Grit, Growth Mindset, and
Women in the Profession
belief about her ability to learn, improve,
and succeed.7 According to Dweck, there
are two types of mindset: a fixed mindset
and a growth mindset. Individuals with a
fixed mindset see intelligence and ability
as static.8 And so, when presented with a
challenge that exceeds their abilities, they
see little value in putting any effort toward
tackling that challenge.9 Individuals with a
growth mindset, on the other hand, believe
that intelligence is “malleable”– that it
can be changed through experiences and
application; that it can be cultivated through
effort. 10 The belief that intelligence and
ability are not fixed – a growth mindset –
motivates these individuals to work hard and
put their best effort in all that they do. 11
By Denitsa Mavrova Heinrich
and Julia L. Ernst
Over the last few years, the concepts of
grit and growth mindset have become
somewhat of a national obsession.
The credit for this obsession goes to
psychologists Angela Duckworth at
the University of Pennsylvania and
Carol Dweck at Stanford University.
Their groundbreaking work on the
psychology of success has spurred an
ongoing conversation about the impact of
noncognitive characteristics, such as grit
and growth mindset, on achievement in
both academic and professional settings.
Grit
Duckworth defines grit as “passion and
perseverance for long-term goals.” 1
Grit, Duckworth explains, encompasses
“working strenuously toward challenges,
maintaining effort and interest over years
despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in
progress.” 2 Gritty individuals approach
achievement as a marathon, fully aware that
endurance and stamina are the qualities that
will ultimately lead them to the finish line. 3
They stay on task even when disappointment
or loss of interest may lead others to move
on to something else. 4 In fact, grit is the one
personal characteristic all highly successful
individuals have in common irrespective the
domain. 5 More than any other characteristic,
grit has proven to reliably explain why some
individuals accomplish more than others of
equal intelligence and why some make the
most of their abilities while others barely tap
into their potential. 6
Growth Mindset
Like grit, mindset has been shown to
predict success better than other measures,
including intelligence. Mindset refers to one’s
Denitsa Mavrova Heinrich and
Julia L. Ernst are professors at the
University of North Dakota School
of Law.
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THE GAVEL
Grit and Growth Mindset:
The Secret to Success
As the concepts of grit and growth mindset
swept across the country, the American
Bar Association’s (ABA) Commission on
Women in the Profession (Commission)
joined the conversation by initiating The
Grit Project in 2013 and then publishing
“Grit, the Secret to Advancement: Stories
of Successful Women Lawyers” in 2017, a
book that examines the role grit and growth
mindset play in the professional success of
women lawyers.
In conducting the research for the book,
author Milana Hogan interviewed and
solicited written feedback from women
in various legal fields, including solo
practitioners, lawyers in both small and
big law firms, in-house counsel, and
government and non profit lawyers. While
acknowledging the limitations of self-
reporting and the impossibility of developing
a universal definition of success within the
legal profession, the book offers invaluable
insights from the compiled data, as well
as inspiring stories in the voices of many
women lawyers. Its key findings note that not
only are grit and growth mindset essential to
success in the legal profession, but also many