GRIT
So far, we've spent time working on ego and self-awareness, recognizing how internal barriers can get in the way of leading well. When you manage your ego well, you lower your defenses and remain open to feedback and to letting others challenge your thinking. Self-awareness allows you to take in that feedback and identify the gaps between your intentions and your impact, which gives you the ability to actually change those behaviors instead of just defending them. Now it's time to apply what you've learned through an approach that encourages humility and resilience in your leadership and service to others.
GRIT is a framework for becoming a more humble, resilient leader, and each step challenges you to look at yourself honestly, make intentional choices, and build habits that strengthen your character and leadership. GRIT stands for Get Over Yourself, Run to the Hard Things, Inspire Others, and Time. GRIT offers practical approaches to leading in a way that puts others first and builds the kind of trust that makes people want to follow you.
Being a servant leader requires showing up for people in ways that matter and speaking into their lives with care and intention, even when doing so costs you something. GRIT gives you a structure for doing that consistently, helping you lead with intention and humility even during tough moments, since that's when our leadership is put to the test. Anyone can lead well when it's easy; the question is whether you're willing to put others first when it's hard.
Self-Assessment: GRIT
Please take a few moments to contemplate the following self-reflection questions. Where can you identify opportunities for personal growth in your leadership?
Do I lead with my team's needs in mind, or am I more focused on how my leadership makes me look?
When I make decisions, am I checking my ego to ensure I'm serving others rather than protecting my image?
When faced with a difficult situation, do I address it directly or hope it resolves itself?
Do I tackle uncomfortable tasks and conversations early, or do I avoid them until they become urgent?
Do my actions consistently match what I expect from my team?
Would my team say that I follow through on what I say I'll do when I say I'll do it?
Am I investing time in my own growth and in the relationships that matter most?
How intentionally do I protect time for learning, reflection, and meaningful connection with the people who support me?
Remember, this self-assessment is just a starting point for understanding your knowledge of GRIT as a leader. It's essential to reflect on your responses and actively work on areas where improvement is needed. Additionally, seeking feedback from others and working with your ECFL Leadership Coach can provide valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses.
Get Over Yourself
GRIT starts with getting over yourself, which requires understanding that leadership centers on your ability to serve others rather than on your ego or how good you look to the people around you. Getting over yourself requires dropping the arrogance or the idea that your title makes you more important than the people you lead, and it requires letting go of the need to be seen as perfect so you can own when you mess up and actually learn from it.
Leaders who can't get over themselves put their energy into protecting their image instead of understanding what their people actually need and experience. They make decisions based on how it will reflect on them rather than what's best for the team. This kind of leadership creates distance between you and your team because people can sense when your priorities are focused inward rather than outward.
Getting over yourself is the foundation of humility because it shifts your focus from yourself to the people you're supposed to be serving. When you check your ego at the door and allow yourself to show up for others, you create space for real growth and authentic leadership.
Ask yourself:
When was the last time I made a decision primarily to protect my image rather than to serve my team? What would have been different if I had checked my ego first?
How often do I avoid owning my mistakes because I'm worried about how it will make me look? What message does that send to the people I lead?
“The best way out is always through.”
Run to the Hard Things
Good leadership requires running toward challenges rather than sitting back and hoping they'll sort themselves out. Strong leaders don't avoid hard things because they're uncomfortable. They lean into them, even though it's difficult and they might make mistakes along the way.
Running to the hard things requires dealing with problems head-on and early, before they grow into something bigger and more complicated. You tackle the tasks that require real effort and follow-through instead of finding ways to avoid them. You also show your team how to stay focused when things are uncertain by modeling it yourself, demonstrating that discomfort is part of the work rather than something to run from.
That willingness to do the hard thing when nobody else will builds trust because people see that you're not asking them to do anything you wouldn't do yourself. Running to the hard things demonstrates that your leadership is about service and resilience rather than comfort and convenience.
Ask yourself:
What difficult conversation or task have I been avoiding? What would change if I addressed it this week instead of waiting?
When my team faces uncertainty or challenges, do they see me running toward the problem or away from it? What example am I setting?
Inspire Others
People pay more attention to what their leaders do than what they say. Inspiration in leadership is less about motivational speeches and more about the one-on-one consistency you demonstrate through follow-through, care, authenticity, and vulnerability with the people you lead. When your actions line up with what you expect from others, they're much more likely to bring that same level of commitment to their work because they see you living out the standards you're asking them to meet.
