Acumen Presents: Angela Duckworth on Building Grit
What you'll learn
- Build the grit to tackle a long-term goal
- Understand the defining characteristics of "grit paragons" and how you can incorporate their practices into your own life
- Develop a goal hierarchy to structure the pursuit of your ambitions
- Build a Deliberate Practice Plan to purposefully develop skills
- Learn practical strategies to cultivate a growth mindset and sense of optimism
Requirements
- There are no prerequisites for this course. It is open to anyone who wants to build their grit or help others do so.
Description
The secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence called “grit.” This course will introduce you to research-grounded insights and practical strategies to become a more gritty person—someone with the perseverance to power through difficult circumstances and drive change in the world. Taught by Angela Duckworth, a MacArthur Genius winner, bestselling author of Grit, and University of Pennsylvania psychologist, you’ll learn strategies to set the right goals, uncover your interests, implement the deliberate practice in your daily life, cultivate a growth mindset, and find purpose in your work so that you can continue pursuing difficult challenges.
Through a series of video lectures, Angela will bring the lessons from her New York Times bestselling book and TED talk to life, offering stories and findings particularly relevant to social change makers trying to do hard things. She’ll also share research-grounded insights relevant to everyone from entrepreneurs to parents to athletes to students to businesspeople who are trying to live up to their full potential—and help others do the same. She’ll share practical tips and strategies to develop more grit in your daily life and you’ll gain a set of exercises and supplemental resources to start applying these lessons right away.
Who this course is for:
- Anyone who wants to build their grit--their passion and perseverance for pursuing longterm goals.
- Anyone who wants to help others build their grit.
Instructors
Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services are enabling the poor to transform their lives. Founded by Jacqueline Novogratz in 2001, Acumen has invested more than $110 million in 102 companies across Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the United States. We are also developing a global community of emerging leaders with the knowledge, skills and determination to create a more inclusive world. In 2015, Acumen was named one of Fast Company's Top 10 Most Innovative Not-for-Profit Companies.
Acumen Academy is the world’s school for social change. Our mission is to unleash a new generation of social innovators and leaders with the determination and grit to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable world. Blending the best of online and offline learning, we offer anyone, anywhere access to the practical tools, practices, resources and supportive community they need to achieve positive social change. With 700 Fellows and 500,000 course takers in 193 countries, the Acumen Academy community represents a new generation of social innovators and leaders committed to doing what’s right in a world that loves easy.
Angela Duckworth is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the Founder and CEO of Character Lab, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development.
Angela studies grit and self-control, two attributes that are distinct from IQ and yet powerfully predict success and well-being. A 2013 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Angela has advised the White House, the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Currently, she serves as a faculty director for Wharton People Analytics, an initiative that helps organizations adopt the latest insights from social science research.
Prior to her career in research, Angela founded a summer school for low-income children. She has also been a McKinsey management consultant and a math and science teacher in the public schools of New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Angela completed her undergraduate degree in Advanced Studies Neurobiology at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude. With the support of a Marshall Scholarship, she completed an MSc with Distinction in Neuroscience from Oxford University. She completed her PhD in Psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.
Angela has received numerous awards for her contributions to K-12 education, including a Beyond Z Award from the KIPP Foundation. Her first book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, debuted May 3, 2016 as an immediate New York Times bestseller.