Milana L. Hogan - Grit, the Secret to Advancement: Stories of Successful Women Lawyers

How many times have you asked yourself the question, what separates successful individuals from those who are not? Research on the intangible concept now known as grit has shed light on this vexing question. The Grit Project has been one of the ABA Commission on Women in the Professions key initiatives since 2013. Based on a study two years earlier that revealed that grit and a growth mindset were two traits shared by highly successful women lawyers, the Grit Project has provided the legal profession with tools to teach and understand these traits in order to increase the advancement of women lawyers and to help them achieve success, however that is defined for each individual.

It was obvious from the start that women beyond those in large law firms were keenly interested in learning more about grit and growth mindset. Thus, the Commission decided to expand the initial research to all legal work environments. You will read the findings from this latest research in the chapters that follow.

But we wanted to dig deeper and go beyond these findings to hear from women for whom grit and growth mindset were important to their careers and their success. The result is the collection of 47 letters contained in this volume.

As you see in these letters, everyones path is uniqueprofessionally and personally. Some of these women were born with grit or a growth mindset, and being gritty came naturally. Others developed their grit later in life and/or less easily. Not everyone necessarily could put a name to these traits, but they can now, thanks to this research. Regardless of their work environments, however, they all recognized that grit played a critical role in how they were able to handle difficult situations and ultimately be productive, rather than have their frustrations lead to inertia.

Grit gives you permission to fight, to stand up for yourself, and provides you with an approach for handling those tough situations. There is a wide range in how you do that, but in the end, grit teaches you that you can say and believe that no one has more power over you than you do. No matter where you are on the grit continuum, it is never too late to learn or to increase your grittiness. Another very important message to take away from this research is that grit can be taught; you can learn and practice these skills. This is truly an invigorating thought. The Commission will continue to enhance the Grit Project to assist you in your effort. Be sure to visit our grit resources online at www.ambar.org/grit .

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Milana Hogan for working with the Commission to establish and launch the Grit Project, developing and spearheading our expanded research into work environments in addition to BigLaw, and then writing this manuscript. Her dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm helped turn the idea for this publication into a reality. She had to call on her own grit to complete this research and book.

Special thanks also go to Natasha Galvez, Juanita Hernndez, Elaine Johnson James, and Deborah Rhode, who reviewed the manuscript and provided valuable feedback. In addition, we appreciate and acknowledge the staff of the Commission and particularly our executive director, Melissa Wood, and the Commissions communications and publications manager, Barbara Leff, who shepherded the book through production.

Last, and most important, we thank the authors of the letters that you will read in this book. You are the heart of this work. Thank you for taking the time to tell your stories and share your life experiences. Your honesty and words of wisdom will undoubtedly inspire other women lawyers as they blaze their own trails to success.

Michele Coleman Mayes, Chair, 20142017

ABA Commission on Women in the Profession

WHY GRIT AND GROWTH MINDSET

In August 2013, the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession (Commission) launched the Grit Project. The Grit Project was created under the leadership of then-Commission Chair Roberta Bobbi Liebenberg to educate women lawyers about the science behind grit and growth mindsettwo important traits that many successful women lawyers have in common and that have shaped their success. Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, Grit and growth mindset are known as noncognitive traitsthat is, traits that are not based purely on measures of intelligence. Both of these traits have been shown to predict achievement above and beyond traditional measures or predictors of successsuch as grade point average (GPA) or class rankthat are heavily relied upon by employers, including legal employers.