Last week’s blog covered the 4 Steps to Launch Like You Mean It, diving into the core pillars of getting started in business. If you haven’t read those yet, check them out first. We ended with a hard truth: 90% of startups fail.
Why? Too many people underestimate how tough it’s going to be.
Let’s imagine you’ve made it. Your business is up and running, your vision starts to take shape, and the money begins to flow. There are bills, of course, and the occasional customer complaint or supply chain hiccup. But as weeks turn to months, the initial thrill fades, and the grind sets in.
At some point during every march to success, boots get heavier and exhaustion creeps in. This is where most quit. But not the winners. They keep going when others stop. Sore feet and heavy boots, but heads held high. Something keeps them moving long after others have given up.
Angela Duckworth calls it “Grit.”
Daniel Pink calls it “Drive.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it “Flow.”
Call it what you want. The point is, you need it, and this article will help you get it. Let’s dig into what separates the 10% from the rest and how you can cultivate these traits to lead your team through the mud of mediocrity toward competence, achievement, and lasting impact.
“A chess master does not just enjoy moving pieces on the board. His or her bliss lies in discovering creative ways of outwitting an opponent.”
— Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow
A Spirit of Play is for the Brave
Mastering “Flow” isn’t about gazing at your navel to achieve a zen-like state detached from reality. Flow is forged in the trenches. When skill meets challenge, and the boundary of what you know is pushed to demand every ounce of focus and effort you have, you're in "flow."
Csikszentmihalyi studied elite athletes, master surgeons, and experts at the top of their fields and found one common thread: Flow doesn’t come cheap. It’s earned through deliberate practice, commitment to understanding increasing complexity, and the grit to keep going when things get tough.
If you want more of it, you’ll need to challenge your comfort zone and continually stretch your abilities as you lead your team toward growth, learning, and expansion. The best things happen when you flirt with the edge of your skills—not when you play it safe. Stay challenged, raise the bar, and continue leveraging what you’re best at to become even better.
Excellence isn’t an accident—it’s a disciplined practice.
“Only when we’re doing something that matters, in the service of something larger than ourselves, do we find the deepest source of motivation."
— Daniel Pink, Drive
Sticks and Carrots Don’t Work Anymore
You can't force someone to care with a bigger paycheck or a better title. We’ve moved beyond working just to survive, so work cultures that rely on “carrots” as rewards are destined to fail. Researchers like Alfie Kohn and Daniel Pink have shown that people aren’t rats in a maze, driven solely by money, fame, or perks.
Sure, we need to pay our bills and enjoy some comforts, but we crave something deeper: inspiration, purpose, and belonging. When we’re motivated by a sense of meaning and given the freedom to create, the right amount of pressure brings out our very best work.
The best companies understand this. They give team members autonomy, encourage creative contributions, and emphasize individual value. These companies grow faster, retain talent longer, and build lasting legacies. When people have the freedom to choose their path and contribute to a bigger mission, great things happen.
It’s not enough to have a great idea or even to get it started. To thrive, you must harness the wisdom, creativity, and grit of others. Without this, growth stalls, the business shrinks and, like 50% of companies, fails within the first five years.

""Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare."
— Angela Duckworth
Get More Grit
Relentlessly committed to understanding what drives success, Angela Duckworth has studied Navy SEALs, artists, musicians, academic experts, and professionals in highly competitive fields like writing, acting, and design.
Her findings? Success isn’t about being the smartest, most talented, or most well-connected. It’s about grit.
The dirt on your boots, sweat on your brow, and sheer perseverance are universal predictors of your success. Those who keep going after others give up inevitably make it to the finish line.

Leadership isn’t about luck or talent. Lasting success means showing up, day after day, ready to do the work—even when you’re tired and it’s hard. Paragons of persistence inspire a team to know they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Here are five tips to foster as much of it as you can:
5 Steps to Get More Grit
- Stretch Your Limits: Push yourself and your team to operate just outside your comfort zone. Growth happens at the edge, but recognising where the edge is requires a team you can trust to communicate what's really happening.
- Set Clear Goals: Break down big ambitions into manageable, measurable steps. Clarity about what you’re working toward enhances focus and enjoyment.
- Minimize Distractions: Create an environment where deep work is possible. Time-block your schedule and encourage your team to do the same.
- Enable Autonomy: Especially where tasks demand creativity, give your team the freedom to experiment and take ownership of their work. People step up when they feel trusted. For team members to have the courage to be autonomous and take risks, they need clear information about their role, responsibilities and contributions to the bigger picture. If you haven't got that sorted, solving the people puzzle will do the trick.
- Commit to the Long Game: Success doesn’t happen overnight. Keep your eyes on the prize and take the next step forward, no matter how small. Model perseverance and resilience for your team and remember to celebrate effort and progress as much as outcomes.
These aren’t soft skills—they’re survival skills. You need mud on your boots and a fire in your belly to win the long game. If you decide at the outset that you won't go down without kicking, you'll eventually end up somewhere with a smile on your face, and the world a little brighter because you dared to get there.
Get Gritty With Us
Grit doesn’t grow on trees—it’s wrestled from deep within the things that matter most to you. If you’d like help injecting a bit more grit into your business, reach out for a diagnostic consultation with a member of our team. Let’s talk.