success
- Entrepreneurs and anyone interested in breaking out on their own
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