Inspiring others requires showing gratitude by really listening to people rather than just waiting for your turn to talk. You need to be consistent in how you behave and make decisions so that you set an example people can count on.
When you inspire others through your actions rather than your words, you create a culture where people feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work. They see that leadership isn't about power or status. Leadership is about showing up consistently and authentically for the people around you, even when it would be easier not to.
Ask yourself:
Do my actions consistently match what I expect from my team, or is there a gap between what I say and what I do?
When was the last time I genuinely listened to someone on my team without thinking about my response or the next task? How often does that really happen?
“A leader... is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”
Time
Time in GRIT is about how intentionally you invest in your own growth and your relationships. This may be one of the hardest parts of the framework because it requires slowing down when everything around you is moving fast. The best leaders make time for learning, reflection, and self-care while also investing time in the relationships that matter
Second, invest intentionally in the relationships around you, both professionally and personally. This includes developing your listening skills to communicate and connect more effectively. Strong relationships are built through consistent investment rather than sporadic attention when it's convenient, and those relationships provide the support and perspective you need to navigate difficult seasons of leadership.
Time requires two things. First, prioritize renewal and personal development. Are you actively renewing your mind as a leader by reading materials and studying concepts that will help you develop? Or are you relying solely on experience to carry you forward without intentional growth? If you're not investing in your own development, you'll eventually deplete the internal reserves you need to lead effectively.
Ask yourself:
How am I currently investing in my own growth? What would it look like to protect that time more intentionally instead of treating it as optional?
Which relationships in my life—professional or personal—am I neglecting because I keep putting them off until I have more time? What would change if I made time for them this week?
The following practices will help you apply the GRIT framework in ways that strengthen humility and servant leadership:
Ask for Feedback on How You're Living GRIT: You can't assess how well you're practicing GRIT without outside perspective on how your behavior actually shows up. Ask a trusted colleague or team member which element of GRIT—Get Over Yourself, Run to the Hard Things, Inspire Others, or Time—they see as your strongest and which one needs the most work. Listen without defending yourself. Use what you hear to focus your development efforts where they'll make the biggest difference.
Notice When You're Choosing Comfort Over Service: Servant leadership requires recognizing the moments when you're prioritizing your own comfort over what your team needs from you. Pay attention to when you avoid a task because it's uncomfortable rather than because it's not important. Notice when you're making decisions that protect your image instead of serving your team. Catch yourself when you're giving leftover energy to important relationships. These moments reveal where GRIT needs to show up in your leadership.
Create Accountability for Your GRIT Goals: Humility grows when you're honest with someone else about where you're struggling and invite them to hold you accountable. Share your GRIT goals with a mentor, peer, or trusted team member. Tell them specifically what you're working on and ask them to check in with you regularly. Give them permission to call you out when they see you slipping into old patterns. Accountability turns intentions into actual behavior change.
Prioritize Others' Success Over Your Own Recognition: Shifting your focus from receiving credit to ensuring your team has what they need to succeed is one of the ways servant leaders practice getting over themselves. When you do this consistently, you inspire others through your actions rather than your words. When a project goes well, highlight your team's contributions publicly before mentioning your own role. Ask yourself regularly whether you're more invested in your team's growth or in making sure people notice your leadership. Humble leaders measure success by what their team accomplishes, not by the recognition they receive.
Practice Admitting What You Don't Know: Humility shows up when you're honest about the limits of your knowledge and willing to learn from the people around you. This requires both getting over yourself and running toward the hard thing of admitting what you don't know. When you don't have an answer, say so directly instead of deflecting or pretending you know more than you do. Ask your team for their expertise and perspectives, acknowledging that their knowledge in certain areas may be stronger than yours. Being honest about what you don't know builds credibility because people trust straightforward leaders.
The work you've done in this module has given you tools to lead with greater humility. Understanding these concepts matters, but applying them is what actually changes your leadership.
Leadership built on humility looks different from leadership built on ego or image management. It requires ongoing effort to notice when you're slipping into old patterns and the willingness to course-correct when you do. What's one specific behavior you could change this week that would demonstrate humility to your team in a way they would actually notice?
Elevate your understanding of GRIT by taking flight with the following resources. Use this opportunity to navigate, uncover, and expand the horizons of your leadership influence.
Want To Be A Great Leader? First, Get Over Yourself
